Autism Society Announces Four New Appointees to National Board of Directors

December 3, 2010
By Amanda Glensky

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Amanda Glensky
Media Specialist
Autism Society
301-657-0881 x 9015
aglensky@autism-society.org

Bethesda, MD (Dec. 3, 2010) – The Autism Society is pleased to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors for the 2010-2011 year. The board serves as the governing body of the Autism Society and sets the vision for the organization’s future. This year, four distinguished new members have joined the Board: Andrew Baumann of Queens, New York; Jonathon Basinger of Atlanta; Bob Cassidy of Swartz Creek, Michigan; and Sergio Mariaca of West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Each member of our volunteer board brings a wealth of unique professional experience to their position,” said Jim Ball, chairman of the Board of Directors. “This expertise, spanning the sectors of education, communication and finance, is invaluable to advancing the Autism Society’s mission of improving the lives of all affected by autism.”

Andrew Baumann is President and CEO of New York Families for Autistic Children, which he and his wife, along with four other sets of parents, founded in 1998. He serves on New York Governor David Patterson’s Task Force for Autism and is a charter member of the World Autism Organization. Baumann is a past chairman of the Autism Society’s Government Relations Committee and the NYC Autism Task Force. In 2000, Baumann and his wife founded the Autism Coalition of Empire State (ACES), which represents more than 50,000 families. Baumann has taught at Manhattan College in the Bronx and Queens College. He is on the Advisory Board of the Queens College CARD Center, a Fellow of the American Psychotherapy Association and sits on the Neuroscience Institute Advisory Board of New York Hospital Queens. He has co-authored Project IMPACT, a peer-based program utilized in a Long Island school district, and is the author of the first training manual for entry-level professionals in autism, Working With Someone Who Has Autism.

Jonathon Basinger is a partner at McShaneBasinger LLC, a commercial real estate and business brokerage firm based in the greater Atlanta area with a coverage network that extends to Florida, Alabama, the Carolinas and Tennessee. For 18 years prior, he owned the advertising, marketing and public relations firm Basinger & Associates, Inc. Before joining the Autism Society’s Board of Directors, Basinger was the chairman of the Devereux Georgia Treatment Network and also served on the national board of the Devereux Foundation. He also volunteered with the Atlanta chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Bob Cassidy is the developer and owner of online applications Calendar Companion and Sermon Companion, and is set to release several chess-related iPhone/iPad apps in 2010 and 2011 in partnership with the U.S. Chess Federation. He is an active member of the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of Michigan’s nonprofit collaborative, sharing fundraising and operational ideas with CEOs of nonprofit organizations. As a board member of the Autism Society, Cassidy is chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. He previously served as co-chairman of the organization’s Campaign Committee. He is co-founder of the “7 Summit Challenge,” an initiative to raise funds and awareness for autism, Alzheimer’s and cancer in which he has pledged to summit the highest peaks on all seven continents.

Sergio Mariaca is the President of Mariaca Wealth Management, LLC, an independent financial advisory firm affiliated with LPL Financial, who focuses on full-service financial planning for his clients throughout the United States. Mariaca is a strong advocate for children, families and education. He serves on the governing boards of the following nonprofit organizations: United Way of Palm Beach County, Area Agency on Aging of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast, and the SunFest Music and Arts Festival.

About the Autism Society
The Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy. For more information, visit www.autism-society.org.

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