Vice President Hoppy Price and his wife Sandy are the parents of Mason and Emma. Mason was diagnosed with autism in 2000 at age 25 months, shortly after the birth of his sister. The FAA provided invaluable support and advice in making professional contacts, learning from other parents, and putting together a treatment program. Mr. Price lives in La Crescenta with his family. He is an engineer and manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and enjoys designing interplanetary spacecraft.
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Chief Financial Officer John Schock and his wife, Margaret, are both attorneys. Their daughter Ginger is diagnosed with autism. Prior to Ginger's arrival, they were both active in the Glendale community, serving on the boards of the Glendale Symphony, the American Red Cross, the Glendale Kiwanis, and other organizations. Since Ginger's arrival, they have dedicated themselves to issues related to autism by attending conferences and becoming active in numerous organizations, including the Lanterman Regional Center and the Foothill Autism Alliance. Back to Top
Treasurer Susan Hain has served as the Treasurer of the FAA since its inception in 1998. She is also a Peer Support Partner for Lanterman Regional Center and advises parents on how to obtain services and advocate for their children. She volunteers for Glendale Healthy Kids as a standing board member and as part of its dental education program, as well as serving as the 6th Vice President for the Glendale Council PTA, responsible for health and welfare. She also serves as the co-chair of the Foothill SELPA Community Advisory Committee. In what little spare time she has, she holds several part-time jobs doing accounting and bookkeeping. Mrs. Hain lives in Glendale with her husband, Phillip, and their 15 year old son, Andrew, who was diagnosed with Autism in 1996 and currently is a freshman at Clark Magnet High School. Back to Top
Secretary Twyla Ramos' son, Malcolm, was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome at the age of 19 months and with autism at the age of 9 years. Malcolm always displayed a lot of self-stimming behavior but was so affectionate that his parents did not believe he was autistic. After he was diagnosed with autism, Twyla and her husband Manuel were surprised to learn that autism and Williams Syndrome share a lot of gastro-intestinal and food-related issues. Since beginning the gluten & casein free diet, digestive enzymes and probiotics, Malcolm's chronic diarrhea and enuresis have been cured, enabling him to be toilet trained (at last!). Twyla and Manuel also have two daughters. Twyla works in the Human Resources department of a bank. She has a B.A. in English from Pomona College. Twyla grew up near Boston, MA, but has lived in the L.A. area for many years. Back to Top
Assistant Secretary Elisabetta Burke .... Back to Top
Board Members:
Yudi Bennett (past president) has been active in the Foothill Autism Alliance since its founding in 1998. She became
president of FAA upon the death of her beloved husband, Robert Schneider,
former FAA president, founder, and Power Pak editor. Her goal is to
keep Bob's dream alive; to provide much needed education and resources
for families dealing with autism. Professionally, Ms. Bennett works in
the motion picture industry. She is active in the Directors Guild of
America and is a member of the Motion Picture Academy. Ms. Bennett
lives in Glendale with her son Noah, who was diagnosed with autism in
1997, and their two dogs and one cat. Back to Top
Anita Ghazarian, O.D. is an optometrist, residency trained in Pediatrics and Vision Therapy, currently working at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles with special emphasis in binocular vision disorders, vision related learning disorders, and dyslexia. Her familiarity with learning disabilities led to quick diagnosis and treatment when her son , Aram, was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at 20 months of age. Dr. Ghazarian is married to Aldo Garbellini and has two children, Aram, and a daughter, Alineh. FAA has been a great source of support and information for Dr. Ghazarian and she hopes to help other families address appropriate services and help their children reach maximum potential. Back to Top
Leslie Michelle, MA, is the Administrator and Community Outreach liaison for the Academy for the Advancement of Children with Autism (AACA), located in Northridge. Ms. Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge, and her Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. She is registered with the California State Board of Behavioral Sciences. In August 2001, she was a recipient of the Annenberg Grant, which enabled her to teach social skills to middle school children residing in low socio-economic areas. In addition to acting as Administrator for AACA, Ms. Michelle provides individual, group, and family counseling as well as parent training for the Academy. She also works with the advocacy team at Integrated Educational Services, located onsite. Ms. Michelle is bi-lingual, speaking Spanish as a second language which allows her to serve a diverse population. Ms. Michelle conceived and brought to life Miss Bumple's "Not So Ordinary" Preschool & Daycare," a nursery school concept based on developmental theory combined with some direct teaching as an augment. At the present time, Ms. Michelle is working to become a certified Equine Therapist. Ms. Michelle is the mother of 4 children, two of which have experienced challenges affecting their ability to be successful in the classroom. Back to Top
B. Yolanda O'Brien has been a member of FAA and has served on its board of directors since 1998. She and her husband, Peter, have been married 30 years and are the proud parents of John, 24, and Joseph, 18. She works full time for the National Notary Association and is also a Notary Public. She is active with her church Incarnation and with the FACTS program. She is a member of the Foothill Employment Collaborative Advisory Committee. Her proudest moments as a parent have been the wedding of her son John to Becky and the First Communion and Confirmation of her son Joseph. As a volunteer, her proudest moment was starting and coordinating the Special Education First Communion and Continuing Religious Education Program at Incarnation Church. To date, three students have received their First Communion, three are in the two-year program to receive First Communion, and one is continuing his religious education. Back to Top
Arthur Ringwalt is the only FAA board member with an autism spectrum disorder, namely Asperger's Syndrome or high functioning autism. He was diagnosed at an early age and did not learn to talk until he was five or six years old. He lives independently and is currently earning his teaching credential. He would like to teach autistic students. In addition to being the FAA's historian/archivist, he is the facilitator for the support group AGUA (Adult Gathering, United and Autistic). Jay Nolan Community Center provides assistance with mailings for AGUA's monthly meetings. Mr. Ringwalt has participated in organizations for much of his life, including Toastmaster's International, College Young Republicans, and St. Charles Borromeo Parish in North Hollywood. He enjoys body building and competitive tennis. Back to Top
Luz Valencia is the mother of Leslie, age 14, and Valerie, age 11. One year ago, Ms. Valencia made the very difficult decision that Valerie, who is affected with severe autism, required a residential placement where she could receive the 24-hour care that she needs. Valerie has no speech, is on medication, and needs nursing care. Ms. Valencia continues to strongly advocate for her daughter's needs and provides support to other parents as well, utilizing her bilingual skills to translate for Spanish-speaking families. Back to Top
Sherrie Vamos spent twelve years in the financial services industry, including a five-year stint on Wall Street before transitioning to fund-raising. Currently, Ms. Vamos works for City of Hope, helping seniors who want to include City of Hope in their estate plans. She lives in Studio City with her husband, George, a computer programmer at a biotech firm, and their son, Jonathan, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at 3 1/2. Back to Top
Ling Yan is the mother of Andrew, age 5, who was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old. When Ling's family first entered the "autism world," they found tremendous support from many experienced parents. Recently Ling joined the board of FAA in the hopes of giving the same kind of support to other families, as well as to continue learning from others. Ling is also very involved and dedicated to her music. She graduated from Boston University with a Master's degree in cello performance. As a cellist, she performs with symphony orchestras, small chamber groups, and in solo recitals. She is very passionate about teaching music to young children and was recently invited to be the judge of a youth music competition. Back to Top
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