New Act Early Ambassadors Selected

May 14, 2014

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are pleased to announce that thirty new Act Early Ambassadors have been selected from a group of highly qualified applicants. This cohort of Ambassadors represent twenty-nine states:

The 2014 Act Early Ambassadors

Alabama: Tish MacInnis
Arkansas: Peggy Schaefer Whitby
Arizona: Ann Mastergeorge
California (2 Ambassadors): Debra Sarmento, Fran Goldfarb
Colorado: Debra Efird
Connecticut: AnnGionet
Hawaii: JoAnn Yuen
Indiana: Stephan Viehweg
Kansas: Peggy Kemp
Louisiana: Maria Blanco
Massachusetts: Elaine Gabovitch
Minnesota: Jennifer Hall-Lande
Montana: Ann Garfinkle
North Carolina: Rebecca Edmondson Pretzel
Nebraska: Jennifer Burt
New Hampshire: Jennifer Doris
New Jersey: Deepa Srinivasavaradan
New Mexico: Nancy Lewis
Nevada: Mario Gaspar de Alba
Ohio: Stephanie Weber
Oklahoma: Bonnie McBride
Rhode Island: Stacey Aguiar
Tennessee: Toni Whitaker
Texas: Pauline Filipek
Utah: Susan Olsen
Virginia: Deana McGuire Buck
Vermont: Janet Kilburn
Wisconsin: Gail Chodron
West Virginia: Susannah Poe

Autism Speaks was selected as the Organizational Ambassador in this cohort of Ambassadors.

In the upcoming years (2014-2016), the Ambassadors will serve as a state, territory or organizational point-of-contact for CDC’s national “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” (LTSAE) program; support the work of Act Early Teams and other state or national initiatives to improve early identification of developmental delay and disability; and promote adoption and integration of LTSAE resources, including materials to support developmental monitoring.

For more information on the Ambassadors, please visit aucd.org/actearly or cdc.gov/ActEarly.