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
Associate 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.

Heather Jameson
Acting Director

Heather is Acting 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
Associate 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
Associate Director

Elizabeth manages the ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer's Network, the Alzheimer's Talks teleconference series, coordinates electronic actions associated with our mobilization campaign, and manages a variety of other areas, including supporting the Board of Directors, and 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.

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.