Our Team

Sally Sachar
Chief Operating and Financial 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.

Kathleen Grealish
Chief Development Officer

Raising funds for USAgainstAlzheimer’s is an ideal fit for Kathleen, matching her expertise in fundraising with her knowledge and passion for public health. Kathleen is an advocate for citizen-led efforts to make the world a better place and a believer in the synergies among bio-medical science, public health, advocacy and consumer engagement.

She began her fundraising career 15 years ago at United Way of New York City. Since then, Kathleen has worked with a wide array of organizations in the nonprofit sector, primarily focused on her core passions – health care and international development. She has provided consulting services for The Global Fund for Children, Médecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders, Médecins du Monde/Doctors of the World USA, ONE DROP Foundation, Operation Smile, Sabin Vaccine Institute, United Way Worldwide, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, God’s Love We Deliver, Smile Train, Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers, Episcopal Relief & Development, and Christian Blind Mission International. She was seconded to The Case Foundation/PlayPumps International for three years, completing her time there as Executive Director for PlayPumps International-US.  

Kathleen received her Bachelor's degree in Human Development from Binghamton University and a Master's degree in Public Health from Hunter College.  As part of her work toward her degree, she completed an internship with the Epidemiology department of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, assisting with their World Trade Center Health Registry efforts.  She has presented at the Global Health Council Conference, Harvard Business School’s Social Enterprise Conference, The National Constitution Center and Booz Allen Hamilton's Social Entrepreneurship Assistance Program (SEAP).

Virginia Biggar
Director

Ginny directs the ClergyAgainstAlzheimer's Network and the ActivistsAgainstAlzheimer's Network, and manages our website as well. Ginny brings 20 years of media and communications experience as a writer, reporter and filmmaker to the USAgainstAlzheimer’s campaign. Ginny most recently 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. Prior to that, she worked for National Public Radio as a reporter 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 also wrote 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.

Maggie Hartung
Finance Associate

Maggie manages the daily accounting and finance functions of USAgainstAlzheimer's and USAgainstAlzheimer's Network as a consultant for PRI. Previously, Maggie managed financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting for a Fortune 500 company and has provided financial consulting for healthcare providers and commercial lenders. Maggie earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Loyola College in 1997, aa M.B.A. from the University of Maryland in 2006 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.

Megan Jackson
Associate Director

Megan Jackson assists with the strategic management of ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer's and WomenAgainstAlzheimer's, as well as production of InSight: The Road to 2025, a monthly progress report on the global efforts to stop Alzheimer's. She is also an Associate Director at High Lantern Group, where she supports clients in the health, aging, transportation, and entertainment industries.

Meghan joined HLG after six years consulting in the national and international security field. As a senior analyst for a business risk advisory firm, she built government relations and market entry and expansion strategies for multinational companies. Prior to that, Megan worked at a non-profit organization that brought together industry leaders, academics, and policymakers to address national security challenges.

She has also worked as a research and writing assistant for several university professors, an editor of an academic online journal, and an English language teacher in France. Megan received an Honors B.A. from Wellesley College in International Relations-History, an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, and an M.A. in Political Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich).

Heather Jameson
Assistant Director

Heather is Assistant Director of the WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s Network. She has more than twenty years’ experience in communications, advocacy and social marketing. A communications consultant since 2011, Heather has worked with WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s on selected projects since its 2013 launch. Previously, she was Vice President of Communications for six years at Research!America, a nonprofit advocacy group for medical research.  Earlier, she held senior roles at Ogilvy Public Relations and Ketchum, where she managed award-winning national campaigns for the CDC, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Council on Aging, Dupont Medical Imaging and other clients. She has a B.A. in English from Davidson College and studied communications at Boston University’s London program.

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. 

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.

Anne Lewis Strategies

Anne Lewis Strategies manages our press and media relations, and 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.