Sean Scott, President
Sean came to ALS TDI in 2000 when his mother was diagnosed with ALS. Beginning as a volunteer, Sean quickly assumed the management and direction of the research and development program. He was responsible for developing the Institute’s pipeline software, which surveys all known therapeutics and places values on them such that millions of dollars in resources can be allocated appropriately. Under his leadership, the R&D group has pioneered new pharmacological, surgical, study design and statistical techniques for a new generation of previously uncharacterized transgenic mice. ALS TDI’s drug screening program has run more than 750 animal studies with more than 22,000 mice, attracting the attention of corporate research departments. This allows Sean to build strong relationships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies alike, partnerships that accelerate the pace of drug development and bring millions of dollars to developing ALS therapeutics. Sean earned an undergraduate degree in rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.

Steve Perrin, Ph.D. , Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Perrin brings to the Institute more than 20 years of experience in genomics and proteomics applied to translational research. Previously, he spent nearly seven years at Biogen Idec, Inc., most recently as associate director, responsible for molecular profiling in genomics and proteomics, service support for Affymetrix and other custom microarrays, and worked with project teams in experimental design and data interpretation to understand the mechanism of motor neuron loss in multiple mouse models of motor degeneration. Previously, he was a scientist at Biogen, Aventis Pharmaceuticals and Ariad Pharmaceuticals, and has served as a research assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Boston University School of Medicine, and a B.S. in biology from Boston College.

Nancy Kelly , Vice President, Business Development
Ms. Kelly came to the Institute in 2000 when a family friend was diagnosed with ALS. Nancy built and manages ALS TDI's complex drug acquisition process, used to acquire novel experimental compounds from pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Over her six plus years of service to the Institute, Nancy has developed high-profile collaborations with more than 40 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies — partnerships that produce several million dollars in direct revenue and donations of scientific resources. Prior, Ms. Kelly was co-founder and Vice President of Mirage Media, Inc. of San Francisco. She earned an undergraduate degree in rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.

Maureen A. Lister , Chief Financial Officer
Maureen became the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of ALS TDI in May 2007. Maureen's expertise as a corporate executive and financial officer is deep and has included roles in several different industrial sectors. Just prior to joining ALS TDI, Maureen was the CFO of endoVia Medical, a developer of computer-assisted devices for minimally invasive medicine. Her past experience includes having been the Chief Administrative Officer, Treasurer and Secretary for Beacon Power Corporation, a publicly traded manufacturer of energy storage systems; and the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance for Beacon Power completing S-1 Public Offering in November 2000; CFO of Priscilla of Boston, a privately owned manufacturer and retailer of couture clothing; and CFO of Cahners Direct Marketing, a subsidiary of publicly held Reed Elsevier NV. Maureen Lister holds an MBA from DePaul University and a BS from Northeastern University.

Al Gill, Ph.D. , Senior Director of Pharmacology
Al is an experienced pharmacologist/physiologist with a thorough understanding of practical investigation in complex in vivo animal systems. He came to ALS TDI after a one-year immersion in Huntington’s disease drug discovery as the Director and Head of Pharmacology at EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company concentrating on neurodegenerative diseases. Prior to EnVivo he worked for 13 years in Biogen and Biogen Idec’s drug discovery research division where he instituted Biogen’s Pharmacology Department. These efforts led to drug candidates that were the basis for collaboration with Merck and Co. for their clinical development, and to small molecule and protein potential therapeutics selected for development by Biogen Idec itself. Prior to working for Biogen, Alan worked for 12 years with Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide drug discovery research division. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the M.S. Hershey Medical Center of the Pennsylvania State University, and his Master’s degree in Physiology and Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of San Francisco.

Bashar Al-Nakala, Director of Research Informatics
Bashar manages ALS TDI’s mouse research data system (LIMS) and will architect new LIMS systems for managing mouse gene research data. For many years he was a technical consultant to large companies such as Microsoft, Amazon.com, Serono Pharmaceutical, as well as nonprofits YouthBuild USA, Dimock Services, and the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. Most recently, Bashar spent five years at enterprise newsletter company ImakeNews Inc, where he designed newsletter publishing and enterprise delivery systems. He holds software engineering and computer science degrees from the University of Washington and Wentworth Institute of Technology respectively.

Fernando Vieira, M.D., Director of In Vivo Operations
Fernando has worked with ALS TDI's R&D group since 2001. He established the laboratory’s mouse tissue bank and developed a novel procedure for delivering drugs directly into the intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord. As ALS TDI’s primary surgeon, Fernando directs mouse studies and develops protocol. His previous research includes characterizing neointimal hyperplasia in transposed jugular veins grafted to carotid arteries, and studying intimal hyperplasia of carotid arteries when exposed to changes in sheer stress. Fernando was recently awarded an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and holds an undergraduate degree in biological engineering from the University of Florida.

Ken Thompson, Director of Operations
In his unique role at ALS TDI, Ken ensures the ongoing success of ALS TDI's pivotal mouse studies program. Ken manages all laboratory functions including staffing, working with breeders and ensuring ALS TDI maintains the highest operational and process standards. In addition, Ken manages mouse studies, initiates and oversees all studies in the mouse research data system (LIMS), does formulations and creates daily drug solutions. A close friend of ALS patient Stephen Heywood, Ken discontinued his work in marine biology at the University of Alaska in 2000 to join ALS TDF as a formulations scientist. Ken's previous research experience includes the molecular examination of starvation markers in larval stage cod at the University of Rhode Island.

John M. Lincecum, Ph.D., Associate Director of Research Biology
For four years John co-lead Biogen Idec's therapeutic discovery program in ALS and motor neuron disease. An expert in gene therapy for motor neuron disease, John has developed several innovative, patented techniques that have led to gene expression levels far beyond current published studies. At ALS TDI, John is expanding his work in retrograde transport of gene therapies injected into muscle, as well as direct intrathecal delivery of promising vectors — crucial in the validation of pivotal pathways. John received his doctorate in biochemistry from Boston University and pursued post-doctoral study at Harvard Medical School.

Vladamir Morozov, Ph.D., Senior Scientist / Computational Biology
Vladimir analyzes data generated by high-throughput genomic technologies in order to discover the mechanism of ALS. He assists other ALS TDI scientists in accessing and statistical interpretation of the experimental data. Vladimir has 10 year industrial experience in integration and analyzing biomedical data. He occupied various senior level scientific positions at LION Bioscience and ALTANA Research Institute. He received Ph.D. in Chemical Enzymology from Moscow State University, Russia.

Jeyanthi Ramasubbu, Ph.D., Associate Director of Pharmacology
A pharmaceutical scientist specializing in controlled drug delivery, Jeyanthi came to ALS TDI in 2002, and after a short sabbatical in Switzerland, returned in 2006. With 15 years experience, Jeyanthi has worked with anticancer, osteoporosis and peptide/protein drugs, vaccines, and polymer engineering to design delivery systems. As Senior Scientist at OraVax (now Acambis) and Periodontix (now Demegen), and as Visiting Scientist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Jeyanthi focused on oral delivery of vaccines against H.pylori (for gastric ulcers) and E.coli (for traveler’s diarrhea), and implantable wafers containing histatin peptides (for periodontitis). At ALS TDI, Jeyanthi is exploring ways to reformulate drugs to facilitate delivery, absorption and distribution. Having prepared several FDA filings, she is applying both her drug development and regulatory experience to moving ALS TDI’s projects forward. Jeyanthi earned her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Madras, India, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

John McCarty, Ph.D. , Principal Scientist
John analyzes potential ALS treatments and helps patients and families understand how potential treatments might relate to their treatment strategies. In his 20 years in academic and applied biotechnology development, John has had significant exposure to the challenges of drug and diagnostics development, leading projects at Targenta (formerly Phage Tech) in Montreal and ECI Biotech. John has worked broadly in various aspects of molecular biology, with a focus on protein biochemistry. He has conducted projects on heat shock proteins and apoptosis, each believed to play a role in ALS onset and progression. John’s experience in experimental biology on relevant pathways, coupled with his insight into the drug development process, helps him correlate many disparate aspects of ALS treatment discovery. John has conducted research at the Center for Molecular Biology in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Singapore. He earned his doctorate in biology at MIT.

Jerry De Zutter, Ph.D., Scientist II
Jerry runs ALS TDI's gene profiling activities. In previous projects, he has had great success identifying signal transduction pathways emanating from novel cytokine receptors that mediate inflammation. To identify potential therapeutic targets, Jerry has regularly designed and implemented immunecomplex-kinase activity/inhibition assays to examine the phosphorylation state of various signaling intermediates in response to novel cytokine treatment. Jerry spent four years at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where he gained substantial experience in drug discovery. He earned his doctorate in molecular medicine, specializing in neurodegeneration research, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Monica Wang, Scientist I
Formerly a member of Biogen Idec's ALS discovery program, Monica has 18 years of basic research experience in stem cell research and animal surgeries in diabetes and Parkinson's disease. She has spent five years focusing on HIV research at the New England Medical Center Hospital. She has extensive experience in the Cambridge biotechnology community, having held a senior position at Curis, where she filed successful patents. Monica is an expert in advanced confocal microscopy techniques, fluorescence, in-situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and cutting edge 3D histology using polymerized tissue sections. Her novel techniques include quantification of motor neurons, extraction of complex nerve assemblies, and imaging of ALS neuromuscular junctions. She received an undergraduate degree in microbiology from the University of Massachusetts, and is pursuing a graduate degree in biology through the Harvard Extension School.

Guangde Li, M.D., Senior Associate Scientist
With ten years of post graduate research experience in nerve regeneration, AIDS, inflammatory diseases, and cancers, Dr. Li brings critical knowledge and technical expertise to the molecular biology research team at ALS TDI. Guangde has worked previously in both biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, Peptimmune, and Wyeth Inc. He has achieved advanced technical skills in molecular biology, cell biology, and animal surgeries. In the academic setting, Guangde spent several years at Children’s Hospital in Boston focusing on nerve regeneration projects and doing in vitro drug screening using goldfish retinal ganglion cell based assays. Dr. Li graduated from Shandong Medical College and originally practiced medicine in China.

Ricky Sanchez, Senior Associate Scientist
Ricky brings to institute more than twenty years experience in research and industrial histopathology. Previously, he spent five years at Biogen Idec, Inc. as a histopathology supervisor. Also with over fifteen years of of research experience in nerve regeneration, inflammatory diseases, and cancer biology while working at Curis, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Ricky received his BS in Biology and Histotechnology form Kean University of New Jersey. He and his family live in Andover, MA.

Wei Qun Zhang, Senior Associate Scientist
Before joining ALS TDI, Weiqun has worked in academic and biotech industry for more than 15 years. Her expertise includes molecular cloning, genetic characterization, cell line development, and protein expression. Weiqun earned her BS in Chemical Engineering, and MS in Analytical Instrumentation.

Beth Levine, Senior Associate Scientist, Project Management
Beth brings years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience to ALS TDI. Her background is in inflammation and allergy research. She has worked for a number of companies within the industry, most recently with Altana Research Institute in Waltham, Mass. Beth has played two roles at the Institute since coming aboard in July of 2007. In her role as Project Manager Beth’s goal is to make the scientists’ jobs easier by tracking the development of projects at ALS TDI. In her second role Beth arranges for ALS clinics across the USA to collect tissue samples and send them to the Institute to be studied. Beth received her BA in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and lives in Brookline, Mass. She enjoys the outdoors; golfing in the summer and skiing in the winter.

Shawn Sullivan, Application Architect
Joining ALS TDI in 2006, Shawn’s role is to help build and maintain applications. Specifically, Shawn is working to expand the Web functionality of the ALS TDI drug discovery pipeline, the process database system we use to identify, evaluate, select and rank candidate drugs for testing. Shawn spent five years as a software developer at ImakeNews, where he helped clients such as Cisco Systems, Progress Software and Parametric Technology develop custom newsletters. He also has experience building AutoCAD import tools, and in QA (quality assurance.) Shawn attended Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Annette Ferrari , Associate Scientist II
Prior to joining ALS TDI in the spring of 2007, Annette was part of a team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute responsible for the creation of a searchable brain-atlas database to characterize gene expression patterns of murine transcription factors in the developing mouse brain. Annette will be putting this experience to good use in establishing our in situ hybridization capabilities. She holds a MS in Cellular & Molecular Nutrition from Tufts University and BS in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from UMass Amherst.

Reenu Pandey, Associate Scientist II
Reenu joined ALS TDI in the fall of 2005 and has participated in various projects in gene expression including the validation of the transcriptome analysis of the ALS mouse. Previously, she studied at Oklahoma State University where she earned an MS in Biomedical Sciences after finishing a BS in Computer Science. Reenu grew up in Zambia, on the African continent, where she enjoyed playing soccer and rugby.

Michael Kaufman, Associate Scientist I
Michael joined ALS TDI in 2008. As a member of the in vitro and RNA Validation Group, Michael profiles gene expression in tissue cultures to validate the effects of therapeutics in development as well as to gain a better understanding of the pathology of ALS. In addition to performing experiments, Michael maintains many of the fifteen cell lines used across the lab. Michael’s motivation for ALS research comes from losing his grandfather to ALS as a child. Michael came to ALS TDI after graduating from Boston University with a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Originally from Houston, he currently lives in Cambridge.

Samantha Crocker, Associate Scientist I
A member of ALS TDI’s in vivo team since 2002, Samantha manages many aspects of mouse research. Handling more than 120 mice a day, she administers drugs, scores mouse neurological impairment, harvests mouse tissue and participates in surgeries. Moving forward, Samantha will prepare tissues for our Mass Spectrometry Core, a system that identifies distinct drugs and their levels in the target tissue. Previously, she was an animal care technician at Harvard University. Currently, Samantha studies biotechnology at Middlesex Community College.

Andy Moreno , Research Associate II
Andy joined ALS TDI’s in vivo team in 2002. Formerly an assistant in an animal facility at Harvard University, Andy’s duties include administering drugs to ALS mice, scoring neurological impairment, performing surgery and collecting tissue. He manages four to six studies simultaneously, collecting and entering data into the LIMS database. In time, he will expand his surgical skills and perform intrathecal surgeries. Andy studied political science for two years at Boston College.

Josh Kidd, Research Associate I
Josh is a Massachusetts native with 5 years experience working with ALS mice at ALS TDI. Before coming to the Institute, Josh attended Minuteman Vocational Technical High school in Lexington, MA where he earned a certificate in graphic design. After a brief stint at Mt. Ida College in Newton, Josh held various Customer Service positions throughout the state before finding his way to ALS TDI. Josh’s grandfather had Huntington’s Disease. An avid Red Sox fan, Josh calls Lexington home.

Matt Ferola, Animal Technician II
Having lost his grandmother’s cousin to ALS, Matt has been an inspired member of the animal care team at ALS TDI since 2003. His primary goal is to maintain the facility and provide clean and healthy environments for all of the mice involved in research studies. Matt grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts and pursued a certificate in graphic communications before joining the research staff at ALS TDI.

Carlos Maya, Animal Technician I

David McKanna, Vice President of Development
Dave was drawn to ALS TDI early in 2007 through his wife's volunteer involvement with a local ALS support group. He brings almost fifteen years of sales and marketing experience to the Institute. Prior to joining ALS TDI, Dave was Vice President of Business Operations with Cantata Technology in Needham, MA. Dave worked overseas for Cantata as the Director of European Sales and as the Director of Business Development. Originally hired as the Director of Community Relations, Dave's role was to revitalize regional ALS Research 101 events and other out-reach activities. In September 2007, Dave transitioned to his current role as Vice President of Development and is charged with leading all of the institute's fundraising and advocacy activities. He received a BS in Marketing and Communications from Babson College as well as an MBA from Boston College. Dave lives in Reading, Massachusetts with his wife Becky.

Derek Breau , Northeast Regional / Driving 4 Life Director
Derek joined ALS TDI as the Director for Driving 4 Life in April 2006 to guide it through a major expansion including the creation of the Driving 4 Life Challenge and the expansion of the Signature Series. In his dual role as Northeast Regional Director, Derek supports and travels to events, ALS support groups and other ALS related events answering questions about the scientific research plan at ALS TDI and its open-source approach to providing patients the latest information. Prior to joining ALS TDI, Derek worked wtih the Massachusetts Golf Association from 1997 to 2003 and was instrumental in developing the nationally recognized Fore Kids Program. Derek then helped to establish The First Tee of Massachusetts and served as the Executive Director from 2001 to 2003. Before joining Driving 4 Life, Derek was a national sales representative for the ground breaking golf teaching system ModelGolf. Derek and his wife Mia reside in South Boston, MA with their two sons, Liam and Aidan.

Scott Dunberg, Event Coordinator
Before joining ALS TDI in December 2007, Scott was employed as an event coordinator for a sport marketing company and prior to that as an account coordinator for a New York based public relations and marketing company, specializing in brand management. His primary responsibilities at ALS TDI involve creating fundraising tools to help support ALS patients, families, and the Team TDI Network and working as an event coordinator on the Tri State Trek. Scott is a graduate of Colgate University and is currently living in Brookline, MA.

Alicia Favicchio , Event & Program Manager
Soon after graduating from Quinnipiac University with a degree in Advertising, Alicia began her role as Program Manager at ALS TDI in September 2006. Ms. Favicchio plays key roles in the execution of several important fundraising and patient information programs at ALS TDI, including the Tri-State Trek and the Leadership Summit & Open House. Additionally, Alicia provides fundraising tools and support directly to ALS patients and their families while working with the Northeast and Southeast Regional Directors to grow ALS TDI's presence. Before Alicia was born, her grandfather died of ALS. In her spare time, Alicia has developed a penchant for collecting sea glass with her mom, who taught her how to cook. Her favorite activity after work is running near ALS TDI along the Charles River.

Mary Beth Geise, R.N., Resource Nurse Consultant
Mary Beth Geise, R.N. is a expert on ALS home care and has been providing assistance and advice to patients and their caregivers for 24 years after caring for her first patient in 1983. A few years later Mary Beth opened a home health agency in Houston, Texas, specializing in ALS care. Her agency hired and trained nurses and PCAs to act as competent and reliable caregivers to ALS families- taking on routine tasks such as proper exercise and lifting, to the more complex jobs of tracheotomy care, maintaining ventilator equipment, responding to emergency breathing problems. The challenges of proper nutritional guidance with swallowing difficulties, preparing for a gastrostomy (feedig tubes- PEG) and maintaining bowel programs are just a few of Mary Beth's specialities. She has served on the MDA Board in Houston, and has been a speaker for ALSA since 1988. Mary Beth was introduced to ALS TDI in the spring of 2003, when an Atlanta patient notified the Heywood Family about her expertise and devotion to the ALS community. Mary Beth graduated from St. Vincent's Hospital, New York City. Today, Mary Beth Geise is the Resource Consultant for ALS TDI, providing guidance, training, and advice to ALS patients and their families.

Robert Goldstein, Community Relations Manager
Rob has been a member of the operations and fundraising teams since June 2004. Having played crucial roles with several of the Institute's fundraising programs, Rob has amassed an enormous amount of institutional knowledge and experience working with ALS patients and their families. In his current role, Rob is reponsinble for the execution of stragetic communications for ALS TDI including the management of press releases, print and electronic mass communications and the development of marketing materials for the Institute. Prior to becoming a team member at ALS TDI, Rob dabbled in television and event production at WMUR-TV. While completing his undergraduate degree in Mass Communications and Public Relations at the University of Maine, Rob was an on-air personality at WMEB-FM and directed a number of student and community involvement programs at the University's flagship campus. His is currently completing a graduate degree in Public Affairs at the McCormack School for Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston with a focus on voting barriers faced by minorities and immigrants in Massachusetts. Robert lives in Brookline, MA and enjoys spending free time with his family and friends.

Lou Kobbs, Southeast/Southwest Regional Director
Lou was first introduced to ALS TDI shortly after his best friend, Fran Delany, was diagnosed with ALS. Soon thereafter, Lou joined the fundraising team at ALS TDI in August 2000. Prior to joining ALS TDI, Lou spent 30 years in the High Tech Industry working for Digital Equipment Corporation, which was bought by Compaq Computer and subsequently acquired by Hewlett Packard. At the time of his retirement from Hewlett, Mr. Kobbs was the Planning and Operations Manager for the New England Customer Business District. In his role as the Southeast Regional Director, Lou attends ALS support groups, helping them understand the state of ALS research and how they can support its acceleration. In his position, Lou is reponsible for all ALS TDI awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts across the southeast, from North Carolina to Florida, and southwest to include Texas. Over the past 7 years, Lou has worked with dozens of ALS patients and their families to develop events and campaigns which involve entire commmunities. Lous works out of his home office in Myrtle Beach, S.C. His is married to Loreta, and has 3 children; Chris, Mary Bridget and Ben scattered across the U.S.

Mat Mendel, Event Development Director, Tri-State Trek Fndr/Dir
Mat began organizing fundraising events in 2001, working on Pallotta TeamWorks' AIDS Rides, AIDS Vaccine Rides, and Avon Breast Cancer Walks. After the company closed its doors in June 2002, Mat started his own event production company, Idea Productions, and founded the Tri-Stake Trek, a 270-mile Boston to New York bicycle ride to fund ALS research. Hired by ALS TDI in April 2006, as the Event Development Director, Mat works with Team TDI advising on a variety of events and produces 'A Cure is Coming!' and the Tri-State Trek. Mat and his wife, Dori, live in Arlington, Mass. with their newborn son, Wade Henry.

Vanessa Plant, Event & Program Manager
Prior to joining ALS TDI in July 2007, Vanessa was a coordinator for an educational travel company and a milieu counselor for a residential treatment program in Cambridge specializing in crisis intervention. Her primary responsibilities at ALS TDI involve providing fundraising tools and support directly to ALS patients and their families as well as working with the Midwest and Western Regional Directors to grow ALS TDI's presence. Vanessa grew up in Panama and enjoys traveling to Europe, Asia, and Latin America to visit family and friends. Ms. Plant is a graduate of UMass Boston with a degree in Latin American Studies. Vanessa lives in Somerville, MA.

Kim Sciascia, Human Resources / Operations Director
Kim brings nearly 20 years of Human Resource and Operations experience to ALS TDI. Her experience in helping companies achieve their goals by aligning them with its human resources are invaluable assets to the organization. Mrs. Sciascia has held several management positions in a variety of industries, most recently as the Human Resources Director at Mats, Inc. Prior to Mats, Inc. Kim was responsible for creating a world-wide sales compensation program and reporting portal for Rockwell Automation. Prior to her role at Rockwell, she was involved in a couple start-ups; as the Director of Human Resources at Beacon Power and Director of Human Resources and Operations at Upspring Software. Kim received her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)Certification in 2004. Kim joined the staff at ALS TDI in September, 2007 and states "I am honored to be working with so many committed and talented people who are intent on finding an effective treatment and ultimate cure for this disease." Kim lives with her husband, Bob, in Quincy, MA.

Mike Shannon, Northwest/Mountain Regional Director
Mike has extensive experience in fundraising and program development having worked for more than 11 years in the non-profit world, primarily with YMCA. He also has held a variety of positions in the health club management field for 13 years, having worked both in the United States and Indonesia. Mike's background in board and committee development in his career provides him with the tools to work closely with the Family & Friends Community, to develop the Western Region and to lead the development of major gift programs for ALS TDI aimed at providing new ways to build upon the Institute's financial strength and independence. His motivation to work for ALS TDI is due in part to a relative who is currently living with ALS, and his original desire to work in association with a biotechnology company which serves patient populations in pursuit of change. Mike lives near and works out of the Institute's office in San Francisco, Calif.

Jo Tanzer, Southwest Regional Director
Jo has a Master of Arts degree in Communication Disorders and worked as a speech-language pathologist for over 20 years, initially in pediatrics and then in adult neurological rehabilitation. When she and her family moved to Arizona in 2000, Jo joined the ALS Association Arizona Chapter as Director of Patient Services. Over the next six years, Jo’s skills in helping people live safe and independent lives within the limits of their physical disabilities turned into a passion for optimizing the quality of life for pALS and their families. She joined ALS TDI in February 2008 with the desire to do what she could to help eradicate ALS by providing educational presentations, ALS awareness efforts, and assisting with fund raising activities across the seven-state Southwest region. She and her husband live in the Phoenix area and have two grown children.

Vanessa Winfield, Customer Relations Manager
Vanessa joined the staff at ALS TDI immediately after completing a bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst as well as a minor in Psychology and a certificate in Culture, Health, and Science. Prior to finding ALS TDI, she interned for two non-profit health organizations; Women's Health in London, England and Planned Parenthood in Boston. She works closely with the CFO on various accounting projects and ensures that all donations are processes accordingly. Together with her certified therapy dogs, Lola and Zoe, Vanessa donates her time at a local nursing home. Vanessa lives in her hometown of Cambridge, MA.

Amy Whipple , Midwest Regional Director
Amy Whipple came to ALS TDI as a volunteer shortly after her aunt, Mary Lou Krauseneck, was diagnosed with ALS in June 2000. Over the years, Amy and her mother, Bernadette Cooper, led their community in multiple grassroots fundraising efforts to fuel the research at ALS TDI. Since then, the Mary Lou Krauseneck fund has generated more then $1.4 million for ALS TDI. The involvment with ALS TDI provided their community with a sense of purpose, while giving Mary Lou hope as she valiantly and courageously lived with ALS. In June 2000, Amy joined ALS TDI as the Midwest Regional Director. Her previous work experience includes six years of sales for NewPage Corporation and four years of marketing experience at Compuware Corporation. Amy's husband, Eric, is a Financial Advisor for Smith Barney. Their family currently includes Matthew, who turned two in July 2007 and they recently had their second child, a daughter in December 2007. Mrs. Whipple in a graduate of Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with concentrations in Business Administration, Marketing and Spanish. Amy works out of her home office in Sterling Heights, Mich.