Our team is united in our commitment to stop Alzheimer’s by 2020. We are a group of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experience in a wide range of fields, including healthcare, advocacy, communications, education, finance, technology, journalism and operations. View our Board
Our Staff
Sally Sachar
Chief Operating Officer
As UsAgainstAlzheimer's first COO, Sally oversees and coordinates the organization's programs and financial operations. She has nearly three decades of experience leading organizations focused on many areas of social policy, including healthcare, job training and workforce development, teen pregnancy prevention and K-12 school reform. Prior to joining UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, Sally was the founding Executive Director of a start-up organization, DC Children First, and previously was President and CEO of the Washington Scholarship Fund. Sally also was Deputy Director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and served as a political appointee at the U.S. Labor Department, including as the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Associate Assistant Secretary for Policy. She has also worked at the National Governors Association, the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government as Assistant Director of the two-year degree programs. With an M.B.A. with highest honors from Boston University (and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the highest scholastic honor a student in business can attain) and executive education in social enterprise from Harvard Business School, Sally’s leadership has been described in "Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector" published by Sage Publications, and in the Bridgespan Group publication "Answering the Hard Question: What Difference Are We Making?" Sally also has a B.A. with honors in political science from Colgate University.
Pam Gatz
Chief Development Officer
Pam has over twenty years of successful experience in fundraising, specializing in change management and strategy, staff and volunteer development, marketing and community outreach. She was previously DC area division president for the National Kidney Foundation. Prior to that, Pam was for sixteen years the DC chapter executive director for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and during her tenure there she raised $62 million. She has a strong network within the DC community, including government (both Democrat and Republican legislators), embassies (most recently UAE), and corporations. Pam received her bachelors degree in communications from Mount Vernon College (now part of George Washington University). While at JDRF she attended a leadership academy with the Institute for Not-for-Profit Management at Columbia University. She is a member of the DC Board of Trade and has been a guest speaker at American University on public relations marketing. In 2007 Pam lost her mother to Alzheimer's.
Virginia Biggar
Executive Director
Ginny directs the Patient-Caregiver, Faith and Senior Living Initiatives at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Ginny brings 20 years of media and communications experience as a writer, reporter and filmmaker to the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s campaign. Ginny was a reporter for National Public Radio in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. covering a wide range of issues, including the Clinton impeachment trial, labor issues, welfare reform, and the O.J. Simpson civil trial. Ginny wrote and produced the film "Sweater Queen: May Gruber and the Rise of Pandora Industries," about 100-year-old May Gruber, one of the most successful businesswomen of her generation. She has also written a history of one of the oldest girls' camps in the country called "Its Hats Off to Alford Lake!" She graduated from Trinity College in Connecticut with a B.A. in History.
Rita Cook
Finance Director
Rita is the staff leader of the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Network’s financial team and the owner and principal of PRI, a small accounting firm providing accounting and financial support to principally nonprofit organizations. Her career has been split between accounting and financial recruiting. She was an auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co, moved on to be the Chief Financial Officer of a venture capital real estate firm and then spent eleven years as a Financial Recruiter. Currently, with her staff of four, Rita provides financial support to fifteen nonprofit organizations. Her unique background has been beneficial to organizations needing assistance in both financial and operational management. Rita earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland in 1976 and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Drew Holzapfel
Executive Director
Drew serves as the Executive Director of The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s disease, a coalition of leading corporations investing in Alzheimer’s disease research, treatment and care. He is also a Managing Director at High Lantern Group, a healthcare consultancy focused on the intersection of business strategy and public policy. In this role, Drew also supports the work of Researchers Against Alzheimer’s and Women Against Alzheimer’s, also Us Against Alzheimer’s networks. Drew bringing 15 years of healthcare experience in government and corporate affairs, sales and marketing in global biotechnology, pharmaceutical and US government organizations to a diverse client base. He has spent nearly a decade working Alzheimer’s disease in a range of positions. Prior to joining High Lantern Group, Drew was at Pfizer, where he most recently led efforts around the company’s Alzheimer’s program and advanced Alzheimer’s and aging issues through development of commercial strategy and advocacy with international organizations, non-governmental organizations, non-profits and other key stakeholders. During his tenure at Pfizer, Drew launched ReACT (Respect A Caregiver’s Time), a corporate coalition seeking to support employees who are caring for loved ones with age-related, chronic conditions. Prior to joining Pfizer, Drew managed an external affairs team for a medical device manufacturer, helping drive the company through an initial public offering and the launch of its first product. A former Special Assistant to the Secretary Donna Shalala of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he began his career as a political appointee working in communications at The White House. Drew earned his Bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Maryland Smith School of Business.
Brooks Kenny
Executive Director
Brooks Kenny serves as Executive Director for Women Against Alzheimer’s and is charged with directing its growth strategy through strategic partnerships and marketing initiatives. Most recently, she was on the founding team and Executive Vice President of Lotsa Helping Hands, a company providing solutions for our nation’s family caregivers. She led the company’s worldwide branding and social media marketing efforts, developing partnerships, creating business growth opportunities and expanding its reach to more than 1.5 million members.
Brooks is a nationally recognized subject matter expert in caregiving and is often called upon to speak with groups on such topics as cause marketing and strategic partnerships. Brooks has served in a leadership capacity for various nonprofit governing organizations and oversight committees and authored a communications and marketing training manual for nonprofit leaders. Among her achievements, Brooks was recently named among 40 Professionals Under 40 by the Washington Business Journal and given the Founder’s Award in 2009 for her dedication to the work of the Caregiver Action Network.
Jill Lesser
President
Jill Lesser is President of the WomenAgainstAlzheimer's Network and has been caregiver for the past seven years to her mother, Barbara Lesser, who has Alzheimer's disease. Jill also is a strategic policy consultant advising non-profit and corporate clients on media and communications policy issues, with a particular focus on consumer protection, child-safety, intellectual property rights and free expression.
Until 2002, Jill served as Senior Vice President, Domestic Public Policy for AOL Time Warner, Inc., where she led the company’s domestic public policy, regulatory and industry relations activities. From 2002 to 2005, Ms. Lesser was Senior Policy Advisor for Time Warner, Inc, advising the policy and political teams at Time Warner on issues ranging from technology and intellectual property to taxation and telecommunications, as well as other issues affecting the media industry. She joined America Online in September 1996 and managed domestic policy for AOL until its merger with Time Warner.
Prior to joining AOL, Jill was Deputy Director of Public Policy and Director of the Civic Media Project at People for the American Way, where she directed the organization’s public policy initiatives relating to new technologies and the First Amendment. She was the organization’s chief spokesperson on telecommunications policy issues, appearing regularly on national television and radio programs.
Jill also serves on the Boards of Trustees of the UsAgainstAlzheimer's Network, The Georgetown Day School and the Center for Democracy & Technology.
Yael Miller
Director
Yael Miller is a Director at ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer’s and assists with the strategic management of the network. Additionally, she is a Director at High Lantern Group, where she assists clients in the health, travel and entertainment industries. She recently served as an Information Specialist with the U.S. Agency for International Development, where she produced and briefed official cables, fact sheets, and updates on humanitarian assistance in East and Central Africa. Previously, Yael worked with U.S. Department of Defense entities – including the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army – to help the U.S. military adapt to changing operational realities through refining mission planning processes and doctrine.
Stephanie Monroe
Director
Stephanie is the director of the AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s Network. Stephanie is an attorney with three decades of federal public policy experience, having served most recently as the Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights from 2005-2009. Prior to serving in the Executive Branch, Stephanie held a number of key staff positions in the United States Congress, including Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, as well as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. She is widely regarded as a veteran political strategist with demonstrated experience and effectiveness in working collaboratively with members of both political parties. With a particular emphasis of domestic policy issues involving health, education, child welfare, individual empowerment and community services, Stephanie helped develop and navigate dozens of bills from policy inception to legislative enactment.
Elizabeth Plant
Director
Elizabeth manages the Alzheimer's Talks teleconference series, coordinates electronic actions associated with our mobilization campaign, and manages a variety of other areas, including providing ongoing operational support to the COO. Elizabeth has held senior positions at education non-profits in the District of Columbia. She served as Deputy Director of DC Children First and previously was the Senior Director, Program, Legislative Affairs and Education Policy of the Washington Scholarship Fund (WSF). While at WSF, she oversaw the implementation of two scholarship programs that provided over $13 million in scholarships annually to approximately 2,400 children in K-12 to each attend the school of their choice. Elizabeth has a Master in Public Policy from Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and graduated Cum Laude from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in Public Policy and Psychology.
Lindsay Pugh
Development Counsel
Lindsay focuses on corporate partnerships for special events for UsAgainstAlzheimer's. Previously, she was the Director of Corporate Relations for the Trust for the National Mall. In that role, Lindsay lead the corporate philanthropy program, including the Trust Corporate Committtee, corporate sponsorships and partnerships. Under her leadership the Trust developed partnerships with fifty five of the top Fortune brands and a diverse group of companies representing twenty industries. She has also worked for the ONE Campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Committee and former Congressman William Delahunt. Lindsay earned a B.A. from Lafayette College in International Affairs with a minor in Spanish.
Jason Resendez
Director
Jason directs the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Network, the nation’s first-ever coalition of Latino organizations focused on raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease within the Latino community. Previously, Jason served as senior manager of strategic partnerships at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the nation's largest Latino advocacy organization. While at NCLR, Jason developed outreach and partnership strategies to strengthen the organization’s core program and advocacy areas and advised NCLR's senior leadership team on technology issues and partnerships. Prior to NCLR, he served as the director of corporate relations and development at LULAC National Educational Service Centers Inc. (LNESC), the education arm of LULAC, the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization. While at LNESC, Jason oversaw strategic alliances, development, and technology programming for the organization's 13 regional offices. Jason has written about Latino issues for national and regional media outlets, including NBC News, Huffington Post, and the El Paso Times. He graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Government.
Allison Signorelli
Development Counsel
Allison focuses on corporate partnerships for UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Previously, she served as development consultant to nonprofits including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation, E.L. Haynes Charter School and Global Health Corps. Allison was an original team member and the Director of Annual Giving at the Trust for the National Mall, a $700 million private-public partnership to restore the National Mall. She served as Gala Director at The Phillips Collection, America’s first museum of modern art. Prior to her freelance career, Allison served as the Major Gifts and Events Manager for National Public Radio (NPR) and began her career in the development department of Lyric Opera of Chicago where she served as the Special Events Manager. Allison graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Music.
Our Consulting Partners
FaegreBD Consulting
Debra Lappin, Principal, and Nick Manetto, Vice President, of FaegreBD Consulting provide expert counsel on matters relating to government relations, health and science policy, public- private partnerships and strategic alliances. FaegreBD represents USAgainstAlzheimer’s on Capitol Hill and before all federal departments and agencies, develops the organization’s federal policy agenda and coordinates federal policy activities with other Alzheimer’s and related organizations and stakeholders.
Amplify Public Affairs
Amplify is a full-service public affairs firm providing strategic communications, media and stakeholder relations to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, its networks, and partner organizations.
Anne Lewis Strategies
Anne Lewis Strategies manages our online mobilization and fundraising. They also provides strategic consulting to guide our recruitment and awareness efforts.
The Brick Factory
The Brick Factory collaborates with our team to build our grassroots movement using digital and mobile communications.
Changing Our World
Changing Our World provides counsel and strategic guidance on all aspects of revenue generation and donor relations.
Linder & Associates
Linder & Associates is a global event firm that strategically plans and executes events that raise funds and build awareness for our mission.
The Carlin Company
The Carlin Company shares USA2’s urgency to stop Alzheimer’s by 2020. Their passion and commitment to this endeavor is communicated through powerful video productions that capture the dedication of thousands of researchers, millions of families, caregivers, advocates, hundreds of companies and our public officials here and around the world.
High Lantern Group
High Lantern Group (HLG) is a communications firm operating at the intersection of policy and business strategy, with deep experience in the aging, caregiving, Alzheimer’s and broader healthcare fields. HLG is USA2’s agency partner and strategic advisor for the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease (CEOi), ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer’s (RA2) Network and WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Network.