HHS National Autism Coordinator (NAC)

The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act of 2014 requires that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) designate a National Autism Coordinator (NAC).

"The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall designate an existing official within the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense and Education, national autism spectrum disorder research, services, and support activities. (b) The official designated under subsection (a) shall—(1) implement autism spectrum disorder activities, taking into account the strategic plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and (2) ensure that autism spectrum disorder activities of the Department of Health and Human Services and of other Federal departments and agencies are not unnecessarily duplicative."

In May 2023, Dr. Susan Daniels was appointed as the National Autism Coordinator (NAC).

Federal Interagency Workgroup on Autism (FIWA)

First convened to address requirements of the Autism CARES Act of 2014, the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Autism (FIWA) is composed of representatives of departments and agencies across the U.S. Government, who voluntarily meet to coordinate research, services, and support activities related to autism. The National Autism Coordinator serves as the Chair of the FIWA. The Autism CARES Act of 2014 also requires that this coordination of activities take into account the Strategic Plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The NAC and the FIWA continue to serve to facilitate exchange of information across federal agencies, provide coordination for cross-departmental projects and requests, and contribute to the development of reports to Congress required under the Autism CARES Act and other cross-agency reports.

FIWA Roster and Member Agencies

Chair

• Susan Daniels, Ph.D., National Autism Coordinator, HHS
  Director, Office of National Autism Coordination; National Institute of Mental Health/ NIH/ HHS

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  
  • Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

    Allyson Dean
    Inclusion and Disabilities Services Specialist, Office of Head Start

  • Administration for Community Living (ACL)

    Amanda Reichard
    Project Officer, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research

    Jennifer Johnson
    Deputy Commissioner, Administration on Disabilities

    Hugh Berry
    Project Officer, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research

  • Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR)

    Maxine Kellman
    Senior Public Health Analyst, National Advisory Committees Branch, Policy Division, Office of Strategy, Policy and Requirements

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

    Kamila Mistry
    Health Scientist Administrator, Associate Director, Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations; Senior Advisor, Value Based Care Transformation, Child Health and Quality Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

  • Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)

    Kristina West
    Policy Analyst, Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy

    Emma Plourde
    Public Health Policy Analyst, Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

    Stuart Shapira
    Chief Medical Officer, Associate Director for Science, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

    Catherine Rice
    Branch Chief, Disability and Health Promotion Branch, (DHPB), Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

    Matthew Maenner
    Branch Chief, Child Development and Disability Branch, Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

    Melissa Harris
    Deputy Director, Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services

    Jodie Sumeracki
    Senior Policy Advisor, Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

    Sherman Gillums, Jr.
    Director, Office of Disability Integration and Coordination

  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

    Tiffany Farchione
    Director, Division of Psychiatry, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

    Martine Solages
    Medical Officer, Division of Psychiatry, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

    Lauren Raskin Ramos
    Director, Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development, Maternal and Child Health Bureau

    Hae Young Park
    Deputy Director, Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development, Maternal and Child Health Bureau

  • Indian Health Service (IHS)

    Barbara Roland
    Supervisory Healthcare Administrator (Mental Health Chief), Division of Behavioral Health, Office of Clinical and Preventative Services

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

    Susan Daniels
    Director, Office of National Autism Coordination, National Institute of Mental Health

    Frank Avenilla
    Health Science Policy Analyst, Division of Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health

    Lisa Gilotty
    Program Chief, Research Program on Autism Spectrum Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health

    Rhonda Moore
    Program Officer, Center for Global Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health

    Alice Kau
    Program Director, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Branch (IDDB), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

    Mary Rooney
    Associate Director of Prevention, National Institute of Mental Health

    Michael Freed
    Chief, Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology Branch, Division of Services and Intervention Research, National Institute of Mental Health

    Anna Mikulak
    NIMH Press Team, Science Writing, Press, and Dissemination Branch, Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communications, National Institute of Mental Health

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

    Mitchell Berger
    Public Health Advisor, Center for Mental Health Services

• U.S. Department of Education (ED)

  Christy Kavulic
  Associate Division Director, Office of Special Education Programs

  Emily Weaver
  Program Officer, National Center for Special Education Research

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  Alyson (Aly) Lorenz
  Health Scientist, Office of Children’s Health Protection

• U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

  Krystyna Bienia
  Senior Policy Analyst, Defense Health Agency

  Nicole Williams
  Program Manager, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)

• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

  Jennifer Masoodi
  Program Analyst, Special Litigation/Disability Rights Section Civil Rights Division

  Kristie Brackens
  Program Analyst (Senior Policy Advisor), Bureau of Justice Assistance

  Joe Heaps
  Senior Physical Scientist, National Institute of Justice

  Brooke Mount
  Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance

  Cornelia Sigworth
  Supervisory Program Manager (Associate Deputy Director), Bureau of Justice Assistance

• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

  Scott Michael Robertson
  Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Disability Employment Policy

  Jennifer Thomas
  Policy Advisor, Office of Disability Employment Policy

  Kirk Lew
  Supervisor, Youth Team, Office of Disability Employment Policy

• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

  Danielle Nelson
  Senior Program Analyst, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Rural and Targeted Programs

• Social Security Administration (SSA)

  Joyanne Cobb
  Deputy Director, Office of Program Development (OPD), Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment Support (ORDES), Office of Retirement and Disability Policy (ORDP)

  Alison Marvin
  Statistician/Health Sciences Researcher, Division of the Analytics Center of Excellence

  Heather Gomez-Bendaña
  Social Science Research Analyst, Office of Research and Demonstration, and Employment Support

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

  Leah Lozier
  Social Science Analyst, Policy Development Division, Office of Policy Development and Research

  Teresa Souza
  Social Science Analyst

  Thyria Alvarez
  Social Science Analyst

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

  Scott Patterson
  Clinical Psychologist, Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Office of National Autism Coordination

The Office of National Autism Coordination (ONAC) provides support for the National Autism Coordinator and the FIWA.

• Oni Celestin
  Health Science Policy Analyst

  Katrina Ferrara
  Health Science Policy Analyst

  Luis Valdez-Lopez
  Health Science Policy Analyst

  Steven Isaacson
  Policy Analyst

  Tianlu Ma
  Health Science Policy Analyst

  Angelice Mitrakas
  Management Analyst

  Jeffrey Wiegand
  Web Development and Digital Outreach Manager

  Rebecca Martin
  Public Health Analyst

  Ana Cappuccio
  Operations Coordinator

About the IACC | About ONAC