Autism Speaks, Leadership


Mark Roithmayr, President In July 2005 Mark Roithmayr became Autism Speaks' first full time president. In a 20 month period he helped merge three organizations; ACRE, NAAR and Cure Autism Now into Autism Speaks. Today Autism Speaks is the largest autism related non-profit healthcare agency in the U.S., raising over 69 million dollars to fund programs of research, awareness, advocacy and family service. 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 dollars. Mark resides in White Plains, NY with his wife Christine and their two children Alex and Emma. back to top

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. back to top

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 Research 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. back to top

Tom Hetzel, Chief 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. back to top

Pat Kemp, Executive Vice President – Awareness and Events Pat Kemp is responsible for spearheading Autism Speaks' awareness efforts and increasing visibility among donors, families, governmental agencies, and the general public through the organization's branding, communication, public relations and marketing initiatives. Kemp also oversees Autism Speaks' national special events, corporate relations, social media and the major gifts departments. 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, daughter, and step-son – Kemp and his wife, Gina, have 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. back to top


Marc Sirkin - Chief Community Officer Marc is Autism Speaks's chief community officer and 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. back to top

Sophia Colamarino, Vice President of Research After sixteen years of laboratory research experience, Sophia joined Cure Autism Now in November 2004 as Science Director to oversee the science program in association with the CAN Scientific Review Council. Sophia graduated with dual degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Stanford University. She received her Ph.D. in Neurosciences from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she studied brain development with distinguished neuroscientist Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D. After receiving her Ph.D., Sophia conducted research on the genetic disorder Kallmann Syndrome at the Telethon Institute for Genetics and Medicine in Milan, Italy, led by human geneticist Andrea Ballabio, M.D. She then returned to the US to work at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, studying adult neural stem cells and brain regeneration in the laboratory of well-known stem cell researcher Fred H. Gage, Ph.D. Sophia's extensive research career has included publications in such journals as Cell and Nature. During her tenure at Cure Autism Now, Sophia oversaw a large growth in the science program and developed several important initiatives including the Neuropathology Workgroup, a collaborative effort to understand the cellular and molecular basis of brain enlargement, the first Environmental Innovator Award, and research summit meetings on Immunology and Neuroimaging, among others. She has become well-known for her ability to communicate science to lay audiences. Sophia grew up in San Francisco. She is currently also a Consulting Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. back to top

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. back to top

Clara Lajonchere, Vice President of Clinical Programs Clara joined Cure Autism Now in June 2003 as AGRE program director. Under Clara's leadership, AGRE has reached several landmarks including the acquisition of over 1600 family pedigrees and facilitating research in 15 countries. In September, 2006, Clara was promoted to Director of Clinical Research with responsibility for managing CAN's ATN and CTN programs. She has worked in the field of psychiatric genetics for the last 15 years and has a broad background in basic science and applied clinical research with both child and adult populations. Over the last two years, Clara has worked closely with program staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop bioinformatics tools for the autism field and currently serves as a national advisor for NIH's National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). Clara also has dual appointments at USC's Viterbi School of Engineering where she is Research Assistant Professor and USC's Keck School of Medicine where she is Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. Clara attended Tufts University in Boston where she received a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in the History of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis with concentrations in neuroscience and psychopathology. Clara was introduced to genetic research in 1989 when she worked on the Biological Program Project for Schizophrenia at McLean Hospital/Harvard University. Clara is a resident of Long Beach, California. back to top

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. back to top

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. back to top

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. back to top

Dana Marnane National Director of Communications and Marketing Dana Marnane is the national director of communications and marketing and oversees all aspects of Autism Speaks' communication strategy. She joined the organization in October of 2006. Prior to that 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. Prior to entering retail, Dana served as the communications director for U.S. Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's Westchester/Fairfield Chapter and resides in Westchester County, N.Y. back to top

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. back to top

Lisa Goring Director of 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. back to top