FAP, Inc.
President - Brita Darany

Directors
Siegrid Fried
Nancy O'Hara, M.D.
Tibor Darany
Richard Slagle, Esq.
Jim Thompson

Directors Emeriti
Jim Funnel, Esq.
Richard Seltzer
Betty Davis

Honorary Board
Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General, State of CT
Rep. Christopher Shays, US Congress
Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Sen Christopher Dodd. US Senator
Sen William Finch, CT Senator

Professional Advisory Board
Dr. Margaret Bauman, Ph.D.
Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D.
Alan Harchik, Ph.D.
Howard Klebanoff, Esq.
Dr. Ami Klin, Ph.D.
Michael Powers, Psy.D
Phoebe Tucker,SLP, AAC

Professional Advisory Board
Role of the Advisory Board:

The purpose of the Friends of Autistic People Advisory Board is to assist and support the organization in carrying out its mission of education, counsel, advocacy, and development of services for adults with autism.

Among responsibilities of individuals invited to serve on the Advisory Board are:

1. serving as a resource for information and referrals pertaining to autism.
2.  providing guidance on clinical and technical issues, as needed.
3. assisting with identifying and securing resources and support, e.g., space for programs, meetings with state and national legislators.

FAP PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY BOARD --Bios

Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D. , Organization for Autism Research (OAR's) Scientific Council Chairman since its founding in 2001, recently joined OAR full time as its President. Dr. Gerhardt whose private practice is based in Baltimore, MD, has authored and co-authored many articles and sections of books on the needs of adults with autism spectrum disorder. He has presented nationally and internationally on these topics. He currently serves on numerous professional advisory boards as well as serving on the Board of Directors of GRASP. Previous professional positions include serving as the Executive Director, Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism, Research Asst. Professor at Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology where he served as the Director of the Division of Transition and Adult Services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center. It was in this capacity that he co-founded the Douglass Group, a social skills and support service for adults with Aspergers Disorder or High Functioning Autism. Dr. Gerhardt received his doctorate from Rutgers University Graduate School of Education.

Alan Harchik, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President for the May Institute's services for people with MR/DD located in West Springfield, MA. He has extensive background in developing and directing community-based programs for people with disabilities. Dr. Harchik is a licensed psychologist, certified special educator, and certified behavior analyst. He has published over a dozen articles and chapters, presented at many national conferences, and served as a guest reviewer for a number of professional journals. He received both his Ph.D. in developmental and child psychology and his M.A. in human development from the University of Kansas.

Howard Klebanoff, Esq. is an Attorney specializing in special education law and the rights of children and adults with disabilities. Former Chairman of the CT State Legislature House Education Committee, Mr. Klebanoff is a recognized lecturer on special education law. He has been honored by the University of Connecticut which established The Klebanoff Institute in Special Education in his name.

Dr. Ami Klin
Ami Klin, Ph.D. is the Harris Associate Professor of Child Psychology and Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of London, and completed post-doctoral fellowships in developmental psychopathology at the Yale Child Study Center. He coordinates psychological evaluations at the Yale Child Study Center Developmental Disabilities Clinic, and the diagnostic, neuropsychological, and social cognitive assessments of two large, federally-funded program projects focused on behavioral and neurobiological aspects of autism and related conditions. Dr. Klin's research activities focus on psychological and biological mechanisms impacting socialization, particularly as these mechanisms are expressed in individuals with autism and related severe social disabilities. He is the author of over 60 publications in this field of research.

Michael P. Powers, Psy.D. is the Director of the Center for Children with Special Needs in Tolland, CT. He is a pediatric psychologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with autism and related disorders. He completed his graduate work at Columbia and Rutgers, and is on the faculty of the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Powers is the author/editor of several books and lectures widely throughout the United States and abroad.

Membership on the Honorary and Professional Advisory Boards does not necessarily imply endorsement of the editorial views expressed in FAP's newsletter.

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