Autism Speaks Names Director of Autism Resource Center in Nantucket

 

NEW YORK, NY (October 15, 2007) -- Autism Speaks, the largest non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research, today announced the appointment Kim Horyn to the position of director of the Autism Resource Center in Nantucket, Mass., effective October 29. The announcement was made by Autism Speaks Executive Vice President Peter Bell, to whom Horyn will report.

 

As the director, Horyn will be responsible for overseeing the daily functions and operations of the Nantucket Autism Resource Center. “We are thrilled to have Kim as part of the Autism Speaks team. She will be a great resource to the autism community in Nantucket,” said Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president, programs and services.

 

Currently, Horyn is the community relations coordinator at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, where over the last four years she has been responsible for promoting the hospital, disseminating press releases and coordinating community relations events. Prior to her tenure with the hospital, she held roles in consulting, advertising and public relations for a variety of Nantucket-based clients.

 

Horyn has also held a number of leadership positions within the Nantucket Public Schools including: Member, School Committee, Nantucket Public Schools, 1999-2002; Chair, 2001-2002; President, Friends of Nantucket Public Schools (PTA), 1995-1997; and Chair, Communications Committee, Friends of Nantucket Public Schools, 1992-1994. 

 

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

 

Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism, and to advocating for the needs of affected families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman, General Electric, and served as chief executive officer of NBC for more than twenty years. Autism Speaks has merged with both the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Cure Autism Now (CAN), bringing together the nation's three leading autism advocacy organizations. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.