Who Are We

Deborah Tucker, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Travis Lovins — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Deborah Tucker's 23 year career as an executive in the Entertainment Industry in Feature/Advertising & Publicity Operations at Warner Bros is highlighted by her many accomplishments as she represented the Studio's interests in the worldwide release of feature films. Her leadership in project management established her department, amongst filmmakers, as 'the best'.

In 2003 Tucker met Donna Ross-Jones's son Nicholas who had been diagnosed with autism. Shocked by the challenges they faced and armed with a desire to help Deborah began fundraising and volunteering for Special Needs Network, an organization dedicated to providing support to families in low income communities impacted by the autism epidemic.

Determined to make a difference, Tucker seized the opportunity to combine many years of corporate training, leadership and relationship building with her life-long passion for nutrition and fitness into a vehicle to make a foot print for improved health outcomes for children with developmental disabilities, primarily autism.

Tucker successfully transferred her business talents from the Big Screen to a new expression of dedication and commitment with the founding of What's In Your Lunch Box (WIYLBOX). Children with autism are her focus for advocacy and action and WIYLBOX her most important and rewarding endeavor. WIYLBOX is a non-profit community-based organization. Its mission is to improve health and wellness for 'all' children, particularly those children and their families impacted by autism.

Achievements, Awards and Recognition: Deborah Tucker received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in English Literature. She has served on the Advisory Board of the International Studies Program, California State University Northridge, is a Lifetime Member of the National Council for Negro Women, and has multiple Certificates of Accomplishment from Avid and Video Symphony Institute of Entertainment Media Production in Professional Video & Film Editing.

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Jesse D. Smith, Director, Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager

Travis Lovins — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Jesse Smith is a Guided Portfolio Manager and Financial Planner with Merrill Lynch, Beverly Hills, California.

Lorena Alvarez, Secretary, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Travis Lovins — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Lorena Alvarez is a dedicated mother of a 4 year old son and has been married for five years. She has served as a Marketing Administrator with Warner Bros. Studios, in the Non-theatrical Sales department for several years. Her expertise is in marketing and publicity for motion pictures for in-flight entertainment.

Lorena possesses an entrepreneurial spirit in business development and has her own part-time business in marketing wines for small, boutique vineyards.

Lorena is fluent in both English and Spanish, on her way to fluency in the Italian language.

Angela Alavarez, IDEPSCA, Health Programs Community Organizer

Deborah Tucker — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

As the Lead Organizer of the Worker's Health Project at IDEPSCA, Angela Alvarez brings an extensive background in organizing day laborers since 2006 in Los Angeles. As an immigrant, she knows of the daily struggles immigrants face and has dedicated herself to achieving social justice for immigrant families. She is a WOSH Specialist and dedicated to educate people on health and safety at the work place. As a Community Health Promoter, Angela has developed various workshops on health education awareness with focus on the prevention of chronic diseases and to provide medical resources and referrals to clinics and sources of services needed by workers. She is also experienced in organizing health fairs and other events.

As a mother of three children, including two sons with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Angela is also involved in helping parents who need guidance in how to access services for children with special needs. She is dedicated to raise awareness with more parents, especially in the Latino community, where many do not accept the special needs their children are facing.

Blanca Siebels, Parent and Advocate

Travis Lovins — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Blanca is a proud mother of three children. Ali is 11, James is 10 and Ashley is 6. Her son James introduced her to the world of autism when he was 20 months old. Like most special needs parents, Blanca has learned to navigate the many complex systems of care, including public education, regional centers, and healthcare. She enjoys sharing her learning experiences with other families. Her bachelor’s is in communications and is one class away from her master’s in organizational leadership! Her passion revolves around developing healthy organizational infrastructures and partnering with people to help maximize their potential. She has been married to her husband Thom, for fifteen years. Blanca is a life-long learner and enjoys taking walks with her family, traveling by train and watching a quiet sunset with her husband.

Deborah Turquie, MS RD

Travis Lovins — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Deborah Turquie is a registered dietitian devoted to promote health by sharing her expertise in food and exercise. She has always been passionate about food and committed to follow a healthy lifestyle. Her philosophy is focused on helping her clients to create healthy relationships with food and identify their bodies’ needs, and in consequence to become “intuitive eaters”. Moreover, she helps her clients with strategies to incorporate physical activity into their busy schedule.

Deborah earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition and Food Science with a concentration in Clinical Nutrition from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, a Master's Degree in Nutritional Science from San Jose State University, and completed her dietetic internship at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, CA. Deborah is also a Registered Dietitian by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

Deborah’s expertise allows her to see clients with a variety of nutritional concerns including diabetes, weight loss, weight gain, healthy eating, hypertension, and gastrointestinal problems among others. Besides her private practice, she works as an inpatient dietitian for White Memorial Medical Center. There, she works closely with the adult population and is also responsible for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients.

Deborah volunteers as a steering committee member at What’s In Your Lunch Box and collaborates for VidaySalud.com providing nutrition articles dedicated to the Hispanic population.

Additionally, she gained experience while working at the Stanford high risk OB clinic providing nutritional counseling to patients with gestational diabetes mellitus, and providing nutrition education to overweight and obese kids at Power Play, MD.

In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and running. She ran the 2007 San Francisco and the 2010 Huntington Beach Half marathons.

Licenses and Certifications
• RD, Registered Dietitian Certified by the Commission on Dietetic Registration
• MS, Master of Science in Nutritional Science from San Jose State University, CA
• BS, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science form Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico
Professional Affiliations
• ADA – American Dietetic Association
• CDA – California Dietetic Association
• LAD – Los Angeles District

Doron D. Kahana, MD FAAP FACG

Travis Lovins — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Doron Kahana joined the faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in Torrance, as Assistant Clinical
Professor after having completed fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at UCLA’s Mattel Children Hospital. Doron received his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and his medical degree from Tel Aviv University, Sackler school of medicine. He completed pediatric residency training at the University of Minnesota after which he practiced general Pediatrics and urgent care medicine before pursuing his fellowship training.

Doron is passionate about teaching and has a strong interest innutrition and dietary therapy. His research focuses on methods to alterthe intestinal microbial ecology to exert health benefit. Doron is Board certified in Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, as well as the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. He has authored numerous publications and book chapters and lectures throughout the region on probiotics and nutritional therapy.

Doron volunteers as a steering committee member at What’s In Your Lunch Box.

Joyce A. Gilbert, PhD LD RD

Travis Lovins — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

In addition to her roles as Executive Director and Associate Professor at the Marilyn Magaram Center at California State University, Northridge, Dr. Gilbert is an internationally recognized lecturer in the areas of Vitamins and Minerals, Nutritional Biochemistry, and Nutrition Assessment. She has served the American Dietetic Association in leadership roles for more than 15 years, most recently as Treasurer and Financial Officer of the Foundation, Chair of the Commission on Dietetic Registration and in the House of Delegates. Gilbert is a U.S. Army Reserve Officer and the recipient of an Army Commendation Award. She has been recognized in The Cambridge Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals, World Who’s Who of Women and Two Thousand Notable American Women. Gilbert earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree from Clemson University and a doctorate from the University of Florida.

Dr. Gilbert volunteers as a steering committee member at What’s In Your Lunch Box.

Taeyou Jung, Ph.D., ATC., CAPE

Travis Lovins — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Dr. Jung is a Kinesiologist, Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Adapted PE specialist. Dr. Jung is currently a program director at the Center of Achievement through Adapted Physical Activity, which provides internationally recognized exercise therapy and aquatic therapy services for people with special needs. He is also a professor in the Department of Kinesiology housed under the College of Health and Human Development at California State University Northridge. Dr. Jung teaches various undergraduate and graduate level classes in Adapted Physical Activity and Therapeutic Exercise. In addition, he has been conducting multiple research projects involving individuals with disabilities. His research area is clinical biomechanics in populations with disabilities, specifically investigating balance and gait outcomes of people with neuromuscular disorders after participating in therapeutic exercise. Dr. Jung has published several research articles in his field-related journals. He has presented and lectured in both national and international professional organizations.

Dr. Jung earned his doctoral degree in Kinesiology with emphases in Sports Medicine and Adapted Physical Activity from University of Virginia. Prior to his appointment at California State University Northridge, he had worked in the Gait Analysis Laboratory at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center in the University of Virginia.

Dr. Jung volunteers as a program steering committee member at What's In Your Lunch Box.

Karla Ausderau, PhD OTR/L

Travis Lovins — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Karla Ausderau, with an advanced practice in swallowing, works as an occupational therapist at Pasadena Child Development Associates, and specializes in feeding. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Southern California with her research focusing on mothers and children with gastrostomy tubes. Karla frequently speaks at trainings and conferences for parents and professionals on interdisciplinary relationship based feeding assessment and intervention.

Karla volunteers as a program steering committee member at What's In Your Lunch Box.

Michael G. Chez, MD

Travis Lovins — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Michael Chez MD is the Director of Pediatric Neurology and Pediatric Epilepsy at Sutter Memorial and Sutter Neuroscience Medical Group. He is a board certified pediatric neurologist. He is an adjunct faculty member at University of California Davis Medical School Department of Neurology with a rank of Associate Professor. He trained at Indiana University Medical School and did his pediatrics training at Johns Hopkins University, before completing his Pediatric and Adult Neurology training at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and then Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland. He did his epilepsy fellowship training in Chicago at Rush Medical Center. Dr. Chez was in practice in the Chicago region for over 17 years and he recently relocated to California in January, 2007.

Dr. Chez has strong interests in epilepsy and cognitive disorders of childhood, especially autism spectrum disorders. He also just published a book on autism: The Medical Management of Autism: A Guide for Parents and Professionals. Dr. Chez also acts as a consultant in research at the MIND Institute, and has pioneered research in EEG and epilepsy in autism, immunology, and new treatments for autism and is the author of numerous peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and articles in his field.

Dr. Chez volunteers as a program steering committee member at What's In Your Lunch Box.

Cary Kreutzer, MPH RD

Travis Lovins — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Cary Kreutzer is currently the Community Education Director at the USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles working under three UCEDD-funded grants in this capacity.

Prior to her work in CA, Ms. Kreutzer directed Maternal and Child Nutrition for the State of New Mexico and was employed by Charter Medical Corporation and worked for two years as a Clinical Dietitian in Tawam, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and began her career as a Pediatric Clinical Dietitian at the Children’s Hospital, Central California.

From 1991-95 Ms. Kreutzer expanded nutrition services in Los Angeles County California Children’s Services (CCS) Medical Therapy Program (MTP) from three school-based clinics to twelve. As a CCS-paneled dietitian, Ms. Kreutzer provides nutrition consultation to the State CCS Program, conducting hospital and special care center reviews to assure they are in compliance with the state CMS Standards. Ms. Kreutzer continues to provide nutrition services in the community-based CCS Medical Therapy Programs in Los Angeles, Mono and Inyo Counties.

Ms. Kreutzer completed a dietetic internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA and received her Masters degree in Public Health: Health Services Management and Administration, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Ms. Kreutzer volunteers as a program steering committee member at What's In Your Lunch Box.

Leslie Richard MD

Travis Lovins — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Dr. Leslie Richard is a graduate of University of California, San Francisco Medical School with undergraduate studies at Stanford University. She conducted her internship and residency at the Pediatric Residency Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. After completion of residency training, she was in private practice for ten years in the San Gabriel Valley. In 1998 she began consulting at Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center in both general and developmental pediatrics, and has since dedicated her career to serving children and families with special needs.

Dr. Richard has established a varied medical career serving children and families with special needs. After working in private practice for five years, Dr. Richard became a clinical instructor at the USC School of Medicine in 1996, teaching clinical medicine to first year medical students. In 1998, Dr. Richard came to her current position as Pediatric Consultant for the Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center.

Dr. Richard has served on the advisory boards of the Autism Society of Los Angeles, the Foothill Autism Alliance and the Frostig School. She served on the UCLA – Department of Developmental Services curriculum advisory committee in the fall of 2000, developing UCLA’s medical curriculum for developmental disabilities. She is a member of the physician’s advisory committee for the Association of Regional Center Administrators, and teaches residents at Cedars, Kaiser and Childrens Hospital about the regional center system as part of their physician advocacy training.

Dr. Richard grew up with an older brother, Rodney, who is autistic. Her family’s decision to raise Rodney in the home, as a valued and loved member of the family, has always influenced Dr.
Richard’s support for providing options to children and families with special needs.

Dr. Richard volunteers as a program steering committee member at What's In Your Lunch Box.

Jody Brandt, PhD

Travis Lovins — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Jody Brandt, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and doctorate in clinical psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She additionally completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship specializing in early childhood development and working with children with special needs through the Child Development Center in New York. Jody has a private practice in west Los Angeles through which she provides psycho-educational assessments and play therapy for children. She also conducts parent therapy, family therapy, and individual psychotherapy for adolescents and young adults.

Dwan M. Bridges, PhD

Travis Lovins — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Dr. Bridges is a Professor of Kinesiology and the Executive Director of Physical Activity Center for Education (PACE Center), at California State University, Los Angeles. From Ohio State University, Dwan Bridges' adaptive physical education and motor development/learning are important additions to the study of physical education. In 1994, she received the Distinguished Young Scholar for the Western College of Physical Education. Her areas of expertise include: general physical education, multiple disabilities, mental retardation, general kinesiology, play skills and modeling techniques.