Leadership

Mark Roithmayr – President

Jennifer Bizub – Chief Human Resources Officer

Peter H. Bell – Executive V.P. – Programs and Services

Geraldine Dawson – Chief Science Officer

Liz Feld – Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications

Dana Marnane – Vice President -- Awareness and Events
Bill Shea – National Director of Creative Services
Tom Hetzel – Chief Financial Officer

Cathy Kanefsky -- Vice President of Field and Chapter Development

Rebecca Fehlig - National Director, Field and Chapter Development

Pat Kemp - Executive V.P., Marketing, Corporate Relations and Development

Marc Sirkin - Vice President, Social Marketing & Online Fundraising
Richard Brown – National Director of Leadership Giving
Paul Irwin-Dudek – National Walk Director; Field Operations
Scott Leibowitz – National Director of Corporate Relations

Mark Roithmayr, President

In July 2005 Mark Roithmayr became Autism Speaks' first full-time president. In his first two years he helped merge three organizations; Autism Coalition for Research and Education, National Alliance for Autism Research and Cure Autism Now into Autism Speaks. Today Autism Speaks is North America’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, raising $58 million annually to fund programs in research, awareness, advocacy and family services. Among the top accomplishments in his tenure include committing over $160 million to scientific research and the growth of the Walk program to over 90 Walks throughout North America with nearly 400,000 participants, passing autism insurance reform in 28 states, along with increasing autism awareness by 45 percent in the general public. Prior to Autism Speaks, Mark worked for 20 years at the March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation where he last served as Sr. Vice President for Revenue Development helping that foundation raise over $220 million. Mark resides in White Plains, N.Y. with his wife Christine and they have two children Alex and Emma.

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Peter H. Bell, Executive V.P.
Programs and Services

Peter Bell is executive vice president for programs and services at Autism Speaks. He oversees the foundation's government relations and family services activities and also serves as an advisor to the science division. Prior to his role at Autism Speaks, Bell was president and CEO of Cure Autism Now, which merged with Autism Speaks in February 2007.

Peter joined Cure Autism Now in 2004 following a successful 12-year marketing career at McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. Peter led Cure Autism Now through a tremendous growth period and brought the foundation's funding total to more than $39 million. In addition, Peter enhanced the foundation's research, education and outreach initiatives and expanded the foundation's treatment portfolio. Prior to joining the Cure Autism Now staff, Peter was a founding member of its Philadelphia chapter and served on the board of directors. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

Peter and his wife, Liz, reside in New Jersey with their three children. Their eldest son, Tyler, has autism.

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Geraldine Dawson, Chief Science Officer

Geraldine Dawson became Autism Speaks' first chief science officer in January of 2008. In this role, Dawson serves as the scientific leader of Autism Speaks, working with the scientific community, stakeholders, and science staff, to shape, expand, and communicate the foundation's scientific vision and strategy. Dawson is also Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to joining Autism Speaks, Dawson was Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Washington (UW) and Founding Director of the UW Autism Center, which has been designated an NIH Center of Excellence since 1996. While at the University, Dawson led a multi-disciplinary autism research program focusing on genetics, neuroimaging, diagnosis, and treatment. Dawson's own research has been in the areas of early detection and treatment of autism, early patterns of brain dysfunction (electrophysiology), and more recently, development of endophenotypes for autism genetic studies. Dawson received continuous NIH funding for her research from 1980 until 2008 when she left UW to join Autism Speaks.

Dawson's scientific achievements include discovering that autism symptoms could be recognized during infancy, defining the earliest manifestations of autism, pioneering the use of event-related brain potentials to study early brain dysfunction in autism, development of behavioral and electrophysiological endophenotypes in genetic studies of autism, and development and evaluation of the Early Start Denver Model, an intervention for infants and toddlers with autism. Dawson has published over 180 scientific articles and chapters and co-edited or authored a number of books about autism spectrum disorder and brain development, including Autism Spectrum Disorders; Human Behavior, Learning, and the Developing Brain; and A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism. She has received over 50 grants supporting her research, including 17 research grants from NIH. From 2000-07, Dawson founded and directed University of Washington Autism Center's multi-disciplinary clinical services program, which is the largest of its kind in the northwestern United States. A strong advocate for families, Dawson has testified before the U.S. Senate on behalf of individuals with autism and played a key role on the Washington State Autism Task Force.

Dawson earned a Ph.D. in developmental and child clinical psychology from the University of Washington. After graduate school, she studied as a postdoctoral fellow at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA and, a year later, accepted a position as Assistant Professor at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 1985, she returned to the University of Washington as a faculty member, where she continued her research on autism and practiced as a clinical psychologist specializing in autism until she accepted her current position at Autism Speaks. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and daughter.

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Tom Hetzel, Financial Officer

Tom is the chief financial officer for Autism Speaks, coming to the organization through its affiliation with the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR). Tom joined NAAR in the fall of 2004 as CFO, playing a key role in implementing strategic planning, budgeting and management reporting systems and practices to support NAAR's three-fold growth in recent years.

Prior to joining NAAR, Tom had an extensive 26-year career at Dow Jones & Company holding a variety of positions, including Vice President of Finance and Vice President/Circulation - The Wall Street Journal. Tom has a B.S. in accounting from the University of Scranton and an MBA from Rider University.

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Pat Kemp, Executive Vice President – Marketing, Corporate Relations and Development

Pat Kemp is responsible for fundraising while building the Autism Speaks brand. Pat spearheads Autism Speaks' fundraising efforts in corporate relations, social media, major gifts, merchandising and licensing through the use of unique brand building opportunities.

Kemp brings a successful business background to Autism Speaks after serving many years as a marketing and communications executive at General Motors. In his most recent position as strategic marketing director, Kemp was instrumental in creating the new strategic framework for GM North America, with its focus on four premier brands. Under his leadership as brand manager, the Cadillac DeVille went from an underperforming brand to a power brand. Additionally, Kemp negotiated multi-year multi-million-dollar strategic partner agreements with Disney, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Woman's National Basketball Association.

As father of a young adult son, Ryan, who is on the spectrum – as well as another son and daughter, Kemp has been part of the autism community for several years. Kemp has served as president of the Autism Society of America's Oakland County (MI) chapter, and served on the boards of the Michigan Society of Autism, O.A.T.S. (Offering Alternative Therapies with Smiles) and Jack's Place for Autism.

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Marc Sirkin - Vice President, Social Marketing & Online Fundraising

Marc is focused on helping the organization create “conversations” using the Internet and the Social Web. He oversees the organization's digital strategy and is focused on creating new community and fundraising opportunities for all those affected by autism.

Marc's unique ability to develop high-level social marketing strategies that connect directly to measurable business results has helped him launch and refine online communities, as well as web-based community applications, which have resulted in millions of dollars in donations and lifelong customer relationships in the non-profit sector. Most recently, as part of Enterprise Partner Group (EPG) at Microsoft, Marc helped to develop emerging social and online community models that are focused on driving tangible business results through the use of social marketing strategies and tactics.

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Anita Miller Sostek, Vice President of Scientific Review and Operations

Anita Miller Sostek joined Autism Speaks as vice president of scientific review and operations in September of 2008. In this role, Anita oversees Autism Speaks' grants program, which currently processes over 1,000 investigator-initiated grants annually. She is involved in overseeing the review of proposals, the evaluation of progress reports, and financial monitoring of the science program. She is also responsible for developing and implementing policies, procedures, and operations for the science program.

Anita brings to Autism Speaks an extensive background in early development and scientific peer review. From 1974 to 1987, she was on the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics at Georgetown University studying the developmental outcomes of infants born at risk because of prematurity and/or medical complications around the time of birth. She joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1987 to administer peer review in the areas of mental retardation, neurodevelopmental disorders and prematurity. With her 2002 promotion to the position of Director of the Division of Clinical and Population-Based Studies at the Center for Scientific Review at the NIH, Anita was responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring peer review policy. She worked with more than 70 Scientific Review Officers and their Chiefs to ensure fair and expert review in behavioral science, neuroscience and population-based research. This regularly involved the resolution of complex issues such as appeals and conflicts of interest as well as frequent contact with investigators and NIH staff across many of the 27 Institutes and Centers.

Anita served on several NIH Committees, has won multiple honors and awards, and has edited numerous books. Her most recent recognition consisted of a 2008 NIH Director's Award for Implementation of the Continuous Submission Option for Grant Applications.

Anita received her B.A. in English from New York University, a Masters of Arts in Developmental Psychology from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She resides in Washington, DC.

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Clara Lajonchere, Vice President of Clinical Programs

Dr. Clara Lajonchere currently serves as vice president of clinical programs for Autism Speaks, overseeing a diverse portfolio of clinical programs and resources that facilitate research across the field of autism spectrum disorders. These include the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), the Autism Clinical Trials Network (ACTN), the Autism Treatment Network (ATN), and several bioinformatic initiatives. Dr. Lajonchere has significant experience in biobanking, the development of clinical and research registries, and multi-site collaborative networks geared towards the rapid discovery, dissemination and implementation of autism treatments, guidelines and clinical tools. She is committed to ensuring a continuum of quality care across the lifespan.
 
Dr. Lajonchere is also clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine and research assistant professor at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering, through which she serves as principal investigator and director of the NIH-funded Center for Genomic and Phenomic Studies in Autism. The center’s goals include the advancement of genetic and environmental studies that accelerate understanding of causes and pathology and facilitate discovery of new therapeutics. Dr. Lajonchere has also received funding to develop a model for the authentic inclusion of minorities in biomedical research and has established partnerships with leading autism researchers to increase the depth and breadth of resources across a diversity of disciplines including human genetics, molecular biology, neuroimaging, neuroscience, and psychology. 
 
Dr. Lajonchere received her training in experimental psychology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and has been working in the field of psychiatric genetics for the last 20 years.  She provides guidance on protocol design, data management, and data collection for basic and clinical research studies in addition to conducting her own research in a variety of clinical research settings.  She was a co-author on the recent population-based California Autism Twins Study, which was transformative for the field.
 

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Robert H. Ring, Vice President of Translational Research

Rob joined Autism Speaks in June of 2011 as Vice President of Translational Research. In this newly created position, Rob is responsible for overseeing the organization's expanding translational research portfolio, which is focused on moving biological science “from bench to bedside” – or from laboratory experiments into clinical trials – with the goal of improving outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Organizationally, Rob leads the Division of Translational Neuroscience. He is responsible for overseeing Autism Speaks’ neuroscience-focused grant portfolio, the Post-doctoral fellowship program in Translational Research, and the Autism Tissue Program (ATP) and is spearheading our Translational Medicine Research Initiative.

Prior to joining Autism Speaks, Rob held the position of Senior Director and Head of the Autism Research Unit at Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development in Groton, Connecticut. There he led the first dedicated research group in the pharmaceutical industry focused specifically on the discovery and development of medicines that address unmet clinical needs of individuals living with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Under his leadership, the Autism Research Unit established an innovative research program and diverse portfolio of therapeutic approaches to autism. Working closely with academic centers, governmental agencies, and non-profit foundations around the world, Rob’s multidisciplinary team built an extensive external network of collaborators focused on translating the rapidly advancing science of autism into clinical benefits for the autism population.

Rob is a native of Southern California, where he attended Westmont College (Santa Barbara) and earned a B.A. degree in both Fine Art and Biology. After a brief art career as a painter, he returned to his passion for science, earning a Ph.D. in Molecular Neurobiology from the City of Hope National Medical Center (Duarte, California) before moving into the Pharmaceutical Industry. With over a decade of experience as a neuroscientist working in psychiatric drug discovery and development, Rob has an extensive background in translational research. He is a recognized expert in neuropeptide systems of the central nervous system, with a particular research interest in oxytocin and vasopressin.

Rob holds adjunct faculty appointments in Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York) and Pharmacology and Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia). He is also a member in numerous professional societies including the International Society for Autism Research, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Society for Biological Psychiatry, and Society for Neurosciences.

Rob resides in Southeastern Connecticut with his wife and two children.

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Andy Shih, Vice President of Scientific Affairs

Andy Shih, Ph.D., works closely with members of Autism Speaks' Board, Scientific Advisory Committee, senior staff and volunteer leadership to develop and implement the organization's research program. He also oversees the administration of the organization's grant-making process for research. Andy joined the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) in 2002.

Prior to joining NAAR, Andy had served as an industry consultant and was a member of the faculty at Yeshiva University and New York University Medical Center. He earned his Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from New York University Medical Center.

Andy's research background includes published studies in gene identification and characterization, virus-cell interaction, and cell-cycle regulation. He was instrumental in the cloning of a family of small GTPases involved in cell-cycle control and nuclear transport, and holds three patents on nucleic acids-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Andy is a resident of Queens, where he lives with his wife, daughter and son.

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Joseph Horrigan
Assistant Vice President, Head of Medical Research

Joseph Horrigan, M.D., joined Autism Speaks in October 2011 to serve as assistant vice president, head of medical research. In this position, Dr. Horrigan oversees Autism Speaks’ medical research activities, with the goal of speeding the development of safe and effective medicines that can improve the lives of those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

From 2002 to 2011, Dr. Horrigan coordinated pediatric drug development within the Neurosciences Medicines Development Center at GlaxoSmithKline. He has a special interest in developing new measures that improve safeguards for children participating in drug research. In this regard, he has worked with the World Health Organization and StaR Child Health to improve the quality and ethics of pediatric clinical research and to improve the availability of child-friendly medicines to patients in all parts of the world. In the areas of neurology and psychiatry, Dr. Horrigan has served as the medical leader for a variety of clinical programs testing new medicines for pediatric bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, insomnia, pediatric epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. He also serves as a scientific advisor to the FRAXA Research Foundation, which seeks a cure for Fragile X syndrome.

Since 1992 Dr. Horrigan has been a consulting psychiatrist at a residential facility serving school-aged children, including those with ASD or significant learning and behavioral challenges. He has served as a physician and investigator in the Developmental Neuropharmacology Clinic, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and directed the university’s Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinic in its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning. In this capacity, he directly cared for many children, adolescents and adults with ASD and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr. Horrigan earned his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, in New York, and his Sc.B. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Brown University. Dr. Horrigan is a board certified specialist in both general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. As a researcher, he is widely published in peer-reviewed journals.

He lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.

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Richard Brown
National Director of Leadership Giving

As the national director of leadership giving, Richard Brown is responsible for expanding Autism Speaks' major gifts program. He works closely with volunteer leadership to solicit gifts from individuals and to recruit new volunteer leaders for Autism Speaks. Additionally, Rich is building a national staff structure to extend the major gifts program across the country.

Rich is a 20-year veteran of the not-for-profit world. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's New York City Chapter, where he was responsible for a $10 million annual budget. Prior to his tenure at JDRF, he was the Vice President of Institutional Advancement for SUNY College at Old Westbury. Rich spent nine years with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, serving in several capacities, including Area Director, where he managed field operations in the eastern half of the U.S.

Rich is an adjunct faculty member at New York University's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising. He formerly served as board member of the New York City and Long Island Chapter's of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He is a past Vice-Chairman of Fundraising Day in New York, the largest one-day fundraising conference in the country. He is also past president of the National Voluntary Health Agencies of New York.

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Paul Irwin-Dudek
National Walk Director; Field Operations

Paul joined Autism Speaks in April of 2011. In his role, Paul is responsible for driving growth through the development of our signature program, Walk Now for Autism Speaks.

In addition, Paul is responsible for integrating mission and raising Autism Speaks' awareness through our organizations grassroots efforts among our 350,000+ participants in our Walks, which take place in communities across the United States, as well as in Canada in support of Autism Speaks' mission.

Paul brings to Autism Speaks over ten years’ experience in development, volunteer and community services. Prior to joining our organization, his roles included: Operations Manager for AT&T CARES / AT&T Pioneers, Senior Director of Volunteer Services for United Way, and Senior Director of Income Development & Special Events for the American Cancer Society; Eastern Division. In his most recent position at ACS, he was responsible for expanding the division-wide efforts to mobilize volunteers and communities through their walk program, Relay For Life.

Paul resides in the Poconos with his husband, Christopher and their daughter Kensington.

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Cathy Kanefsky
Vice President of Field and Chapter Development

Cathy Kanefsky joined Autism Speaks in June of 2009 as Director of Field Training and Development, and was promoted to National Director of Chapter Development in March of 2010. In her current role as Vice President of Field and Chapter Development, Cathy Kanefsky is driving overall growth throughout the field. Her primary focus is guiding success in fundraising, volunteer development and continued activity that supports mission integration throughout the field. The field's continued focus on revenue growth through Walk Now for Autism Speaks will be enhanced by new fundraising initiatives; and focus on mission will ensure science, awareness, family services and advocacy are integrated into all field activity. Under Cathy's leadership, a regional field structure is being developed that will facilitate growth into a chapter based organization.

Cathy is a 16-year veteran of the not-for-profit world. Before joining Autism Speaks, she served as the National Director of Family Team Development for the March of Dimes, where she was responsible for the development and implementation of a pilot program that led to an organization-wide launch. Prior to her national position at the March of Dimes, Cathy served as the State Director of the Delaware Chapter.

Cathy is personally dedicated to her work at Autism Speaks as the mother of a 17-year son and 19-year old twin sons with autism. Cathy holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Communications from the University of Delaware.

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Scott Leibowitz
National Director of Corporate Relations

Scott Leibowitz joined Autism Speaks as its national director of corporate relations in January, 2008. In this role, he is responsible for identifying and establishing national corporate partnerships for all Autism Speaks activities and programs.

Scott brings to Autism Speaks over 20 years' experience in business development, marketing, and growth management. Most recently, Scott was Vice President of Marketing and Administration for Warm Thoughts Communications, Inc. He was one of the founders for this marketing agency and consulting firm, responsible for national marketing efforts, key client account management, new product research and development, and public relations campaigns.

Scott holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Dana Marnane
Vice President -- Awareness and Events

Dana Marnane joined Autism Speaks in 2006 as director of communications then was promoted to national director of communications and marketing in 2007, responsible for media relations, awareness and communication strategy. In her current role as vice president of awareness and events, she is responsible for raising Autism Speaks' visibility among donors, families, governmental agencies, and the general public in support of Autism Speaks' mission. She continues to lead the communications strategy and all media relations for the organization, but now also manages the creative and national events teams. Dana coordinates the activities and publicity around World Autism Awareness Day and facilitates Autism Speaks' international awareness and partnership efforts. She also oversees our award-winning awareness campaign in partnership with the Ad Council and BBDO.

Prior to joining Autism Speaks, she spent ten years with national retailer Lord & Taylor in its public relations and special events department. She created and managed the company's charity events, partnering with hundreds of non-profits throughout the country. She also served as the communications director for U.S. Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing. She is a Board member emeritus of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's Westchester/Fairfield Chapter and resides in Westchester County, N.Y.

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Bill Shea
National Director of Creative Services

Bill Shea has served as a consultant to Autism Speaks since the organization's inception. In November of 2006 he became a permanent member of the team. As a creative consultant, he played a pivotal role in developing Autism Speaks' multi-year campaign with the Ad Council. In his role as national director of creative services, he continues to manage the organization's partnership with the Ad Council and overees the development of walk-related and other branded marketing materials.

Bill is a 20-year veteran of the advertising community. Prior to joining Autism Speaks, he spent 15 years with McCann Erickson, a leading global advertising agency. He was a group creative director responsible for such major advertising campaigns as Major League Baseball's "I Live For This" and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter's "Fabio" campaign.

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Lisa Goring
Vice President – Family Services

Lisa joined Autism Speaks as the staff liaison for the Family Services Committee in June of 2006. In May of 2007 she was appointed director of family services.

Lisa's focus is to provide direction and management of the Family Services program at Autism Speaks, and to serve as the guiding force behind the Family Services mission which is to: 1) empower families and individuals impacted by autism to make informed decisions that maximize the quality of life and development potential of affected individuals; 2) to promote research funding that yields evidence for the best practices in the treatment of autism and associated disorders; and 3) to serve as a catalyst and advocate for the implementation of best practices in autism treatment, education, and services from early intervention through adult care.

Lisa's prior work experience includes a 19 year career at Saks Fifth Avenue where she was Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager. In addition, she is a past president of her local School Community Association, has participated on many special education committees, is a frequent parent member of the committee on special education in her school district, has presented at several autism conferences, and has worked as a teaching assistant at Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism's Martin C. Barell School. Lisa lives in Manhasset, New York with her husband Paul and two children, one of whom has autism.

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Lorri Shealy Unumb, J.D. - Vice President, State Government Affairs

Lorri Shealy Unumb is an attorney and vice president for state government affairs for Autism Speaks. Lorri joined the organization in September 2008 as senior policy advisor and counsel and since that time has worked to enact autism insurance legislation in over two dozen states.  
 
Lorri began her work in autism advocacy as a volunteer. In 2005, she wrote ground-breaking autism insurance legislation for South Carolina (“Ryan’s Law,” named after her oldest child) that passed in 2007 and served as a catalyst for the national movement toward autism insurance reform.  Lorri has since testified over 60 times before state legislatures around the country and has become the nation’s foremost expert on autism insurance law. For her advocacy efforts, Lorri has been recognized with the Jefferson Award for Public Service; the Autism Society of America 2008 “Parents of the Year” award (along with her husband); and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s Michael Hemingway Award.  Her work has been profiled on CNN, on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and in Town & Country magazine, from whom she received one of three 2009 “Women Who Make a Difference” awards.
 
Prior to joining Autism Speaks, Lorri enjoyed a fulfilling career as a litigator and law professor:  as a federal law clerk, an Honor Program attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, a full-time professor at George Washington University Law School, an inaugural faculty member at the Charleston School of Law, and as associate director of the Justice Department’s National Advocacy Center. Lorri teaches a law school seminar at George Washington University called “Autism and the Law” and with her husband released the first-ever comprehensive textbook on legal issues related to autism, called “Autism and the Law.”
 
Lorri lives in South Carolina with her husband Dan and three sons, Ryan, who has autism; Christopher; and Jonathan.  
 
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