ALZHEIMER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, a - LIST
Amber works on the UsAgainstAlzheimer's A-List. She is also co-producer of the BrainStorm podcast. Amber provided web/social media outreach for the HarperCollins launch of Meryl Comer's book, Slow Dancing with a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer's, and she recently co-created an Alzheimer's Curriculum that has been adopted at an NYC public high school. Amber has extensive experience supporting top-tier executives, including the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network and the Geoffrey Beene Foundation, for which she was liaison for the national Rock Stars of Science PSA campaign, as well as various media projects.
Job Titles:
- Development Systems Specialist
Anne is a seasoned fundraising professional with 20 years of experience in building individual giving programs, managing Board and leadership volunteers, and successfully increasing development revenue. Anne's background includes work with many health and disability rights organizations including the Arthritis Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation, American Lung Association and National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She has also served in a variety of roles for international organizations working to combat global poverty, promote global health initiatives, provide humanitarian relief and reduce hunger around the world.
Prior to entering the non-profit field, Anne was personal financial planner providing tax, investment and philanthropic counsel to high-net worth individuals. A native of New Jersey, Anne received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware with a dual concentration in marketing and finance and pursued a graduate degree in Taxation at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Favorite Book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Global CEO Initiative
- Executive Director, Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer 's Disease
Ben Tiede is the Executive Director of the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease where he works with partner companies and organizations to address barriers to patient care and treatment. He is also a Managing Director at the High Lantern Group. Previously, Ben spent a decade at Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceutical organization. While at Johnson & Johnson, Ben worked in a variety of roles and organizations to advance efforts promoting access, affordability and innovation. Ben was the strategy lead and Chief of Staff for Johnson & Johnson's newly formed Global Public Health organization, and also was the Chief of Staff to the Vice Chairman of the company during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Ben was a Director at Global Health Strategies, an international consulting company focused on health in developing countries. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and a Master in Public Policy from Princeton University.
Favorite book: Nudge, by Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Initiatives at UsAgainstAlzheimer's
- Director, Strategic Initiatives
Catherine is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at UsAgainstAlzheimer's, collaborating with teams across the organization to ensure that UsA2 can achieve its vision of eradicating Alzheimer's.
For over 15 years, Catherine has provided strategic guidance, policy expertise, and public health know-how in service to achieving better health for all. Prior to joining UsA2, Catherine served as the Co-Executive Director of CityHealth, an initiative devoted to passing evidence-based policies in the nation's 75 largest cities. Before joining CityHealth, Catherine worked in philanthropy for over a decade, serving as the Managing Director for Urban Health and Policy at the de Beaumont Foundation. Catherine also worked at the Pew Charitable Trusts, where she led campaigns to improve children's dental health across the country. Catherine began her career as an early childhood educator, working directly with children and families.
Job Titles:
- Acting Chief Communications Officer
- Acting Chief Communications Officer at UsAgainstAlzheimer's
Chantez Bailey is the acting Chief Communications Officer at UsAgainstAlzheimer's, where she uses communication tactics to shape and amplify the organization's messaging, thereby increasing its overall reach and impact. Chantez has spent most of her career in the nonprofit sector, where she has developed a particular interest for health equity and social justice. She is an experienced marketer with over 17 years of nonprofit experience, who is driven by strategy and measurable results. Chantez has used her strategic communications expertise within various organizations, including the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), Adventist Healthcare System and Families USA. Beyond her extensive communications background, Chantez is passionate about the mission of UsAgainstAlzheimer's and works to enhance its brand visibility on both a state and national level. Chantez Bailey received her Bachelor of Arts in English Arts and Literature/Journalism from University of Maryland College Park.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Health Equity at UsAgainstAlzheimer
- Vice President, Health Equity
Daphne Delgado is Vice President of Health Equity at UsAgainstAlzheimer's (UsA2), where she works to promote brain health equity through the organization's priorities, initiatives and programmatic activities. Additionally, she leads the Center for Brain Health Equity's work, including the Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship and UsA2's partnership with the CDC.
Daphne has over a decade of experience in government relations, coalition building, and public health and chronic disease prevention policy, using her experience to advocate on behalf of patients, caregivers, and community-based organizations. Prior to joining UsA2, Daphne worked at Trust for America's Health, YMCA of the USA, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and served as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Health Fellow for U.S Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard. She was named as an Aspen Ideas Health Fellow in 2022.
Daphne has a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and minor in Biology from Duke University and a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She lives in Nashville.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Physician
- Board Member Founder and Senior Advisor, Satcher Health Leadership Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine 16th U.S. Surgeon General
David is a physician-scientist and public health administrator with an extensive track record of leadership, research, and community engagement. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College and holds MD and PhD degrees from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Satcher served as 16th Surgeon General of the United States (1998-2002) and the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (1998-2001). He also served as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Dr. Satcher has held top leadership positions at the Charles R. Drew University for Medicine and Science, Meharry Medical College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine. He has received over 50 honorary degrees and numerous awards. He is Founding Director and Senior Advisor for the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
Board Member; Founder and Senior Advisor, Satcher Health Leadership Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine; 16th U.S. Surgeon General
An editor by training and an organizational thinker by nature, Elizabeth joined UsAgainstAlzheimer's as a Financial Consultant in 2017. She now wears many hats, in development and operations as well. Prior to UsA2 she served as Executive Vice President at Give an Hour, a nonprofit organization providing free mental health services to military personnel and their loved ones. Her position there entailed a variety of roles from chief financial officer to operational strategist, human relations manager, and program director. Previous positions include Director of Publications at Harvard University's Center for International Affairs and Editor at Harvard University Press.
Erica brings more than a decade of experience in healthcare technology, program management, and clinical practice resource development to her role as Manager, Early Detection and Diagnosis at UsAgainstAlzheimer's. In this position, she leads the evolution of the BrainGuide platform while advancing the organization's mission to establish comprehensive early detection frameworks for Alzheimer's disease.
With a Master of Public Health focused on healthcare policy and practice, Erica has built her career at the intersection of healthcare innovation and data-driven solutions. She joins UsAgainstAlzheimer's from the American Society for Radiation Oncology, where she spearheaded data visualization efforts and managed quality improvement programs. Her diverse background also includes serving as a Senior Healthcare Advisor at CareJourney, where she worked closely with healthcare executives, and leading clinical guideline development and patient education initiatives at the American Gastroenterological Association.
As a healthcare technology leader, Erica specializes in translating complex healthcare data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations. Her expertise spans healthcare analytics, cross-functional leadership, and stakeholder engagement across diverse audiences, from frontline clinicians to C-suite executives. She is particularly passionate about leveraging innovative technology solutions to improve healthcare access, quality, and efficiency, especially for underserved communities.
At UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Erica oversees the strategic development of BrainGuide, managing everything from product feature definition and technical coordination to market analysis and customer engagement. She also plays a crucial role in establishing early detection frameworks and advancing brain health equity initiatives, working collaboratively with internal teams, external partners, and diverse stakeholder groups to drive meaningful impact in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
Erika Sward is Chief Advocacy Officer of UsAgainstAlzheimer's, where she is responsible for leading the organization's advocacy and policy, coalitions, and communications work. She has extensive experience in patient advocacy, having served as the American Lung Association's lead lobbyist for 19 years with Congress and the executive branch on access to care, tobacco control, appropriations, and lung disease and lung health issues.
Erika serves on the board of directors on the Partnership to Protect Coverage, a coalition committed to ensuring affordable, adequate and accessible healthcare for everyone. She is also president of the board of directors of the Coalition for Health Funding, a membership organization that works to preserve and strengthen federal funding investments for health agencies.
While new to the non-profit field, Erin has extensive experience in project/event management and client relationship management. She received her B.S in Kinesiology (Sport and Recreation Management focus) at James Madison University in Virginia and her M.B.A at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Her career began in the sports industry working for the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians and most recently she has worked in the software and boutique fitness industries. She has seen what a well put together event can do for an organization and as UsAgainstAlzheimer's (UsA2) Event Manager, she is ready to put her tenacious enthusiasm towards organizing and planning to UsA2 signature events.
She is excited and honored to join the UsAgainstAlzheimer's team to help work towards ending Alzheimer's disease. When she is not working, she loves to spend time with her family and friends and travel to new and exciting places.
Favorite book: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Co - Founder
- Chairman and Co - Founder Former Executive Vice President for Strategy and Policy, AOL Time Warner
George is Chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer's, which he co-founded in October 2010 with his late wife, Trish (1946-2017). He was named by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to serve as a founding member of the Advisory Council on Research, Care, and Services established by the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA Council) and has testified before Congress about the global Alzheimer's pandemic. Under his leadership, UsAgainstAlzheimer's co-convenes both the Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease (LEAD) Coalition and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease. In 2021, again under his leadership, UsAgainstAlzheimer's launched a Swiss and U.S.-based global initiative to prevent Alzheimer's called the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative, where Mr. Vradenburg serves as Founding Chairman. He is also a founding member of the World Dementia Council. He has long been a dedicated member of Washington's civic and philanthropic community, serving as Chairman of the Phillips Collection for 13 years. Mr. Vradenburg is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of Washington. He has served in senior executive and legal positions at CBS, FOX, and AOL/Time Warner.
Greg is the Director of Technology at UsAgainstAlzheimer's. He brings more than 15 years of experience delivering technology solutions for organizations ranging from nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies. Greg is passionate about using technology as a force multiplier for UsAgainstAlzheimer's work, helping to strengthen the systems and platforms that advance critical initiatives in Alzheimer's prevention, early detection, and treatment access.
Prior to joining UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Greg spent a decade at Virtusa, an information technology consultancy, where he led cross-functional IT initiatives from concept to delivery, including AI-enabled solutions, cloud migrations, infrastructure modernization, data initiatives, platform upgrades, and digital platform development.
Greg is author of the award-winning On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's. It is the first book written by an investigative reporter embedded in the mind of Alzheimer's chronicling the progression of his own disease. On Pluto has won the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award for Medicine, the 2015 International Book Award for Health, and was an Eric Hoffer International Book Award finalist, as well as a finalist for USA Best Book Awards. PBS/NOVA, National Public Radio (NPR), and other national and regional media have chronicled the Pluto journey. Greg has written for numerous media including The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, The Washington Post, Time, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, USA Today, Associated Press, Boston Herald, Providence Journal, Arizona Republic, New York Metro, Boston Metro, and Philadelphia Metro, among others. Greg lost his maternal grandfather, his mother, paternal uncle and father to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
Job Titles:
- President of WomenAgainstAlzheimer
- President, WomenAgainstAlzheimer's Board Member, UsAgainstAlzheimer 's Action
Jill is President of WomenAgainstAlzheimer's, a Network of UsAgainstAlzheimer's. In that role she leads a campaign to find, fund and implement a cure for Alzheimer's with a focus on the impact on women. Lesser also serves as a member of the UsAgainstAlzheimer's board. She is a co-founder of the Global Alliance on Women's Brain Health and has been as a caregiver for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's, since 2007.
Previously, Lesser was Executive Director of the Center for Copyright Information.
She collaborated with The Glover Park Group on strategic communications and government relations for clients and served as a Managing Director from 2010-11. She managed domestic policy for America Online until its merger with Time Warner. She was Senior Vice President, Domestic Public Policy for AOL Time Warner, Inc., leading the DC office.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder President, Global Alzheimer 's Platform Foundation
John is the President of the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation. The GAP Foundation is dedicated to making the clinical trial process for Alzheimer's therapies substantially more efficient thereby speeding cures to patients afflicted with this insidious disease. John is a serial healthcare entrepreneur who most recently participated in the acquisition of MeYou Health, upon whose Board he now serves. Prior to GAP, John served as the co-founder and Chairman of Telcare, Inc., a high technology manufacturer of the first wirelessly enabled blood glucose meter designed to empower patients with diabetes to better manage their disease.
John first became a CEO at the age of 30. In the following years, he has held "C" level positions in six emerging growth companies in the healthcare industry. His past assignments have included serving as CEO of e-Medex, Inc., which later merged with Active Health Management to become the leading provider of population health management services where he served as the Chief Operating Officer. Active Health was purchased by Aetna in 2005. He was also a co-founder and Chairman of CodeRyte, Inc., a venture-backed seller of medical billing software using natural language processing to generate billing codes. CodeRyte was purchased by 3M in 2012.
John co-founded Us Against Alzheimer's, a patient advocacy group focused on changing the way the country addresses the threat posed by Alzheimer's. He also cofounded the first political action committee focused on a specific disease, the Alzheimer's Action PAC. He began his career as an attorney with the Washington DC based law firm of Arent, Fox LLP where he focused on transactions in regulated industries.
John currently serves on the Boards of Directors of a number of private and not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Dwyer is a graduate of Marquette University and the Cornell Law School.
Job Titles:
- Board Member Founding Board Member, Children's Research Fund North Suburban Board, Ann & Robert Lurie Children 's Hospital of Chicago
Karen has been involved with fundraising for medical research for over 20 years. In 1995, she founded the North Shore Medical Research Junior Board for Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. Over the last 21 years, the board has raised over $4.0 million for neuroblastoma research. In 2002, after her mother was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Karen shifted her focus to raising awareness and fundraising for the Alzheimer's Association. She has been an active board member of the Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala Committee and co-chaired the 2014 Chicago Gala. In 2015, Karen joined the UsAgainstAlzheimer's board and is focusing her efforts on advocating for increased focus on Alzheimer's prevention efforts. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern University.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chief of Staff
- Member of the Board
- Board Member Chief of Staff to the CEO of Foghorn Therapeutics: Vice President Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations at Foghorn Therapeutics
- Vice President Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations
Karin Hellsvik is a passionate Alzheimer's advocate and brings 20 years of skill and passion for improving patient care with extensive experience in communications, advocacy and thought leadership in complex disease areas, from early-stage development to commercialization.
Prior to Foghorn, she most recently headed corporate affairs for Biogen's Alzheimer's Business unit where she led a global team overseeing communications, patient advocacy and social and digital communications. Prior to assuming this role, she spent four years at Biogen's international headquarters in Switzerland forming the Patient Advocacy function and strategy in Europe for the company's disease areas.
Before joining Biogen in 2010, Karin spent almost 10 years advising a broad range of clients on pharmaceutical communications and advocacy at leading Nordic healthcare communications agencies. She has an educational background in communications and marketing from Sweden and added to her understanding of global healthcare and disparities at MGH Disparities Leadership Program at Mongan Institute Health Policy Research Center, MGH, Boston, MA.
Board member; Chief of Staff to the CEO of Foghorn Therapeutics: Vice President Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations at Foghorn Therapeutics
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the UsAgainstAlzheimer 's Brain Health Partnership
- Vice President, Prevention Executive Director, Brain Health Partnership
Kelly O'Brien is Vice President of Prevention and the Executive Director of the UsAgainstAlzheimer's Brain Health Partnership (BHP). BHP is a comprehensive initiative to promote brain health and improve early intervention. In these roles, she is the strategic lead and director of the team implementing the early intervention and brain health program.
A change catalyst, Kelly's unique combination of leadership, strategy, community engagement, partnership development, project management, sales/fundraising, and communications skills have resulted in an impressive record of raising the profile and impact for many organizations and initiatives.
Before joining UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Kelly was a founding Executive Director of The Kennedy Forum Illinois, a mental health initiative led nationally by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Her service history includes leadership positions in the public, nonprofit and private sector, including CEO of the social impact consultancy Ideaction Corps, public health advisor to Senator Richard Durbin, Senior Legislative Aide to Congressman Jerry Kleczka, Director of Government Affairs for Partnership for Prevention, Associate Executive Director for the American Public Health Association, Congressional Liaison for the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vice President at Wilhelm & Conlon Public Strategies, Executive Director of Girls on the Run Chicago, VP of Corporate Partnerships and Marketing at United Way of Metro Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Project Manager at UsAgainstAlzheimer's
Kim Hassell is a Project Manager at UsAgainstAlzheimer's, supporting the Strategic Initiatives and Health Equity teams. She brings extensive experience in public health, project management, and health communication, with a focus on making complex health information clear and accessible. Kim has partnered with federal agencies, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and nonprofit organizations to advance health literacy, equity, and medical research.
She has led cross-functional teams to design and deliver equity-centered, award-winning campaigns as well as digital resources and outreach efforts reaching patients, families, and health professionals. Earlier in her career, Kim supported research administration at major academic hospitals, managing large portfolios of research grants across diverse health topics.
Kim holds a Master of Public Health from Boston University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is passionate about advancing public health and creating conditions where all people can thrive.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager for Prevention at UsAgainstAlzheimer's
- Program Manager, Prevention
Latonya Aaron serves as the Program Manager for Prevention at UsAgainstAlzheimer's. Throughout the years, Latonya has gained experience in program management through her past work as a Graduate Coordinator for the Alternative Breaks program, where she explored her interests in social justice advocacy and leadership. Latonya also has a background in teaching, where she taught 7th through 12th grade students from New York University in their Science and Technology Entry Program. On her free time, she enjoys dancing and has even discovered a new interest in photography. With a Master of Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Howard University, Latonya has always been passionate about the sciences, community outreach, the healthcare system, and self-care.
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
Lynn Marie Croneberger, CFRE was the Chief Development Officer at WAMU 88.5, our nations' NPR station for three years. Before WAMU, Lynn did some consulting for a year, focusing on board development. Prior to her consulting, for six years she was the CEO of SOS Children's Villages-USA, an
international organization focused on saving orphaned and abandoned children around the world. Prior to SOS, she was Vice President of Development for The Wilderness Society and Reading is Fundamental in Washington, D.C. Before moving to Washington, DC, Lynn was the Executive Director for the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation and Memorial Foundation in Hollywood Florida for six years, Executive Director of the American Heart Association in South Florida for eight years. Ms. Croneberger is a certified fundraising professional (CFRE) and was the 2018 Outstanding Fundraiser of the Year for the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Ms. Croneberger graduated from Memphis State University where she maintained an internship and eventually a full-time position at WKNO-TV/Radio in Memphis,
For over forty years, while primarily focusing on her family, Marilyn Glosserman was active in a wide variety of Washington area philanthropic endeavors. She spent many years as a Corcoran Gallery of Art docent and a Hillwood Museum Guide, and was a founding board member of the Washington Conservatory of Music. Through the Marilyn & Michael Glosserman Community Foundation, she supported and engaged with many Washington based educational, media, public policy and arts related organizations.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer's WomenAgainstAlzheimer's UsAgainstAlzheimer 's Representative
- Founding Board Member
Meryl Comer is a Co-Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer's; WomenAgainstAlzheimer's; UsAgainstAlzheimer's representative of the Global BBP BrainTrust; Vice Chairperson, WHAM (Women's Health Access Matters).
For more than a decade (2007-2019), Meryl served as President and CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer's Initiative, a catalyst funder targeting early diagnosis through spirited public engagement campaigns, early assessment technologies, support of the first "virtual registry", and pre-clinical AD research to modify disease risk. She served on the NIH National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) from Sept 2018-Jan 2022. In 2012, she led the formation of the 21st Century BrainTrust® (21CBT), a non-profit partnership to advance mobile health technologies and brain health. Comer was also Co-Principal Investigator for the PCORI Alzheimer's Patient/Caregiver Research Network in partnership with the Mayo Clinic, UCSF's Brain Health Registry, and UsAgainstAlzheimer's. In 2009, she served on the bi-partisan Alzheimer's Study Group, charged with presenting a National Strategic Plan to Congress. A former veteran broadcast journalist, 100% of Meryl Comer's New York Times bestseller, "Slow Dancing with a Stranger" (HarperCollins), supports Alzheimer's research.
Mike comes to UsAgainstAlzheimer's with more than 20 years of experience in financial management, including over 15 years in the non-profit sector. He has built and led teams dedicated to developing long-term financial strategies as well as meeting day-to-day operational needs. Prior to joining UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Mike served as an Executive Director of Finance at the American Red Cross. During his career, he managed the finances of Long-Term Disaster recovery operations as well as performing financial statement and federal funding audits for private sector and non-profit entities.
A native New Yorker, Mike holds a BA in Economics and a MA in Accounting from the College of William and Mary, and lives in Arlington VA.
Job Titles:
- Director, Finance and Operations
Missy (her ‘real' name is M'liss), has been involved with non-profit organizations for over 25 years, and has concentrated on the financial management of such organizations for the past 10 years. She has also served as a consultant for local small businesses and organizations that contract with the government. For the past three years, she has enjoyed working with both the day to day operational work of UsA2 and the strategic development of the organization as we move towards the mission of finding a cure. She also has been an active member in the community and, in particular, enjoys working at the College Tracks program at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, where students with limited resources receive guidance with the college application and financial aid processes. Missy earned her Bachelor's of Science in Economics at the College of Holy Cross and an MBA with a concentration in Finance at the University of Maryland.
Ms. Debra Lappin is recognized across government, academic, and nonprofit sectors as a leading strategist in public health and science policy.
Ms. Lappin consults on innovative precompetitive partnerships, global consortia, and other strategic alliances among academic research institutions, voluntary health agencies, government, and industry. She brings special expertise in regulatory science where her practice leads a range of initiatives for patient-focused drug development and the generation of value models for payment and coverage determinations.
A skilled facilitator of scientific meetings, Ms. Lappin brings an ability to translate and synthesize complex scientific information for diverse audiences and to elicit collective and balanced input. She is respected and trusted by senior leaders across the nation's health agencies, having served on advisory boards to the directors of both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and as Chair of the National Arthritis Foundation, President of the Council for American Medical Innovation, and a member of the Boards of Research!America, the Next Fifty Initiative, and the Ludeman Center for Women's Health Research.
Ms. Lappin has supported UsA2 in the design of a number of its defining initiatives, including the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's, the Global Alzheimer's Platform, the Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Caregiver Engagement initiatives and, most recently, the Alzheimer's Disease Evidence Accelerator, a platform for the collection, linkage, and sharing of real world data in Alzheimer's.
Job Titles:
- Board Member, Strategic Consultant
- Board Member, Strategic Consultant / Emeritus
Nancy Zirkin is a Strategic Consultant to several public interest organizations, advising on strategy on lobbying, advocacy, and messaging. In addition, she serves in leadership roles on numerous national boards. Zirkin was formerly Executive Vice President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition, consisting of nearly 230 national organizations.
Under Zirkin's leadership, along with Wade Henderson, president of LCCHR, the coalition staff grew to nearly six times its original 10 person size, creating the infrastructure necessary to support the organization's growing institutional needs. During the mid-1970s, Zirkin worked at several public interest organizations, including Common Cause and the Women's Equity Action League, but gained significant experience at the American Association of University Women (AAUW) where she became director of public policy and government relations.
She distinguished herself there by rising to chief lobbyist and managing the coordination of the Equal Rights Amendment, Women's Vote Project and Civil Rights Act of 1991.
Job Titles:
- Lead, Government Relations
Niles has nearly 30 years of experience shaping public policy in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining UsAgainstAlzheimer's, he served as Senior Vice President of Congressional Affairs for LeadingAge, where he represented 6,000 not-for-profit members that provide health and housing services for older adults. Earlier in his career, Niles served as Democratic Staff Director of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, and as Chief of Staff for Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.
Niles also spent more than a decade in the private sector representing not-for-profit organizations and companies of all sizes, from small trade associations to Fortune 500 companies.
A native North Dakotan, Niles holds a law degree from Georgetown University and lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Chairman and Co - Founder, Home Instead
Paul Hogan founded Home Instead with his wife Lori in 1994. The franchise network is the world's leading provider of home care services for seniors, with more than 1,100 independently owned and operated franchise offices that provide more than 80 million hours of care annually across 14 countries. On August 6, 2021, Home Instead merged with Honor Technology, Inc. and continues to operate under the Home Instead name. This union brings together the largest, highest-touch home care network AND the leading home care technology and operations platform to revolutionize the Home Care industry for the benefit of the professional caregiver, aging adults and their families.
Hogan has served as Governor for the Future of Health and Health Care System at the World Economic Forum and as a Steward for the World Economic Forum's System on the Future of Education, Gender and Work. He also previously served as the Vice Chair for the Global Agenda Council on Ageing at the World Economic Forum.
In 2016, Hogan became a member of the World Dementia Council (WDC) which consists of global experts and leaders drawn from research, academia, industry, and governments. The WDC focuses on the areas of finance, drug development, data sharing, care improvements and risk reduction.
Hogan was awarded the "E" Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce in May 2008 for successfully exporting the home care concept to other countries. This award is one of the highest honors the federal government presents to individuals, firms or organizations and Home Instead was honored with the "E Star" Award in 2016 for sustained excellence.
In recognition of his contribution to franchising, Hogan was named the Entrepreneur of the Year for 2006 by the International Franchise Association.
Hogan co-authored, Stages of Senior Care (McGraw-Hill), a USA Today Bestseller. Proceeds from book sales go to the Home Instead Charities, which provides financial support to non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life of older adults.
Hogan currently serves as a founding board member of Home Instead Charities and is an active board member for the following organizations: The National Forest Foundation, University of Nebraska- Omaha Gerontology Advisory Board, University of Nebraska Medical Center iEXCEL Advisory Board, and UsAgainstAlzheimer's.
Rachel brings over a decade of experience in fundraising, business development, and mission-driven partnership building across the nonprofit, political, and corporate sectors. As Director of Major Gifts, she leads fundraising strategy for major gifts and cultivates values-aligned relationships to support UsAgainstAlzheimer's vital mission.
Prior to joining the UsAgainstAlzheimer's team, Rachel managed a multimillion-dollar donor portfolio at a national reproductive rights organization and spent many years supporting supplier diversity efforts by connecting women-owned businesses with Fortune 500 corporations. Rachel has consistently championed equity and economic opportunity for underrepresented communities.
She earned an MA in Women's History from Sarah Lawrence College and a BA in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Goucher College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Institutional Giving
Roseann is a strategic, results-driven professional with over 20 years of experience in fundraising, operations and project management at nonprofits and educational institutions in the Washington, DC area. She thrives on building collaborative, rewarding, and successful relationships and implementing strategies to maximize resources and drive positive change.
Prior to joining the UsAgainstAlzheimer's team, Roseann worked in the conservation, community development, youth development, and higher ed arenas. She earned a master's degree in community planning from the University of Maryland, College Park and a bachelor's degree with dual majors in public communications and cultural anthropology from American University in Washington, DC. .
After building organizations within United Way Worldwide and the American Red Cross, Russ Paulsen joined UsAgainstAlzheimer's as its seniormost employee in 2019. Under his leadership, the organization has quadrupled in size, its financial health has improved, and it has served nearly a million Americans. His team's policy wins include establishing Medicare coverage for Alzheimer's treatments and the creation of a federal goal to prevent Alzheimer's disease through risk-reduction.
Immediately prior to joining UsAgainstAlzheimer's, Russ served as the inaugural Vice President for 211 at United Way Worldwide, a nationwide network that connects millions of people in every American community with services they need. Prior to that, he created the Community Preparedness Services department at the American Red Cross and-in his role as Executive Director-built a national campaign to reduce deaths from home fires. That campaign has saved more than 2,300 lives since its launch and made more than 1,260,000 high-risk homes safer for the people who live there. Before that, Russ was tapped by the CEO to lead a $200 million recovery program in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina which, in addition to rebuilding thousands of homes, helped rebuild the mental health system of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi through an innovative economic incentive system adapted from his earlier leadership experiences in post-9/11 recovery.
Russ's more than 30-year commitment to service began as he was completing his master's degree in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, when a devastating earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area and he felt compelled to drop what he was doing and volunteer. He is the proud parent of two young adults who are similarly drawn to making a difference in the lives of others.
Job Titles:
- Founding Board Member
- Founding Board Member Founder & President, VeteransAgainstAlzheimer 's Founding Member, WomenAgainstAlzheimer's
- Founding Board Member of UsAgainstAlzheimer
Shawn recently founded VeteransAgainstAlzheimer's, a new network of UsAgainstAlzheimer's. Her work as both an Alzheimer's and a veterans' advocate has given her insights into the perspectives of those who are directly affected by this disease and who are best positioned to address this health crisis in the military and veteran communities.
Shawn is a founding board member of UsAgainstAlzheimer's and the WomenAgainstAlzheimer's network, and she has been an advocate and caregiver in the Alzheimer's world for over 30 years. In addition, she is a Consumer Advisory Board Member for Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium, a Consumer Reviewer for the Department of Defense's Peer-Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program, an Advisory Committee Member for the Code of Support Foundation, and a Committee member for Cohen Veterans Bioscience Veterans Advocacy Panel. Shawn has held volunteer roles with several veteran service organizations including the Code of Support Foundation, the GI Film Festival, Veterans Moving Forward, Troops First, Hero Dogs, Pets for Vets, and the VA hospital in Washington, D.
Love for her country and the Alzheimer's history in her family motivated Shawn to raise awareness of the unique military risk factors that are associated with Alzheimer's. Many organizations do great work around traumatic brain injury, PTSD, blast injury, and concussion, but few are focused on veterans with Alzheimer's.
Founding Board Member; Founder & President, VeteransAgainstAlzheimer's; Founding Member, WomenAgainstAlzheimer's
Job Titles:
- Board Member Professor of Neurology, Director, Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco
- Director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Stanley is Director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he has worked since 1972. Dr. Prusiner's research contributions have been internationally recognized. He discovered an unprecedented class of pathogens that he named prions. Prions are infectious proteins that cause neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. Stanley discovered a novel disease paradigm when he showed prions cause disorders in humans that manifest as (1) sporadic, (2) inherited and (3) infectious diseases. Stanley's current research focused on determining the atomic structure of prions, deciphering the mechanism of replication and defining how biological properties are enciphered in prion strains. In addition, he is developing drug discovery aimed at producing therapeutics that retard neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion diseases as well as the frontotemporal dementias.
Job Titles:
- Project Director Producer, BrainStorm Podcast Director, National Summit
- Senior Project Director at UsAgainstAlzheimer
Susan is Senior Project Director at UsAgainstAlzheimer's and provides management, leadership, and vision on a range of programs and projects including the National UsAgainstAlzheimer's Annual Summit. This multi-day event brings together global industry leaders, researchers, individuals living with Alzheimer's, advocates, and caregivers - all working toward the shared goal to end Alzheimer's disease. Susan produces the podcast BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer's that features conversations about brain health and new developments in the fight against Alzheimer's. In addition, she is liaison to the Board of Directors. Susan's experience as an investment banker honed her skills as an effective manager, excellent communicator, and exceptional problem-solver. She has served as PTA President of her children's schools, managing multiple projects and events simultaneously. Susan received her BA in Political Science from Providence College.
Job Titles:
- Project Lead, AD PACE and a - List
Terry provides guidance on a broad range of strategic decisions, integrating expertise into product and disease strategies, medical and scientific communications and patient and caregiver advocacy efforts. Her interest in Advocacy has resulted in long-standing support of several organizations dedicated to patient support in Brain Disorders and Breast Cancer and she participates on several Boards. She was also a long-time caregiver for her mother, who had Alzheimer's Disease.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Vice President
- in Memoriam ) Co - Founder and Vice President
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Early Detection
Vivian Vasallo is Vice President for Early Detection. She leads and manages the efforts at UsAgainstAlzheimer's to identify Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages. By focusing on early detection, she is working to improve diagnosis rates and change a health system that fails to diagnose people with Alzheimer's and related dementias about half the time and diagnoses Black and Latino Americans at later stages.
Vivian brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, having previously served as Managing Director at Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging and Vice President at the AARP Foundation, among other leadership roles. With a proven track record of leading health-related initiatives and her commitment to advancing Alzheimer's research and advocacy, Vivian is well positioned to take the impact of UsAgainstAlzheimer's early detection efforts to the next level.
Vivian holds a Master of Arts from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Arts from American University's School of International Service.