Board of Directors
The Autism Society's Board of Directors is composed of dedicated volunteer representatives, many of who are parents of persons with autism. The Board, chaired by Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., serves as the governing body of the organization and sets the vision for the Society's future. Through active use of standing and ad hoc committees, the national Board carries out its goal of fulfilling the Autism Society's mission while also being responsive to the needs of its members and the autism community.
Overview of Board Structure
Board of Directors 2009-2010:
Lee Grossman, President & CEO
Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., BCBA, Board Chair
James Ball, Ed.D., BCBA-D, First Vice Chair
David K. Humphrey, Second Vice Chair
John Reedy, Treasurer
Liz Freeman Floyd, Secretary
James Adams, Ph.D.
Barbara Becker-Cottrill, Ed.D., PPA Chair
L. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan, Ph.D.
José F. Cordero, M.D., MPH
Stephen Edelson, Ph.D.
Herman Fishbein, Ed.D.
Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., BCBA
Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D.
Stephen Shore, Ph.D.
Kimberly S. Taylor
Honorary Board Members:
Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Ruth Christ Sullivan, Ph.D.
Lee Grossman, President & CEO
Lee Grossman has more than 20 years of experience with autism related issues, notably autism services and supports, adult issues, education, and research. He also serves on numerous government and non-government advisory boards, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Executive Committee, National Institutes of Health (NIH) working groups, and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). Mr. Grossman has also previously served on the Autism Society's Board of Directors and as president of the Autism Society of Hawaii.
Before joining the Autism Society as president, Mr. Grossman owned an operated a small business specializing in marketing, distribution and consulting for medical manufacturers throughout the Pacific Basin. He is the father of three boys, including a 20-year-old son with autism.
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Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., BCBA, Board Chair
Dr. Cathy Pratt is the Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community located at Indiana University. Dr. Pratt is on faculty at Indiana University, and presents internationally. She currently serves as Chair of the Board for the national Autism Society. Dr. Pratt also serves on the Panel of Professional Advisors for the Autism Society and is part of NATTAP (Network of Autism Training and Technical Assistance Programs). Dr. Pratt serves on numerous advisory boards, including those for MAAP Services, Inc., the College Internship Program, and the Autism Society of Indiana. Currently, Dr. Pratt serves on the advisory board for the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders grant funded through the U.S. Department of Education. She has been involved with the Institute on Rehabilitation Issues focused on autism, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee as a member of the Expert Working Group on Services, and the Scientific Advisory Board for IMFAR (International Meeting for Autism Research). She also served as a member of the public review committee for the Research Roadmap of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.
Dr. Pratt has been honored by the Autism Society with the Individual Achievement Award, with the 2005 Princeton Fellowship Award, and with various awards through NYFAC (New York Families for Autistic Children, Inc.), including recognition from the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, Dr. Pratt was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education. She has written articles and presents on the following topics: autism spectrum disorders, functional behavior assessment/positive behavior supports, instructional approaches, systems change, and policy. Prior to pursuing her doctorate at Indiana University, Dr. Pratt worked as a classroom teacher for students across the autism spectrum and with other disabilities. Most recently, Dr. Pratt earned her BCBA and is now a board certified behavior analyst.
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James Ball, Ed.D., BCBA-D, First Vice Chair
Dr. James Ball, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, is the President/CEO of JB Autism Consulting. He has been in the autism field for over twenty years providing educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected by autism. He is the Director of Clinical Services for New York Families of Autistic Children (NYFAC), a private not-for-profit organization providing support and training for children and families in New York City. He provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, and behavior management/assessment.
Dr. Ball is also a member of the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC) Board of Trustees, and a member of the COSAC Professional Advisory Board. A past member of the Autism Society Board of Directors, he is currently co-chairperson of then Autism Society Panel of Professional Advisors and sits on the advisory board for the Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine. Dr. Ball has lectured nationally and internationally on various topics related to autism, such as early intervention, inclusion services, functional behavior assessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability. He has published in many of the above areas and authored the breakthrough book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers.
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David K. Humphrey, Second Vice Chair
David Humphrey is a board member of the Northwest Autism Foundation and the Autism Research Institute, and a co-founder of Autism Treatment Network. He is also the president of Kirkman Group, Inc., a pharmaceutical/nutraceutical company in Portland, Ore. For the past 10 years, Mr. Humphrey has devoted much of his time to the research and study of autism. He is a successful entrepreneur and an attorney who has founded several companies in Oregon and Hawaii. During law school, Mr. Humphrey founded a public interest law firm called WashPIRG based in Seattle Washington. WashPIRG was initially funded by an annual contribution from over 250,000 college and university students in the State of Washington. It became the model for Ralph Nader's PIRG organizations across the county. This year, WashPIRG is celebrating its 30th year of public service. After graduating near the top of his class at the University of Washington School of Law, Mr. Humphrey (who is a member of MENSA), went on to form The Humphrey Corporation, a business manufacturing "Frisbees" with printed logos on the saucer top for use as promotions. It became the largest "flyer" manufacture in the world. One of his other companies was named for four consecutive years to Inc. magazine's prestigious list of "500 Fastest Growing Companies in the Nation." Kirkman Group, Inc., also was named by Oregon Business magazine as one of the "Top 100 Companies to Work for in Oregon."
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John S. Reedy, Treasurer
John S. Reedy is currently serving as CFO of the Rich Dad Company, a provider of financial education, through books, electronic media, seminars and training classes. Previously he served as the Vice President of Operations & Administration for iTRACS Corporation, a global leader in the development and sales of infrastructure management security software and related professional services. For nine years prior to joining iTRACS Corporation in October 2000, John ran CLI Financial, the financing division for Compass Learning, Inc., a leading provider of educational software to the K-12 marketplace. John worked as a venture capitalist with Greyhound Venture Capital Management, focusing on investments in the high-tech sector. He also worked directly with the CEO, CFO, General Counsel and investment bankers for the Greyhound Corporation on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and corporate spin-offs. John, along with other venture capitalists, high-tech entrepreneurs as well as business & engineering professors from Arizona State University, founded the Enterprise Network, a joint venture between ASU and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also taught business finance courses at ASU. John obtained his undergraduate degree in business finance from the University of Illinois and his MBA from the University of Michigan.
John currently serves as Treasurer of the Autism Society Board of Directors, head of the Autism Society's Finance Committee, and is a member of the Executive Committee.
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Liz Freeman Floyd, Secretary
Prompted by her younger son's diagnosis of autism at age 5, Liz Freeman Floyd became involved in special education advocacy in her northern California community. Following her family's move to Indiana in 2003 she helped establish the Indiana Autism Coalition, serving as president of its board and representing the Coalition in a variety of community education and advocacy activities. As part of a partnership between the Coalition and the Autism Society of Indiana, Liz co-wrote Indiana’s Comprehensive State Plan to Guide Services for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders for the Indiana Commission on Autism. Liz was elected to the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of Indiana in 2007 and currently chairs the Governance committee. In 2008 Liz was elected to the board of directors of the national Autism Society; at present she serves as secretary as well as chair of the Chapter Relations Committee. Liz is a doctoral student in Ball State University's School Psychology program.
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James Adams, Ph.D.
James B. Adams is the proud father of a 17-year old girl with autism and two other children. He is serving his 10th year as President of the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix. He is a Professor at Arizona State University, where he does research on the biomedical causes of autism and how to treat it (http://autism.as.edu/). He is the Science Coordinator of the Autism Research Institute / Defeat Autism Now!. He is also President of Autism Conferences of America.
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L. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan, Ph.D.
L. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan is the parent of a young adult with autism. She received her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she specialized in Exceptional Education. As an Assistant Professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, she coordinates the Autism Spectrum Disorders Graduate Certificate and Masters of Arts program. Lynn is Past President of the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin (ASSEW) and on the board for the Autism Society of Wisconsin (ASW). She is on the national advisory board for Minnesota Life College and was appointed by the Governor of Wisconsin to serve on the State Board for People with Developmental Disabilities.
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José F. Cordero, M.D., MPH
Dr. José F. Cordero is the Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico since August 2006. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Cordero was an Assistant Surgeon General of the Public Health Service and the Founding Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Cordero worked for 27 years at the CDC. Dr. Cordero obtained his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico in 1973, trained in pediatrics at Boston City Hospital and medical genetics at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1979, Dr. Cordero obtained a master’s in public health from Harvard University. He is Board Certified in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics. Dr. Cordero served in the Health Group of President Obama transition team.
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Barbara Becker-Cottrill, Ed.D., PPA Co-Chair
Barbara Becker-Cottrill received her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has been involved in education and developmental disabilities for the past 28 years, serving as a behavior analyst at the Margaret Chapman School in Hawthorne, New York, and as the executive director of the statewide West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University for the past 18 years. She is also an adjunct graduate professor at Marshall University, teaching courses related to autism.
Dr. Becker-Cottrill has served as the principal investigator for the West Virginia Autism Monitoring Project, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is a co-director of the Network of Autism Training and Technical Assistance Programs (NATTAP) and co-founder of the College Program for Students with Asperger Syndrome at Marshall University. She also serves on the Autism Society of West Virginia Board of Directors. She recently co-authored the book Autism: A Primer for Educators.
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Stephen Edelson, Ph.D.
Stephen Edelson is director of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Chapter of the Autism Society. In 2000, the Autism Society named him "Volunteer of the Year."
Dr. Edelson’s research endeavors have spanned a variety of areas in autism, including sensory interventions (auditory, vision, and deep pressure), aberrant behaviors (self-injury, aggression, and stereotypic repetitive behaviors) and cognition (stimulus over selectivity, classification learning, perceptual discrimination). He co-edited a book with Dr. Rimland, Recovering Autistic Children; and he is the editor of the Autism Research Review International newsletter.
Dr. Edelson hosts several popular web sites: http://www.autism.com/, http://www.autism.org/, http://www.autism.tv/, and http://www.autism.mobi/.
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Herman Fishbein, Ed.D.
Nationally renowned as an expert in the field of Transitional Services and Asperger/Autism education, Dr. Fishbein's experiences have included: Executive Director of League School of Boston and the Vermont Achievement Center, Transition and Adult Services Coordinator for UM Center for Autism (CARD), presenter at the Autism Society, NAA, CEC, AWARE, TASH national conferences, and consultations to autism and developmental disability programs world-wide. Dr. Fishbein currently is the Special Needs Project Manager for the Children’s Services Council of Broward County Florida, President of the Asperger Strategy Center, and a Board Member of the Autism Society. He is also a Senior Certified Trainer in the Casey Life Skills Tools.
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Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., BCBA
Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from UCLA, is licensed by the State of California, Texas, and Arizona. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Granpeesheh worked on the first major autism treatment study under the direction of Dr. Ivar Lovaas. The study, which was published in 1987, showed remarkable improvements and even recovery among participants who received early, intensive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment. In 1990, Dr. Granpeesheh established the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), an international organization providing ABA treatment to children and young adults. Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh is world renowned for her therapy method and recovery rates. These rates are particularly in families who work in conjunction with a medical doctor trained to address the specific biomedical issues facing individuals with autism.
Dr. Granpeesheh’s drive to help as many families as possible achieve successes has led CARD to become an industry leader in administering effective comprehensive treatment plans. A highly recognized psychologist in the field of autism, Dr. Granpeesheh was recently awarded with one of the Autism Society’s highest honors the Wendy F. Miller National Recognition Award for Professional of the Year (2007). She serves on the Defeat Autism Now (DAN!) Executive Council, and the U.S. Autism and Asperger’s Association (USAAA) Scientific Advisory Board.
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Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D.
Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D., develops educational programs for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), including the pioneering ASPIE School. She is the developer of Integrated Self Advocacy (ISA)®, a curriculum and training series for educators and therapists who wish to support individuals with ASDs in achieving greater ability in self-advocacy. ISA® also includes workbooks and skill-building activities for individuals on the autism spectrum of all ages. Valerie’s memoir, Elijah's Cup, is the compelling story of the author's experiences raising her autistic son, their involvement together in the advocacy community, and her own ultimate diagnosis with Asperger's Syndrome. She speaks nationally and internationally on parenting strategies, improving and creating programs for individuals with ASDs, strengthening advocacy skills, and fostering emerging talents and focused interests. Valerie has two books forthcoming with the Autism Asperger Publishing Company on building strong educational programs and advocacy skills for students and adults with ASDs in public and private settings.
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Stephen Shore, Ph.D.
Diagnosed with "atypical development with strong autistic tendencies," Dr. Stephen Shore was viewed as "too sick" to be treated on an outpatient basis and recommended for institutionalization. Nonverbal until four, and with much help from his parents, teachers and others, Stephen completed his doctoral dissertation at Boston University focused on matching best practice to the needs of people on the autism spectrum.
In addition to working with children and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Stephen presents and consults internationally on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure as discussed in his books Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum, and Understanding Autism for Dummies.
President emeritus of the Asperger’s Association of New England, Dr. Shore serves in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), the Autism Services Association of Massachusetts, MAAP, and the College Internship Program.
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Kimberly S. Taylor
Kimberly S. Taylor is a Superior Court Judge in the 22nd Judicial District, Sixth Division of North Carolina. The mother of an 21-year-old son with autism, Judge Taylor played an integral role in getting autism spectrum disorder information added to the basic law enforcement training for the state of North Carolina. In December 2007, she was appointed by Speaker of the House Joe Hackney to serve on the North Carolina Joint Study Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Public Safety, a legislative study committee which works to identify and address safety issues affecting people with autism spectrum disorder. Judge Taylor has served on the board of the Autism Society of North Carolina, and was the chair of its Policy Committee. She lectures and counsels with parents and law enforcement agencies in North Carolina and other areas throughout the country.
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Autism Society Board of Directors 
