Kathy’s activism is rooted in the eating disorders death of her 19-year-old daughter Shelby Starner. After Shelby’s death, Kathy and husband Allan attended the first National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Conference open to sufferers, friends, family, and health care professionals. There they were profoundly affected by the session “Moving From Interest to Advocacy.” Following the conference they created The SHELBY Project: to Support Healthy Eating Lifestyle and Body image in Youth. Kathy’s focus is on awareness and prevention of eating disorders through community outreach, but she goes beyond that whenever opportunity arises. Through her association with NEDA and the EDC, Kathy has spoken on the "Today Show”, written “Living With Bulimia” for Web MD, and helped remove the sitcom “Starved” from television. She and Allan contributed a family perspective to the creation of ECRI’s “Bulimia Nervosa: Resource Guide for Families and Friends.”
Joanna Berwind currently serves as Trustee and Director of the Berwind Group. Before being elected Vice Chairman of the Berwind Board in June of 2001, she was a Member of the Berwind Group Advisory Board which position she has held since September of 1996. Prior to her Board memberships, she has held various positions within the Berwind organization. In 1995, she was a member of Berwind's Corporate Development Department in the position of Analyst; in 1993, she was employed in the Marketing Department of CRC Industries, Inc. working in both the Australian and US offices; and in 1994 she was employed as a Sales Associate for Sentrol, Inc. Before being employed in full time positions within Berwind, Ms. Berwind spent two summers at Berwind's Colorcon Division in West Point, Pennsylvania. Prior to her tenure at Berwind, Ms. Berwind was in the Research Department of Scudder, Stevens and Clark. Ms. Berwind received a BA in English from Wesleyan University and her MBA from Villanova University.”
Deb Burger's path of teaching and learning has given her the wonderful opportunity to serve and guide others in many types of roles and organizations. Today, Deb is a licensed massage therapist, certified Reiki practitioner and accredited T'ai Chi teacher. She has had a wide variety of experience over the years working both in small privately held companies to running Human Resources for such large corporations as J Crew, Chanel and Louis Vuitton respectively.
Several years ago Deb was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Alternative therapies, including T'ai Chi and Reiki helped her through 18 long months of illness. This began her transition from providing guidance and support in the Human Resources world to providing meaningful treatment to individuals on a one on one basis. Deb's unique background gives her the ability to recognize physical and emotional stress on the body and bring the comfort that so many need.
Deb grew up in Naples. She has a BA in Theology and Philosophy from FSU. She is currently a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals and the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Terri has a Masters Degree in Education from St. Joseph's University. She has taught at Haverford Friends School and frequently lectures on women's health issues at high schools, colleges and athletic organizations.
Patrycja is a co-founder of Qb3, a studio devoted to the merging disciplines of architecture, graphic design and product development. Her firm recently won an AIA Pennsylvania Chapter Award for a New Residence in Northern Liberties. Patrycja graduated from the University of Virginia and currently teaches Visual Communication in Industrial Design at the University of the Arts and continues to volunteer her time as a guest juror at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University, Temple University and the University of Virginia. www.qb3design.com
Harin is the founder and former director of the Body Balance Program: "An Alternative for Large Women" at the Renfrew Center. She brings 25 years of experience creating and facilitating groups and programs for both the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and body image issues. Harin has presented at various conferences, written articles as has appeared on T.V. discussing the psychological effects of obesity and promoting self care and self acceptance for large women. She maintains a private practice in the Philadelphia area.
Sharon is the co-founder of Sage Communications Partners and brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing communications consulting for nonprofits, foundations and business enterprises to the firm and its clients. Sage's office is located in Center City Philadelphia and serves clients in Philadelphia, Washington DC and NYC. Sharon's incentive to start a business that serves nonprofits and foundations came from her commitment to social justice and desire to help address some of today's most pressing issues.
She is currently a board member of the Fleisher Art Memorial and serves on the communications advisory committees for Project HOME and Alex's Lemonade Stand. She is active in the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and a member of the Public Relations Society of America. Sharon lives in Lower Merion and is the proud mom of two teenage daughters.
Angela is a nutrition therapist in Haverford, PA and has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders for over 10 years. Her past experience includes working as an inpatient and outpatient nutritionist for the Renfrew Center where she also trained nutritionists to work with individuals with eating disorders and served as a nutritionist for several universities. In addition to her private practice, Angela is also the nutritionist for the eating disorder intensive outpatient program at Life Counseling and is a frequent writer and speaker on the subject of eating disorders. Visit her Web site www.PCOSnutrition.com
Cindy is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Saint Joseph's University. She has spent the past 15 years teaching basketball fundamentals at the collegiate level, with the last six at her alma mater SJU. The 2003 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Griffin has led the Hawks to four postseason berths, including the Elite 8 of the 2004 WNIT. One of the top playmakers in Saint Joseph's history, Griffin starred for the Hawks from 1987-88 through 1991-92, ranking among the team leaders in assists and steals. Griffin earned a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Saint Joseph's in 1991 and completed work on an M.B.A. degree from SJU in 1993. Cindy's interest in ATCH stems from her work with athletes who have suffered from eating disorders.
Flavia has extensive experience as a pediatric outpatient dietitian from her years at Einstein Medical Center and currently works as a private nutrition consultant for individuals, companies and sports teams. She works as a nutrition therapist for Nutrition Profiles and the Temenos Center, agencies that provide specialized individual nutrition counseling for adolescents and women with eating disorders. Flavia also teaches nutrition to nursing students at the Community College of Philadelphia where she serves as an adjunct faculty member. Publications and news appearances include Philadelphia Maven, CBS3, Speak Up, Comcast Newsmakers, Good Day Philadelphia, and Your Morning on CN8.
Dr. Kaplan is an internal medicine specialist with a private practice specializing in treating eating disorders and psychosomatics. She received her medical degree from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital. She has been in practice for over 25 years. She is currently an educator for The Renfrew Center and has been a medical consultant for their residential program and the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She is also a member of the Board for Directors of the American Association for Anorexia and Bulimia. In addition, she also lectures frequently to professionals at various hospitals and eating disorder treatment facilities.
Ms. Layton is an associate attorney in the Employee Benefits Practice Group at WolfBlock in Philadelphia.
Ms. Layton is a frequent speaker on employee benefit topics and teaches courses on several topics for the WolfInstitute including employer COBRA compliance; consumer driven healthcare options including health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs); and employer wellness programs. Ms. Layton was a seminar co-presenter at the 2007 American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) Mid-Atlantic Benefits Conference on the topic of employer compliance with the Pension Protection Act of 2006. In addition, she is scheduled to speak at the 2008 National Conference for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in June of 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.
Ms. Layton has also recently co-authored two articles published in the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel: "Fulfilling The Duty To Inform Employees Of Their Rights In The Multilingual Workplace" and "Employers Considering Wellness Programs Are Advised To Look Before Leaping".
She is an elected member of the Burlington County Republican Committee and a member of the Women in the Profession Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Ms. Layton earned her J.D. with honors from Rutgers School of Law - Camden and her M.B.A. from Rutgers University. She received her undergraduate degree from Villanova University. She is licensed to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Jane is a psychotherapist and family therapist with a private practice in Philadelphia. She is known for her expertise in the treatment of trauma, shame, and eating disorders. Jane led group therapy and supervised staff at the Renfrew Center from the mid-80's to the mid 90's. She is a faculty member at the Kripalu Center, in Lenox, MA, where she conducts weekend workshops titled "Calming Your Inner Critic" and "Getting Free from Struggles with Body Image, Food and Weight." Jane was named a "Top Doc for Women" by Philadelphia Magazine and she taught "Family Therapy with Eating Disordered Families" for The Family Institute of Philadelphia. Jane helped to found and develop the "Inside Outside Self-Discovery Program", an eating disorder prevention program for middle and upper school girls, currently being pioneered at the Agnes Irwin School. She co-authored "The Body as a Shame Container," published in The Renfrew Center's "Healing Through Relationship" CD. In addition, Jane is co-founder of www.SelfMatters.org a website launched in the fall of 2006, dedicated to building and enhancing self-esteem.
Ivy is President of The Commonwealth Consulting Group, an Employee Benefits Consulting and Brokerage Company and is co-founder of "A Chance to Heal" Foundation. She is past president of The Abington Art Center and The Photo Review and currently serves on the Abington Memorial Hospital Board and The Foundation of The Forum of Executive Women. As the 2006 Women’s Way Leadership Award winner Ivy has been recognized for her extensive contributions to commerce and community.
Having witnessed first hand the losses associated with eating disorders and the cost and complexity of recovery, Rachel Silver incubated A Chance to Heal. Rachel is currently at the University of Miami where she is a pledge mom for her sorority Sigma Delta Tau. She has been featured on Good Morning America and has spoken out about the need for friends to intervene on behalf of one another.
Mr. Sitron has over twenty years of nonprofit leadership and project management experience. He has recently been appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer for Jewish Family and Children’s Services. Howard also serves as a management consultant, providing fund and program development services for charitable organizations. He previously served as the chief operating officer for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, producing and managing a national series of events to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer. Prior to joining the 3-Day project, he served as assistant vice president of Moss Rehab, a nationally renowned rehabilitation hospital based in Philadelphia. Howard is a past chair and continues to serve on the board of directors of the Kardon Institute for Arts Therapies. He obtained his bachelor of social work degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and his master of health administration from Saint Joseph’s University. Also a working musician, Howard performs on trumpet with jazz and swing bands from Washington, D.C. to Boston.
David Steinman, MD, is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, lecturer, and educator. He is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is an Associate Faculty Member of the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. Dr. Steinman graduated from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He served his internship in Pediatrics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and a residency in Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Lise has been in fundraising and development for 15 years. With a focus on healthcare, her fundraising career includes extensive experience in special events; grant writing, annual fund, major gifts and planned giving. She is currently employed as Chief Development Officer for Wills Eye located in Philadelphia, PA. As a volunteer, Lise serves as president for the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Her volunteer activities extend to AFP International where she serves on the Committee on Directorship and on the External Relations Division, Government Relations Committee. She is the moderator and a faculty member for Fundamentals of Fundraising course held at Villanova University.
