FEATURED INTERVIEWS
Each month the editors will choose one interview to feature.
This featured interview will be linked from our Home Page and mentioned throughout social media.
Click on photo for interview.
This featured interview will be linked from our Home Page and mentioned throughout social media.
Click on photo for interview.
Photo Courtesy: Autism Speaks
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Angela Timashenka Geiger (April 2020 Featured Interview) is president and CEO in of Autism Speaks. In her first year, she revised and relaunched the organization’s mission to explicitly include people with autism both across the spectrum and throughout the life span. While huge progress has been made in increasing awareness of autism, the new mission goes a step further, striving to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism. Beyond creating a strategic vision for the future, Angela also led efforts to improve the financial position of Autism Speaks, producing positive net assets for three consecutive years. Before joining Autism Speaks, Angela was the chief strategy officer for the Alzheimer’s Association and held leadership roles at the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association of Western Pennsylvania and other organizations.
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Photo Courtesy: Autism Speaks
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Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D., (April 2020 Featured Interview) is the Vice President of Services and Supports at Autism Speaks. A person with autism and the parent of an adult son on the spectrum of autism, Valerie is the author of numerous books and articles relating to advocacy, education and services, including Elijah’s Cup (Simon and Schuster), the Integrated Self-Advocacy ISA Series (Center for Integrated Self-Advocacy) and Lesson Plan a la Carte (AAPC).
In previous roles, Valerie has served as co-founder and director of the ASPIE School for middle and high school students with autism, Director of Education of New York University’s Asperger Institute, Director of the Autistic Global Initiative (a division of the Autism Research Institute), and Director of the National Leadership Institute of First Place Arizona. She is the 2015 recipient of the Autism Society of America’s Adam Heavener Memorial Award. |
Photo Credit: Dan Demetriad
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Nikki Feirt Atkins, M.D., (March 2020 Featured Interview) is a former dancer, pathologist, and founder and producing artistic director of American Dance Machine of the 21st Century (ADM21). Nikki studied ballet as a scholarship student at New Jersey Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet School in New York, where she performed briefly with the Joffrey Ballet. After a brief career as a professional dancer, Nikki went on to obtain her medical degree and became a practicing pathologist and researcher at Columbia University Medical Center. While working as a part-time pathologist in private practice, Nikki became involved in several dance projects, including The Jack Cole Project. In February 2012, Nikki founded ADM21, a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to creating a living and vibrant archive of classic and current notable musical theater choreography.
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Photo Credit: Grapevine Photo
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Hattie Hill (February 2020 Featured Interview) is a renowned speaker, author of multiple books and a global thought leader. She has spent more than three decades developing successful global diversity and gender equity strategies that drive culture change and create inclusive environments for corporations, nonprofit organizations and foundations across 70 countries, including IBM, Southwest Airlines and McDonald’s. Currently, Hattie serves as the president and CEO of the T.D. Jakes Foundation, a fund with a goal of raising $100 million to work toward improving disadvantaged communities and providing economic growth globally through science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).
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Stacia Wagner (January 2020 Featured Interview) is President of the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF). She wants to guarantee no family goes through this journey alone. As a leader in the childhood cancer/brain tumor community for over 20 years, Stacia began her work with CBTF 13 years ago as Director of Survivor Programs. She supervised the creation of career programs for survivors, the first father/survivor program in the country, and many on-going face-to-face and online support groups. She has published and presented in multiple areas related to survivorship issues.
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Featured Interviews: 2019
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Jeri Royce (December 2019 Featured Interview) is president and CEO of Esperança, an Arizona-based nonprofit that aims to improve health and provide hope for families in the poorest communities of the world through sustainable disease prevention, education, and treatment. With over 25 years of experience in local and national nonprofit organizations, she has a successful track record of building and leading strong partnerships and highly successful teams. Having founded her own consulting firm, 3P-Leadership, Jeri specializes in leadership development and offers training programs, team-building, individual/group coaching services and Interim Executive Director/CEO Services.
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Photo Courtesy: Alzheimer's Association
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Rebecca Edelmayer, Ph.D. (November 2019 Featured Interview) leads efforts to accelerate the scientific agenda of the Alzheimer’s Association through the creation and delivery of ongoing research education. She engages with more than 75 Alzheimer’s Association chapters across the country, ensuring that staff and the public are aware of the importance of medical research and the association’s crucial role in advancing research to improve the lives of individuals living with dementia and their care partners. She also manages initiatives uniting researchers and clinicians with leaders of industry, regulatory agencies and the government on topics related to blood-based biomarker testing, use of digital health technologies and biotech approaches in studying dementia.
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Julia Brody, Ph.D. (October 2019 Featured Interview) is executive director and senior scientist at Silent Spring Institute. She is a nationally recognized expert on environmental chemicals and breast cancer as well as a leader in community-engaged research. Julia’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the California Breast Cancer Research Program, and the National Science Foundation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Julia’s research with an Environmental Merit Award in 2000. In 2002, she presented one of the Distinguished Lectures at the National Cancer Institute and spoke at the 2009 President’s Cancer Panel where she highlighted the need to integrate biological evidence with human studies to prevent cancers.
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Caroline Boudreaux (September 2019 Featured Interview) is a social entrepreneur and the founder of Miracle Foundation, an Austin TX-based international nonprofit that brings life-changing care to orphaned and vulnerable children. Currently, the nonprofit is changing the lives of children across India.
Caroline’s work with Miracle Foundation has become her life’s work. For 19 years, she has tackled foreign barriers, recruited a world-class board and staff, and enlisted the help of hundreds of business people, doctors, donors and volunteers to fix a broken system. Caroline says, “Ask any child. They will tell you that their biggest dream is to be part of a loving family - it’s where they thrive.” |
Photo Credit: Mercy Chefs
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Ann LeBlanc (July 2019 Featured Interview) is the co-founder and Vice President of Marketing and Development for Mercy Chefs. Mercy Chefs is a nonprofit, disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization. In addition to her role as vice president, Ann also served on the founding board of Mercy Chefs and has been a part of the organization since the first deployment to Conklin, New York in 2006. Throughout her journey with Mercy Chefs, her passion has been to provide children with nutrition and joy in the midst of disaster. In the early days, she consistently requested to see “more green” on the plates Mercy Chefs served, and she focuses on providing a sense of normalcy to the children by providing coloring stations on site and bringing toys and activities for them to enjoy.
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Photo Credit: Michael Williams
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Cristina Ferrare (May 2019 Featured Interview) is a former fashion model, New York Times bestselling author, TV host and entrepreneur. During her modeling career, she graced the covers of every major fashion magazine, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan. Cristina hosted or co-hosted several TV programs, including AM Los Angeles, Cristina and Friends, Home and Family, and she was a substitute co-host on Good Morning America and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Her primetime series for CBS, Shame on You, was one of the first magazine format shows that featured consumer fraud and awareness. Cooking with Cristina was featured on Oprah.com. Her latest cookbook, Food for Thought (Post Hill Press) is excerpted in this issue of Sanctuary. Currently in remission after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2016, Cristina has since co-founded Flourish, a company committed to the health of body, mind and soul.
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Keri Bowers (April 2019 Featured Interview) is co-founder of The Art of Autism, a nonprofit which provides a forum for displaying, selling and promoting the art of autistic individuals. She is also the founder of Normal Films, an indie film/production company producing documentary films in autism and other developmental disabilities. Her son Taylor, who is on the spectrum, came up with the title Normal People Scare Me (2006), the company's first film, which he co-directed with Keri. Keri’s work as an advocate, artist, filmmaker and writer has spanned nearly three decades and has helped to create a positive impact on the autism community throughout the world.
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Dianne Zager, Ph.D., (April 2019 Featured Interview) is an internationally-recognized pioneer in autism education and Head of School for Shrub Oak International School in Mohegan Lake, NY. She has consulted with school districts across the U.S. to develop autism educational programs and founded one of the nation’s first college support programs for students with autism. Dianne has served as president of the International Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities and has over 30 years of experience directing graduate and post-graduate programs to train school personnel in autism.
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Lesley Goldwasser (March 2019 Featured Interview) is co-founder and board chair of Zara’s Center, an after-school haven for AIDS-impacted children in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe that has served thousands of children ages 5-18 and the surrounding community since 2007. She is co-president of the PG Family Foundation, a private foundation with a commitment to education, community building, and the arts. Lesley is also principle co-owner of The Betsy-South Beach, a hotel in Miami Beach, FL known for its community-based philanthropic work and a deep commitment to arts and culture.
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Ruth C. Browne, SD, (February 2019 Featured Interview) has been the president and chief executive officer of Ronald McDonald House New York since September 2016. Prior to assuming her role there, Ruth served for 12 years as Chief Executive Officer of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH). She is also an active member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Manhattan Chapter, advancing leadership opportunities for African-American women and girls.
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Cindy Campbell (January 2019 Featured Interview) is co-founder of the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation (TLC Foundation), a nonprofit organization that funds innovative research and clinical trials specifically geared toward the treatment of the most aggressive childhood cancers. Cindy created the foundation in Ty’s honor to raise awareness for pediatric cancer through the story of his courageous battle. To this date, the TLC Foundation has raised 1.6 million dollars.
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