BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Patricia M. Hudak, PCC, BCC
Patricia M. Hudak, PCC, BCC, previously served as the chair of the CHADD Northern Virginia and DC (NoVA/DC) chapter. In that position, she worked with other volunteers to connect the local ADHD community with area resources, resulting in CHADD NoVA/DC being recognized as the 2017 Affiliate of the Year. Pat also co-chaired CHADD’s national affiliate advisory board and was a member of the national marketing and conference planning committees. Her passion for supporting families affected by ADHD came from her own experience raising two boys (now successful young men!) diagnosed with ADHD. She is credentialed as a professional certified coach through the International Coach Federation and as a board-certified coach through the College of Executive Coaching, with additional certificates for coaching children, teens, and young adults with ADHD and executive function disorders. Prior to starting her own coaching business in 2005, she retired from a thirty-year career with the federal government, where she served in an executive leadership capacity. Her responsibilities included strategic planning, overseeing national programs, providing guidance and support to employees at all levels, and collaborating with other federal and state agencies and national professional organizations. In addition to her previous experience with CHADD, she sat on the ADHD Resource Group of Northern Virginia’s board as a director-at-large and held the position of chair for the marketing and public relations committee of the ADHD Coaches Organization (ACO).
PRESIDENT ELECT (currently on leave of absence)
Donna Orem
Donna Orem was named president of the National Association of Independent Schools in November 2016. NAIS provides services to more than 1,800 schools and associations of schools in the United States and abroad, including 1,500 nonprofit private K-12 schools in the US. Orem served as the chief operating officer for NAIS for eleven years before becoming president. She joined NAIS in 1998 as the vice president for educational leadership, later becoming the vice president for strategic initiatives and research. Prior to joining NAIS, she served as the vice president for products and services development at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. She also served as associate director for The American Association of University Women. Orem speaks frequently about leadership, governance, trends in independent education, and workforce development, and is the author of numerous books and articles.
SECRETARY
Jeremy Didier, LMSW, ACC, PCAC
Jeremy Didier, MSW, ACC, PCAC, is the group founder and co-coordinator of ADHDKC, Kansas City’s award-winning CHADD chapter. She holds a BS in journalism from the University of Kansas and recently received her master of social work degree from Fordham University. Jeremy currently works for ImpactParents as an ICF/ADDCA-certified ADHD parent coach, and she is a frequent contributor to their internationally recognized blog. She was honored to attend Chris Dendy’s inaugural ADHD Camp in 2015 and has been thrilled to present at multiple local and national conferences on the underdiagnosis of ADHD in girls and women, among other ADHD-related topics. She is also a passionate advocate for adults living in detention who are struggling with comorbid ADHD and substance use disorder. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Jeremy is mom to the fabulous five, four of whom also have an ADHD diagnosis. She and her husband Bryan live with their family in Overland Park, Kansas.
TREASURER
Shirelle F. Pearson, MBA, GBA
Shirelle F. Pearson is an account manager with Marsh & McLennan Agency (MMA) in their New York City employee health and benefits office, with over thirty years of experience in insurance carrier, human resources, and group benefits consulting. She also extends her knowledge to her graduate students as an adjunct professor at the New York Institute of Technology. She sought resources to support her newly diagnosed son and found CHADD quite valuable in her ADHD educational pursuits, for herself and family. In 2014, she accepted the role of treasurer for the Nassau County chapter and accepted the additional role of coordinator in 2018. Having recently assumed membership on CHADD’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, she is currently pursuing an ADHD parent coaching certification. Her career has allowed her the opportunity to effectively communicate across organizations and implement thoughtful benefits and wellness recommendations, positively affecting the lives of thousands of employees and their families. She is a published essayist who enjoys helping clients empower employees through emotionally intelligent strategies, which foster better health, employee satisfaction, higher productivity, and loyalty. A member of MMA’s diversity, equity, and inclusion council she participated in its Aspire mentorship program. She also volunteers as the director of programs with the New York Metro Area chapter of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists (ISCEBS) and its chapter working group. She is a lifelong learner and critical thinker who believes that collaboration is the best way to build a strong village that elevates everyone. She earned her BBA from Adelphi University, her MBA from Dowling College and Group Benefits Associate Certificate from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans in partnership with Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Her crowning achievements are her marriage of twenty-five years and the role of doting mother to her two sons.
BOARD MEMBER
Vincent Buttaci, JD
Vincent N. Buttaci, JD, is a member of Buttaci Leardi & Werner LLC, a boutique health law firm with offices in New Jersey and New York. He focuses his practice on representing nonprofit and for-profit behavioral health facilities and health systems in all aspects of care delivery, access, and reimbursement. Additionally, he has nearly twenty-five years of experience representing nonprofit healthcare associations in matters of advocacy, legislative action, and public policy reform. While in law school, Buttaci struggled with undiagnosed adult ADHD and later learned about coping with neurodiversity. His experience spurred him to establish the Wellness in Career Program at The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, which provides workshops to law students on building self-awareness and addressing time management, stress, and anxiety. He first became involved with CHADD after his daughter’s ADHD diagnosis and is thrilled to join the board of directors to support the organization’s ongoing mission.
BOARD MEMBER
Stephen Chen
Stephen Chen is a board-tested operational leader and CFO who connects people and initiatives that can improve business and societal outcomes at the intersection of technology and business transformation. Chen was educated at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, New York University, and Brown University. He is a public and private board member of several companies, including Phunware, Kent Moore Capital, BioIntegrate, and formerly Anchor Fundings. He was previously the chief investment officer for a UHNW commodities-based family office and started an alternative asset fund that was collateralized by assets in excess of $2B. Chen brings twenty years of executive experience in financial services and technology, where he has built up particular expertise in sales, capital markets, strategic partnerships and investments, as well as growing and scaling business operations in the United States and Asia. He is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce in New York City, the Urban Land Institute, New York Investment Network, and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. His philanthropic work has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, ABC, and NBC. He has spoken at Yale, Brown, NYU, and Columbia University and is the recipient of the Orphans International Global Citizenship Award, the Dragon 100 Fellowship, and the C.V. Starr Fellowship. He has been profiled in two books, Luck Does Not Exist by Mario Calabresi and Inspired! by Vik Venkatraman.
BOARD MEMBER
Brian Foy
Brian Foy has been coordinator for CHADD of Iowa since 2016. Prior to that, he was treasurer for that group for over fifteen years, when six small chapters merged into one super chapter. Brian and his wife Jane were founding members of a parent support group in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1986 after their daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. He currently lives in the Davenport/Quad Cities area in Iowa, where he is a clinical instructor for the masters in speech-language pathology program at St. Ambrose University. Prior to his work at St. Ambrose, he was a speech language pathologist with the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency for twenty-two years. He was also an administrator with the agency from 2000 to 2014, serving as “low incidence disabilities coordinator” over a five-county area.
BOARD MEMBER
Belynda L. Gauthier
Belynda L. Gauthier has served on numerous local, state, and national committees and boards involved in special needs and mental health advocacy. She previously served on CHADD’s national board of directors from 1999-2002, and was named CHADD’s Coordinator of the Year in 1998. A longtime board member for Families Helping Families, she is a founding member of the Greater Baton Rouge Learning Disabilities Coalition, and currently serves on the Louisiana DHH Task Force on ADHD. She has thirty-four years of professional experience in human resources, including twenty years as the human resources director of a large organization. During that time, she received the Employer of the Year Award from BACE for her work employing individuals with disabilities.
BOARD MEMBER
Johnathan Harris, EdD
Johnathan Harris, EdD, is an influential and dynamic education professional dedicated to crafting high-quality educational experiences for all learners, from gifted students to those with special needs. He currently serves as an education consultant for Heron Education, a boutique education firm he founded in 2022. A licensed special educator for the Commonwealth of Virginia, he holds a doctorate in educational leadership and organizational innovation from Marymount University, and a master’s degree in special education. To fill a gap in the educational landscape, in 2012 Dr. Harris founded the Lynnhaven School, a private high school designed to provide an unparalleled education for gifted students and those identified as twice exceptional, including students with ADHD and other learning differences. For over two decades, he has navigated the complex facets of special education, particularly focusing on students with ADHD and dyslexia, and demonstrating an unyielding commitment to inclusivity and individualized learning strategies. As an adjunct faculty and lead doctoral faculty mentor at Marymount University, he continues to influence the next generation of educators, carrying forward his passion for inclusive education. His dedication and impactful contributions have earned him recognition from high-profile state officials and made a lasting impression on the broader field of education. Dr. Harris’s work is a testament to his belief in the potential of every student as well as every adult, a vision he has brought to life throughout his career.
BOARD MEMBER
Jane Indergaard, DNP, RN
Jane Indergaard, DNP, RN, E-TNS, is an associate professor of nursing at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and a licensed registered nurse in North Dakota and Minnesota. Her forty-plus years of clinical and teaching experience spans critical care, emergency trauma, research/evidence-based practice, and behavioral health nursing. Dr. Indergaard is a recognized speaker, budding author, and long-standing provider of education, advocacy, and outreach for individuals living with ADHD. She is the local co-founder of the award-winning Red River Valley CHADD, an affiliate of CHADD. She also serves on the editorial advisory board for CHADD’s Attention magazine. Her interest in worldwide behavioral health collaboration has led to international presentations and the development of global health initiatives for advancing nursing practice, nursing education, and behavioral health care outreach for programs in Africa and China. She is currently co-leader for undergraduate interdisciplinary exploration of behavioral health service research and delivery in the United Kingdom. Dr. Indergaard’s current research and clinical interests focus on the impact of hormonal fluctuations on women with ADHD, neurocognitive disorders and ADHD, clinical practice guidelines for adult ADHD, and the design and implementation of psychoeducational programming into provider treatment for ADHD.
BOARD MEMBER
Larry Jones, MD, MBA, AACC
A retired pediatrician, Larry A. Jones, MD, MBA, AACC, received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed his pediatric residency, genetics fellowship, and MBA in executive healthcare management at Washington University in St. Louis. He opened a general pediatrics office in St. Louis in 1981, with a specialty in learning disabilities. Dr. Jones became more involved in treating children with ADHD after he and his three sons were diagnosed, and ever since he has been proactive in bringing awareness about ADHD to public health officials, hospital administrators, and physicians. He served as the chief administrator for childhood lead poisoning and all other child and maternal health activities for the city of St. Louis. For ten years he served as a physician advisor for hospitals in St. Louis, and he subsequently served in that capacity in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to his retirement. A member of WIE Champions, a group of Charlotte men promoting open discussions on race and culture, he also serves on the board of directors for NAMI Charlotte and several ministries at Friendship, MBC, including social justice. With his wife, Audrey, he coauthored Falling Through the Ceiling: Our ADHD Family Memoir. After training as an ADHD and life coach, he founded TASTE of Success Coaching, with “turning ADHD from stigma to stability” as his mission. Most recently, Dr. Jones and his wife founded the nonprofit Enable Tables Media to support individuals, families, and educators addressing learning challenges. He received CHADD’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
BOARD MEMBER
Jeffrey S. Katz, PhD
Jeffrey Katz, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He has many years of involvement with CHADD. Dr. Katz is presently the co-chair of CHADD’s public policy committee, serves on the professional advisory board, and served a prior term as a member of the board of directors. Dr. Katz specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with an emphasis on ADHD as well as other behavioral and learning issues. In addition, he frequently attends school meetings, bringing his knowledge of ADHD, learning disabilities, and school-based interventions, together with his knowledge of educational regulations, to ensure that students receive the support they need. Dr. Katz is frequently asked to speak to groups of parents and professionals, sharing his knowledge of ADHD, interventions, and current issues. He serves on the disabilities advisory committee of Tidewater Community College, sharing his expertise with their office of educational accessibility.
BOARD MEMBER
Bob O’Malley
Bob O’Malley is currently a senior director of sourcing and procurement in the broadcast media industry. He has more than thirty years of experience in developing and implementing sourcing strategies. He has negotiated highly visible strategic agreements for the distribution of content in both the entertainment and sports verticals. In 2008, Bob and his wife Eva (a former member of CHADD’s board of directors) cofounded the Monmouth County CHADD chapter (currently called Tri CHADD NJ) in response to the diagnoses of several family members with ADHD.
BOARD MEMBER
Suzanne Sophos
Suzanne Sophos is a neuro-inclusivity advocate who has been engaged in family and child work since 2010. She is the executive director of CHADD of Greater Los Angeles and the manager of the ADHD Empowerment Community™. She previously directed CHADD of San Fernando Valley, twice recognized as Chapter of the Year. Sophos serves as co-chair of CHADD’s chapter advisory board and is a member of the planning committee for the Annual International Conference on ADHD. She received the CHADD Volunteer of the Year award in 2022. Sophos grew up in Texas and received her communications degree from Texas Christian University before moving to Los Angeles with her husband. Her background includes serving as a social-emotional learning specialist, peer support specialist, ADHD educator, writer, and family coach. She has also been trained, certified, and previously served as a foster parent through the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Her work is informed by her education, professional experience, and life experience as an ADHD/2e individual and the parent of an ADHD/2e child.
BOARD MEMBER
John Willson, MS, LRT/CTRS
John Willson, MS, LRT/CTRS, is the executive director for SOAR, a nonprofit residential boarding school, adventure summer camp, and GAP program serving youth with learning and attention challenges. This is his second stint supporting the CHADD on the national board of directors. Willson holds an undergraduate degree in sociology from Texas State University and a master’s degree in outdoor therapeutic recreation administration from Aurora University. He is licensed in the state of North Carolina as a recreation therapist and holds a national certification from NCTRC to practice therapeutic recreation. He serves on the national board of the Learning Disability Foundation Association and has been a state president of the Learning Disabilities Association of North Carolina. He is a certified wilderness first responder, lifeguard, and rescue SCUBA diver. He can be found canoeing class 3/4 whitewater in his free time. He has led hundreds of adventure courses with youth diagnosed with LD and ADHD. He actively presents to parents and professionals at local, state, and national conferences. Finally, he is the parent of two magnificent adult children living with ADHD.
BOARD MEMBER
Max Wiznitzer, MD
Max Wiznitzer, MD, is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Medicine. He trained in pediatrics and developmental disorders at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and in pediatric neurology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He then did a National Institutes of Health funded fellowship in disorders of higher cortical functioning in children at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. Since 1986, he has been a pediatric neurologist at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He is an associate professor of pediatrics, neurology, and international health at Case Western Reserve University. He has a longstanding interest in neurodevelopmental disabilities, especially ADHD and autism, and has been involved in local, state, and national committees and initiatives, including autism treatment research, Ohio autism service guidelines, autism screening, and early identification of developmental disabilities. He is on the editorial board of Lancet Neurology and the Journal of Child Neurology and lectures nationally and internationally about various neurodevelopmental disabilities.
FOUNDER AND LIFETIME BOARD MEMBER
Harvey C. Parker, PhD
Harvey Parker, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist, is a cofounder and former executive director of CHADD. He played an instrumental role in encouraging the US Department of Education to clarify the responsibility schools must assume in providing appropriate educational services to students with ADHD. Dr. Parker has authored and coauthored a number of publications on ADHD. Because of all of his contributions to making the country a better place for people affected by the disorder, he was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame in 1994.
EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBER
Craig Bruce Hackett Surman, MD
Craig Bruce Hackett Surman, MD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the scientific coordinator of the adult ADHD research program of the clinical and research Program in pediatric psychopharmacology at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research strives to improve the assessment and treatment of self-regulatory disorders, including ADHD, in adulthood. He completed a residency in psychiatry at the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Boston, as well as a fellowship in neuropsychiatry at the division of cognitive and behavioral neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, also in Boston. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented internationally. Dr. Surman has directed or facilitated over forty studies related to ADHD in adults. He is coauthor of FASTMINDS: How to Thrive If You Have ADHD (or Think You Might) and editor of ADHD in Adults: A Practical Guide to Evaluation and Management.
