President – Serrana Pilar

LVN, Caregiver (Jason Becker, Norma Bone), Massage and Movement Therapist, Founder – Creative Care Project

Secretary/Treasurer – Patricia (Pat) Becker

Admin Professional – Interactive Resources, Inc., Caregiver/Care Coordinator and mother to Jason Becker

Development Officer – Stephen Correa

Music artist personal assistant, Construction professional, General angel to the Becker family.

STAFF – OFFICERS

Michael (Mike) Shannon

Mike has worked in the ALS community for 18 years as a development officer and national program director.  He works as a National Director with the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) and has consulted with other ALS organizations in that time.  He works daily to reach a date and time when the community can END ALS.  

Jennifer (Jen) McDonald-Peltier

Center for Accessible Technology, Berkeley, CA

Jen McDonald-Peltier has worked in the disability community since her college days as a personal care attendant. She has a single subject teaching credential in English and a Masters in Special Education. She has been working in Assistive Technology for over 25 years and is a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional. She has been working in Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) for over 20 years and recently completed a graduate certificate in AAC.

David (Dave) Lopez, Director, Event Coordinator

Founding Member Flipsyde, Soundwave

Michael (Mike) Bemesderfer

Producer/musician with Jason Becker, Technologist and Solutions Architect, Accomplished Singer and Flute player, Realtor at Keller Williams

Lauren Jonas

Founder/Artistic Director Diablo Ballet

Lauren trained at the Marin Ballet and then with Sally Streets. She performed with the Milwaukee Ballet, the Oakland Ballet, the Southwest Ballet, and toured the United States with the Moscow Ballet, directed by the Bolshoi Ballet’s Vaslav Gordeyev. Since Diablo Ballet’s premiere in 1994, Ms. Jonas has recruited dancers from around the world to present the finest in contemporary and classical ballets. A firm believer in the need to stimulate the cultural development of future generations, she co-created the Ballet’s PEEK Outreach Program in 1995. Ms. Jonas’ awards include the 2005 National Philanthropy Day honor, the 2000 Arts and Culture Commission Award of Contra Costa County, and the1998 Contra Costa County Woman of Achievement Award for the Arts. She has served as an advisor on several non-profit boards, and served on scholarship and dance festival committees. Ms. Jonas has guest taught for various schools and colleges throughout California and nationally. She is the 2014 recipient of the Contra Costa Commission for Women Contributing to the Arts, Hall of Fame award and was an honoree at the State Assembly’s Women’s History Month. In 2016, Ms. Jonas was honored at the Djerassi’s Women’s Residency Program for empowering women as leaders in the field of ballet and in 2022 she was a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley speaking on Women Leaders in the Arts.  She has coached all of Diablo Ballet’s repertoire and staged the full-length production of Coppélia in 2022. Ms. Jonas is also the Co-Founder and Director of Diablo Ballet School.

Marilyn (Mandy) White

Marilyn has been one of Jason’s care givers since 1998. She has experience as a Development Assistant for two non-profit organizations: the Institute for the Practice of Non-Violence and Veterans Peace Action Teams. She has worked many years as an Administrative Assistant with WestEd and Health and Education Communication Consultants.

Elizabeth (Liz) Chapoton

TeamGleason, Mother/Caregiver of child with rare disease

Dan Ashley

KGO News Anchor and Investigative Reporter, Musician

Dan Ashley is the long-time evening news anchor at ABC7 News. For 30 years, Dan has reported on the major issues and news events in the Bay Area, the country, and the world. In his three decades at ABC7, Dan has covered political conventions, interviewed Presidents, travelled to Auschwitz with holocaust survivors to share their stories and experiences, reported on John Glenn’s return to space from Cape Canaveral, along with so many more experiences. Dan is the winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award and the DuPont Columbia Award for excellence in journalism, as well as more than a dozen Emmy Awards. Beyond his distinguished work as a journalist, Dan is a dedicated philanthropist who created his own foundation to help children in need. He also sits on several charitable boards and is deeply proud to support Jason and his remarkable Jason Becker Creative Care project.  Says Dan, “Jason and I became instant friends when they met many years ago and I am so impressed by his determination to persevere and to help others

Monika Mann

Physical Therapist, World Rehabilitation Alliance (WHO)

Monika Mann is a physical therapist and public health consultant.  She has served on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, and the University of San Francisco. She has consulted with the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and numerous NGOs.  Monika currently as a member of WHO’s World Rehabilitation Alliance.  Her work centers around improving the lives of people with disabilities.  

Stephen Beard

Realtor and Accessibility Specialist, Productivity Coach
Keller Williams Realty

Stephen is an accessibility specialist realtor, disability advocate, podcaster, and speaker based in the San Francisco/Bay Area. His work focuses on helping people who are differently abled to buy and sell accessible housing, as well as promoting accessible housing in the community. To that end, Stephen launched a podcast about Accessible Housing called Accessible Housing Matters in 2021.

In addition to working with clients, Stephen speaks to real estate agents, disability advocates, and policymakers all over the country about accessible and fair housing issues.

In April of this year, he was a panelist on the National Association of Realtors’ NXT UP! Online discussion series episode called “Building Business and Community on a Fair Housing Foundation”. Stephen was named the 2023 Fair Housing Champion by the California Association of Realtors.

Leanne Repetto

Educator, Service Dog Trainer, Co-creator of the Creative Care Project concept, caregiver and sister of PALS Jeff Repetto (advertising professional)