OFFICERS:

Krystal Higgins
Executive Director
Krystal taught for a behavioral hospital before leaving the classroom to care for her child, who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury and was later diagnosed with a neuroimmune disorder. While advocating for appropriate medical and therapeutic interventions for her own family, she returned to work for the National Autism Association. She currently serves on the autism panel for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program via the Department of Defense and is a certified S2C (Spelling 2 Communicate) practitioner. She is committed to helping families advocate for educational and medical equality for their children, and to shedding light on the most urgent issues facing the autism community.

Leslie Phillips
Board Chair

Leslie Phillips has two adult sons on the autism  spectrum. Her youngest son is medically complex with a mitochondrial disorder and neuroimmune syndrome.

She has been involved in disability and autism advocacy for more than twenty years. Her particular focus is on the overlap between individuals diagnosed with autism and those with neuroimmune disorders, and as such she also serves on the board of the Neuroimmune Foundation. Her hope is to help accelerate research leading to more treatment options and to support efforts to ensure the safety and enrich the lives  of  all affected by autism.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Kerry Magro, EdD
Board Member
Dr. Kerry Magro Ed.D. was nonspeaking until the age of 2.5, diagnosed with autism at 4 and didn’t speak in complete sentences until 7 years old. Today as an adult he is an award-winning autistic professional speaker, best-selling author of five books on autism, and serves as an autism consultant for award-winning series on HBO and Netflix. He has spoken at over 1300 events, is CEO & President of KFM Making A Difference, a nonprofit organization that hosts inclusion events and has provided 150+ scholarships for autistic students for college, and several small business grants for businesses that hire people with disabilities.

He’s been featured on the Today Show, CBS and FOX news, and frequently speaks in-person and virtually to companies on neurodiversity in the workplace.

Lori McIlwain
Co-Founder, Board Member
Lori is a national advocate for autism safety, particularly wandering and drowning prevention. Over the last 15 years, she has co-authored two studies on lethal outcomes and helped spearhead national resources and policy, including NAA’s Big Red Safety Box® Program, the Search Water First Campaign, a medical diagnostic code, and Kevin & Avonte’s Law. A partner advocate of the National Children for Missing & Exploited Children, Lori has been instrumental in creating education, training, and federal guidelines. Lori’s New York Times op-ed piece “The Day My Son Went Missing” helped bring a national focus to missing persons with autism.

James A. Moody
Founding Board Member
Jim is a practicing attorney and Founder of Citizens for a Competitive Economy. He is very active in cause-related advocacy and has dedicated himself to serving the autism community for nearly two decades.

Joseph Ranseth