Advisory Committees

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

The Shriver Center’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) provides advice and assistance on project development, progress on project and program objectives, and suggestions for new initiatives. Advisory committee members have been invited to work with us based on their personal and professional experiences that make them each uniquely expert in the range of issues that impact the lives of people with disabilities. The committee consists of:

individuals with life experiences as a person with a disability
family members of people with a developmental disability
researchers and clinicians in the disability field
representatives of state agencies serving people with disabilities

Our current CAC members include the following individuals:

Joe Bellil
Easter Seals of Massachusetts

Mary Blauvelt

Kristin Britton
Developmental Disabilities Council

Cheryl Cumings
Our Space/Our Place

Anne Fracht
Mass Advocates Standing Strong

Finn Gardiner
Spectrum Boston and Brandeis University

Iliana Gatica

Suzanne Gottlieb
Department of Public Health

David Helm
Boston Children’s LEND and Institute of Community Inclusion, UMass-Boston

Linda Helmig-Bram

Elizabeth Jasse

A.J. Kemal
Merrill Lynch

Elena Kemal

Cynthia Reed

Maureen Sallo
Disability Law Center

Nate Trull

Michael Forbes Wilcox
Autism Connections

E.K. Shriver Center Development Council

The Development Council provides advice on new and promising opportunities for funding and program expansion. In conjunction with the UMMS Development Office, Development Council members engage in active fundraising efforts with individuals, foundations, and corporations to gain support for the Center.

Members of the Development Council include:

Philip Down
Managing Partner
Tucks Point Investments

Alexis Kopikis
CEO, Alexify

Carla Kopikis
Special Education Teacher
Licensed Zumba Instructor

Jim Leary, JD
Vice President for Government and Community Relations for UMass Memorial Healthcare

Kathleen A. Myshrall
Vice President of Advancement at Seven Hills Foundation

Jay O’Brien
LifeNet Program Director for the Asperger/Autism Network

Meghan Banik Sass, MD
UMMS graduate 2003
UMMS internal medicine residency 2005
UMMS endocrinology fellowship 2009

Priscilla Steenbergen
Executive Legal Secretary for the City of Woonsocket, RI

Walt Steenbergen
President at CWG Inc.