Autism Speaks Co-Founder Bob Wright To Step Down As Chairman Of The Board

NEW YORK, May 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bob Wright, Co-Founder of Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, will step down as Chairman of the Board of Directors on May 1^st.  Mr. Wright has served as Chairman since he and his wife, Suzanne, founded Autism Speaks in 2005 when their grandson was diagnosed with autism. Brian Kelly, an original member of the Autism Speaks Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, has been elected Autism Speaks Chairman of the Board. Mr. and Mrs. Wright will remain on the Board as Co-Founders.

"Ten years ago, we started Autism Speaks because we were shocked at the lack of research, awareness, and access to care for the fastest growing developmental condition in the world," Mr. Wright said in making this announcement. "We set out to change that from the bottom up, by giving a voice to parents and families, and from the top down, by pressing the medical research community, policy makers, and corporate leaders for action. We have made progress, but there is still work to be done. Brian Kelly has been a big voice at the Autism Speaks table and, as the new Chairman, he is prepared to carry the torch forward on behalf of our families."

"As a parent of a child on the spectrum, I joined Autism Speaks because I saw how underserved the autism community was and knew Bob was the right leader to change that. I am honored and humbled to have been elected Chairman of the Board as we embark on the next chapter of our mission," said Brian Kelly. "We hear from families every day that they need supports and services more than ever. Autism Speaks will continue to drive a leadership agenda around the issues that matter most to parents. We will partner with community organizations, businesses, educators, and researchers across the country to foster innovation that will improve the lives and futures of people across the autism spectrum."

"Bob Wright brought his decades of executive experience at GE and NBC Universal to change the world for people affected by autism," said Liz Feld, President of Autism Speaks. "Because of Bob's leadership, millions of families feel more accepted, empowered, and hopeful.  He has been a tireless champion for better research, greater health care coverage, and access to affordable services that impact the daily lives of individuals living with autism. Bob's legacy is set. He has built a foundation that is prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead for the autism community. Brian Kelly assumes his role as Chairman from a position of strength and we are poised for further success under his leadership."

Mr. Kelly, 53, served as Chair of the Audit and Family Services Committees until his election as Chairman of the Board. In 2005, he and his wife, Tricia, donated $2.35 million dollars to The Autism Research and Training Center at UC Santa Barbara's Gevirtz Graduate School of Education that provided enhanced facilities for what is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading centers for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of autism. In 2006, Mr. Kelly was a leader in the property acquisition and development of the Melmark New England campus in Andover, Massachusetts, a school that services individuals with autism and other disabilities. In 2013, the Kellys established the Brian & Patricia Kelly Postsecondary Scholarship Fund at Autism Speaks to support vocational and educational opportunities for young adults on the spectrum.

Mr. Kelly is co-founder of Eastern Real Estate LLC, a leading commercial real estate investment, development, and asset management firm.  Mr. Kelly was raised in New York and then Boston, where he met his wife.  They now reside in Santa Barbara, California with their six children.  Their eldest child, Patrick, has autism.

Bob and Suzanne Wright will be honored for their decade of service with a celebrity Chef Gala in Los Angeles, California on October 8^th and at The Winter Ball at the Metropolitan Museum in New York on December 8^th.

About Autism SpeaksAutism Speaks was founded by Suzanne and Bob Wright in 2005. Mr. Wright is the former Vice Chairman of General Electric and Chief Executive Officer of NBC and NBC Universal. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.  Since its inception, Autism Speaks has raised and invested more than $550 million, in science and medical research, advocacy, awareness and family service programs. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 100 cities across North America. Autism Speaks has helped to secure autism insurance coverage in 41 states and $3 billion dollars in federal autism research through congressional action. Autism Speaks is currently engaged in an historic whole genome sequencing project with Google. The organization has established partnerships in more than 60 countries on five continents to foster international research, services and awareness. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit AutismSpeaks.org.

SOURCE Autism Speaks


RELATED LINKS
http://www.autismspeaks.org

Mohamed Amin Africa Media Awards on the 2015 World Press Freedom Day

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

May 3rd every year is a day set aside worldwide to appreciate the need for freedom of the press.

"Let Journalism Thrive!" is the main theme for this year while focusing on "Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Safety in the Digital Age".

Towards better reporting is a major fundamental that Africa24 Media is keen on. It is for this reason that we have created a forum for appreciating journalism work.

Through the Mohamed Amin Africa Media Awards; MAAMAs we will be able to honour outstanding pressmen and women. This is not just about the awards, there will be seminars for the participants to help them connect with each other, learn how to sharpen their skills and engage media personalities on issues that affect our industry.  A symposium on Press Freedom, Responsibility and Safety will be held on the last day of the event. 

Named after our company's founder, who 50 years ago embarked on a career that produced some of the most indelible TV images of Africa ever seen, AFRICA24 honors his commitment to quality production values and telling Africa's positive stories.  From motivating the world to care about starving people in Ethiopia, to celebrating the continent's beauty in his exquisitely photographed books, Mo Amin was Africa's media champion.  

The MAAMAs will take place in Nairobi May 20-22nd 2015. Crowning the event will be excursions to some of the special sights that make Nairobi a top international travel destination and a gala dinner on the 22nd. IT ALL AWAITS YOU AT THE MAAMAs!  http://www.moaminama.com  

On this press freedom day, we salute all press people and voice our encouragement to initiatives in favour of letting journalism thrive and scale new heights, especially in this digital age.

AFRICA24 MEDIA... I AM AFRICA

Contact: JACKLINE ANYANGO, +254-(0)725060464, info@a24media.com

SOURCE AFRICA24 MEDIA

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. Announces New Director of Investor Relations

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 5, 2015 /TRENDINGGLOBALNEWS/ -- Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. (NYSE: HTA), the largest dedicated owner and operator of medical office buildings, announced today that it has hired Jessica Thorsheim, CFA as Director of Investor Relations. 

"Jessica joins us at a time when increasing awareness about core, critical medical office real estate is of the utmost importance," said Chairman and CEO Scott D. Peters. "We are excited to welcome Jessica as a part of our team and we are confident she will be an excellent contributor as HTA continues to lead the medical office sector forward."

Ms. Thorsheim most recently served as the Director of Investor Relations at Move, Inc., the parent of realtor.com, which was recently acquired by News Corp. At Move, Jessica worked closely with the CEO and CFO to educate shareholders on company fundaments and the rapidly evolving online real estate sector. She was a company spokesperson at all investor conferences and a true advocate for the Move investment story. Prior to Move, Jessica worked as the Director of Investor Relations at Cole Real Estate Investments, a triple-net retail real estate investment trust in Phoenix, AZ. She assisted in the listing of Cole on the NYSE in June of 2013 and was responsible for all shareholder communications. Jessica started her career in institutional equity sales at Goldman Sachs in New York City, NY. 

Ms. Thorsheim is a CFA® chartholder and has a BBA in Business Finance from the University of Iowa where she graduated summa cum laude. 

About Healthcare Trust of America, Inc.
Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. (NYSE: HTA), a publicly traded real estate investment trust, is a full-service real estate company focused on acquiring, owning and operating high-quality medical office buildings that are predominantly located on or aligned with campuses of nationally or regionally recognized healthcare systems in the U.S.  Since its formation in 2006, HTA has invested approximately $3.3 billion to build a portfolio of properties that is comprised of approximately 14.8 million square feet of gross leasable area located in 28 states.  It operates its properties through regional offices in Scottsdale, Albany, Atlanta, Boston, Charleston, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami and Pittsburgh.

For more information on Healthcare Trust of America, Inc., please visit www.htareit.com.  

        

FORWARD-LOOKING LANGUAGE

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs, including expectations, plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs about HTA, stockholder value and earnings growth.

The forward-looking statements included in this press release are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond HTA's control. Although HTA believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, HTA's actual results and performance could differ materially and in adverse ways from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on HTA's operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to:

• changes in economic conditions affecting the healthcare property sector, the commercial real estate market and the credit market;
• competition for acquisition of medical office buildings and other facilities that serve the healthcare industry;
• economic fluctuations in certain states in which HTA's property investments are geographically concentrated;
• retention of HTA's senior management team;
• financial stability and solvency of HTA's tenants;
• supply and demand for operating properties in the market areas in which HTA operates;
• HTA's ability to acquire real properties, and to successfully operate those properties once  acquired;
• changes in property taxes;
• legislative and regulatory changes, including changes to laws governing the taxation of REITs and changes to laws governing the healthcare industry;
• fluctuations in reimbursements from third party payors such as Medicare and Medicaid;
• delays in liquidating defaulted mortgage loan investments;
• changes in interest rates;
• the availability of capital and financing;
• restrictive covenants in HTA's credit facilities;
• changes in HTA's credit ratings;
• HTA's ability to remain qualified as a REIT;
• changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, policies and guidelines applicable to REITs; and
• the risk factors set forth in HTA's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and in HTA's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, HTA undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect the events or circumstances arising after the date as of which they are made.  As a result of these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements included in this press release or that may be made elsewhere from time to time by, or on behalf of, HTA. 

source:http://www.prnewswire.com/