Louise M. Tiranoff, PhD. (President) is a documentary filmmaker with more than 25 years experience. Louise served as producer, cinematographer and principal investigator for the Angelman Project (Phase I and II) a video database on Angelman syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorders Risk Alert (Phase I and II) both projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke). Under her direction, GeneticaLens developed The SEE system (Symptoms-Surveillance Education and Enhancements), including the website Well Child Lens, that will enable pediatric practitioners and parents to quickly identify the risk alerts of autism.
Louise’s television credits include documentary segments and series, which she photographed and directed including 30 episodes of A Woman Is… a documentary series for NBC/WRC-TV, Washington, D.C. Her film Artists of the Dance won a Cine Golden Eagle and aired on the Arts and Entertainment network (A&E). She was Director of Photography of a two-part documentary special, Investigative Reports: Execution at Midnight produced for A&E. She was nominated for an Emmy for City Kid/Country Kid produced for WCBS-TV in New York. Louise is the founder/co-director of The Fearless Theater Company and has written and directed plays for The Celebration Series performed at Lincoln Center in New York featuring such artists as Benny Golson, Gregory Hines, Wynton Marsalis, Antonia Franceschi of the New York City Ballet, and Itzhak Perlman.
Lynne McVeigh (Vice President) is an associate professor of television, sound, and children’s media and Executive Director of Craft Studies at the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, Undergraduate Department at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. In 1994, she won the David Payne Carter Award, Tisch School of the Arts most prestigious teaching honor. Professor McVeigh teaches courses in basic sound production, television studio production and children’s media. As co-director of The Fearless Theater Company, which is made up of young people with and without disabilities, she has created with the members theater, television, and radio programs. She has also involved The Fearless Theater Company with NYU programs, staff and students, creating a temporary home for the troupe and making possible the radio series, Satchmo’s Gang on WNYU-FM. In 2002 she produced and directed, History Makers, for The Fearless Theater Company. This twenty-eight minute video was created with students in workshops at two high schools next to World Trade Center site and presents their thoughts and ideas on the aftermath of 9/11. Writer, producer, and director of children’s plays, as well as instructional and documentary programs for television and radio, Professor McVeigh’s credits include: Paths of Rebellion, an award winning PBS series on the American Revolution, Ivy, a film on the American university, Dawdles the Duck, a special feature on children’s radio series, Radio Recess, Court Trials in American History, 11 radio programs for public radio, Music of the Cinema, radio series for National Public Radio, and Personal Moments, a radio series on sex education as well as educational consultant for Noggin’s web series, Radio Noggin. Most recently, she has collaborated with Drs. Carol Tosone andDr. Caroline Rosenthal Gilman, formerly of New York University’s Silver School of Social and now at Hunter School of Social Work, to produce five training videos for Social Work Students, which are being nationally distributed by the Center for Social Work Education. Professor McVeigh is on the board of Children’s Media Association and the New York International Children’s Film Festival.
Kim Rozzi (Treasurer) brings thirty years of experience in nonprofit management, governance, and finance in the areas of health, education, arts, and early childhood development. Since 2010 she has devoted her career to Head Start and the promotion of school readiness of children from birth to five and helping to build the framework that supports our nation’s most vulnerable families. As an executive and consultant, Kim has developed expertise in organizational analysis, organizational development and evaluation, technical assistance provision, strategic planning, capacity building, research, program planning, fundraising and administration. She is known for her collaborative, action-oriented approach to solving complex challenges. Kim has a proven track record in developing and implementing innovative and successful youth programs including the creation of a model program involving 1,000 children that partnered cultural institutions with public schools and focused on understanding and appreciating indigenous cultures through literacy and the arts. As Executive Director of the Maurer Foundation, Kim positioned the foundation as a leader in the field of breast health education. During her tenure she created an on-line health educator training program, a resource center, a conference and lecture series and a library. She also forged many valuable and lasting relationships with key thought leaders, foundations, and corporations. While serving at The Guggenheim Museum as Director of the Children’s Program, she initiated several long- and short-range planning initiatives and led more than 40 museum-school partnerships with foundations, corporations, individuals, other museums, and educational institutions. Kim has been a long-standing parent advocate and educator. In 1987 she co-created a nationally publicized cultural outreach center for new immigrant parents and students that diminished cultural isolation in public schools and created an open forum for parents to become more involved.
Sandra G. Turner (Member) is an associate professor and former associate academic dean (2004–2014) at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service. She received her B.A. from Northwestern University, M.S.W. from Fordham, and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. After joining the faculty at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service in 1989, she taught courses in foundation practice, advanced clinical practice, and substance abuse, as well as the Advanced Clinical Integrative Seminar.Turner has been a member of the Fordham Institute for Women and Girls since its inception in 2001, and has been the director of the institute for the past two years. She served as a faculty liaison and trainer for the Mentoring Latinas program from 2003 to 2016, and has been the director of the program for the past year. Before becoming a professor, Turner worked for 15 years as chief of outreach and then assistant chief of the Outpatient Alcoholism Clinic at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City.Turner’s research interests have centered on issues related to the prevention of substance abuse (she was co-investigator of a five-year million-dollar grant from the New York State Office of Substance Abuse); women and substance abuse; sexual abuse; feminism and empowerment; and forensic social work. Most recently she has been working on a research and mentoring project involving Hispanic adolescent girls. She has published more than 20 articles and several book chapters on these issues.
Matthew Poltorak (Member) For over 40 years Matt Poltorak has been employed as a programmer and data engineer for financial and academic institutions. For several years Matt was on the board of People’s Action for Clean Energy. Matt has volunteered as a reading tutor at public elementary schools. Matt’s Connecticut garden has been part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program.
John Crand-Ligeros (Member) is a Music Teacher and Musician based in Connecticut. Teaching private lessons on violin, viola, cello and performing also with The Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra, The Torrington Symphony, The American Chamber Orchestra, Sol Solis Consort, The Segovia International Music Festival. Cofounder of Sol Solis Consort based at Goodwin College. Former President of The Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra and Grant writer. Studied Violin/Viola with Tibor Pusztai of Berklee College of Music, Music Theory with Amy Jones and Laura Mazza-Dixson of Hartt School of Music. Degrees in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from the University of Connecticut.
Megan Haungs, MS, LAc (Member)