Blog: September 2006
ALISON SINGER, AUTISM SPEAKS
SUCCESSFUL TELEVISION PRODUCER REINVENTS CAREER TO TACKLE AUTISM
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Before she became a mother, Alison Singer was quickly racing up the corporate ladder. After carving a successful path in the television industry, Alison was at the top of her game as a vice president of business news programming in NBC's cable and business development division. But when her daughter Jodie was born, her life took a dramatic turn.
After giving birth to what seemed like a healthy baby, Alison soon learned that Jodie suffered from autism, a disorder that impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others.
Without any instructions on how she and her family would be able to combat or cure this disorder, Alison and her husband were sent home to care for their daughter without knowing where to turn or what to do. "You don't know fear until they tell you your child is autistic and then they say goodbye and good luck," Alison recalls.
After investigating their options, Alison discovered that Jodie's treatment would take at least 40 hours a week and so she decided to ask her employer if there were any way for her to take on a reduced work schedule. Unfortunately, at the time, she was told that the job of a vice president is not a part time position. And so, she had to quit.
Alison took some time off to care for Jodie and also gave birth to her second child, Lauren, a healthy baby girl. When Lauren was four, Alison began freelancing as a producer for CNBC. As she continued to hone her knowledge and expertise with issues relating to autism, Alison produced a series on the disorder which opened the door to a new opportunity.
Following the CNBC broadcast of the award-winning series, "Autism: Paying the Price", Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBC Universal, tapped Alison to become Acting CEO of Autism Speaks, a foundation that he was creating along with his wife Suzanne, after being touched by the disorder on a personal level. The Wright's grandson was diagnosed with autism at an early age and as a result, he and his family have become determined to raise awareness, funds and find a cure for this disorder that affects nearly 1 in 166 individuals, making autism more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.
Autism Speaks opened its doors in February 2005 and in less than two years, has made unbelievable strides in the fight to raise awareness while helping families battling the disorder. Alison says one of the biggest awareness breakthroughs for their organization took place when NBC's "The Apprentice" selected Autism Speaks to be part of Season Four's final episode where Alison made her primetime television debut on "The Apprentice" on behalf of Autism Speaks.
Since its founding, the foundation has raised more than 50 million dollars in support of the cause. These donations, Alison says, have even come in as quarters and dollar bills - from individuals across the country who are committed to finding a cure for autism. Autism Speaks now spearheads over 50 walks nationwide, including a walk in Westchester that Alison was proud to be chair for the last two years. "I felt so strengthened to be in a crowd of 7500 people whose lives have been touched by autism and who were there to stand up and make a difference," she says. The Westchester Fairfield Walk for Autism Research was also attended by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who addressed the crowd and promised to do all she could to support families struggling with autism.
Autism Speaks is also poised to receive major exposure after being selected this year by the Ad Council for a three year multi-million dollar ad campaign designed to build awareness of the fact that autism is more common than most people think. In the coming months, Autism Speaks will also be hosting several fundraisers including a star-studded event in Las Vegas on October 20, with performances by Jay Leno and Natalie Cole.
While Alison was initially brought on board temporarily to launch Autism Speaks, she decided to remain at the foundation after a full-time CEO was hired. She continues to be a driving force at the foundation as Senior Vice President, where she oversees communication strategy and legislative initiatives. On the homefront, daughter Jodie is a 9-year-old fourth grader who continues to make tremendous strides in her battle against autism. Alison's younger daughter Lauren, is a bright seven-year-old who is an energetic second grader and an avid dancer and gymnast. Alison continues to work a flexible schedule in order to accommodate the needs of both of her children and when asked if she'd ever consider eventually moving back into the corporate world, she says her answer is simple. "I am planning to stay at Autism Speaks until the day we find a cure."
For more information about Autism Speaks, Click Here.
After giving birth to what seemed like a healthy baby, Alison soon learned that Jodie suffered from autism, a disorder that impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others.
Without any instructions on how she and her family would be able to combat or cure this disorder, Alison and her husband were sent home to care for their daughter without knowing where to turn or what to do. "You don't know fear until they tell you your child is autistic and then they say goodbye and good luck," Alison recalls.
After investigating their options, Alison discovered that Jodie's treatment would take at least 40 hours a week and so she decided to ask her employer if there were any way for her to take on a reduced work schedule. Unfortunately, at the time, she was told that the job of a vice president is not a part time position. And so, she had to quit.
Alison took some time off to care for Jodie and also gave birth to her second child, Lauren, a healthy baby girl. When Lauren was four, Alison began freelancing as a producer for CNBC. As she continued to hone her knowledge and expertise with issues relating to autism, Alison produced a series on the disorder which opened the door to a new opportunity.
Following the CNBC broadcast of the award-winning series, "Autism: Paying the Price", Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBC Universal, tapped Alison to become Acting CEO of Autism Speaks, a foundation that he was creating along with his wife Suzanne, after being touched by the disorder on a personal level. The Wright's grandson was diagnosed with autism at an early age and as a result, he and his family have become determined to raise awareness, funds and find a cure for this disorder that affects nearly 1 in 166 individuals, making autism more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.
Autism Speaks opened its doors in February 2005 and in less than two years, has made unbelievable strides in the fight to raise awareness while helping families battling the disorder. Alison says one of the biggest awareness breakthroughs for their organization took place when NBC's "The Apprentice" selected Autism Speaks to be part of Season Four's final episode where Alison made her primetime television debut on "The Apprentice" on behalf of Autism Speaks.
Since its founding, the foundation has raised more than 50 million dollars in support of the cause. These donations, Alison says, have even come in as quarters and dollar bills - from individuals across the country who are committed to finding a cure for autism. Autism Speaks now spearheads over 50 walks nationwide, including a walk in Westchester that Alison was proud to be chair for the last two years. "I felt so strengthened to be in a crowd of 7500 people whose lives have been touched by autism and who were there to stand up and make a difference," she says. The Westchester Fairfield Walk for Autism Research was also attended by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who addressed the crowd and promised to do all she could to support families struggling with autism.
Autism Speaks is also poised to receive major exposure after being selected this year by the Ad Council for a three year multi-million dollar ad campaign designed to build awareness of the fact that autism is more common than most people think. In the coming months, Autism Speaks will also be hosting several fundraisers including a star-studded event in Las Vegas on October 20, with performances by Jay Leno and Natalie Cole.
While Alison was initially brought on board temporarily to launch Autism Speaks, she decided to remain at the foundation after a full-time CEO was hired. She continues to be a driving force at the foundation as Senior Vice President, where she oversees communication strategy and legislative initiatives. On the homefront, daughter Jodie is a 9-year-old fourth grader who continues to make tremendous strides in her battle against autism. Alison's younger daughter Lauren, is a bright seven-year-old who is an energetic second grader and an avid dancer and gymnast. Alison continues to work a flexible schedule in order to accommodate the needs of both of her children and when asked if she'd ever consider eventually moving back into the corporate world, she says her answer is simple. "I am planning to stay at Autism Speaks until the day we find a cure."
For more information about Autism Speaks, Click Here.
Posted in: Blog, Moms of Reinvention on 09/29/2006
MELANIE LYNNE HAUSER
MOM NOVELIST HITS SUPER STARDOM!Meet Melanie Lynne Hauser, a Chicago mom of two teenage boys who has transformed her stay at home life into the stuff that fairy tales are made of. Melanie never expected that she'd become a writer by trade since she spent most of her days shuttling her boys two and from soccer practice, school, playdates and appointments with the family orthodontist. Melanie dutifully played the part of doting mom, volunteering for dozens of committees and even had a stint as PTA President until the stress of the job landed her in a hospital emergency room.
While the PTA fiasco may have been Melanie's first sign that she may want to devote her time to something less taxing, the true writing on the wall came straight out of the mouth of her young son. When asked what his mommy did for a living, Melanie's wise cracking little boy replied, "My mom cleans houses." Melanie says, that with that fateful comment, "Perhaps it was time to look around for something else to do." And so, with her family as her comedic inspiration, Melanie embarked on a career as an author.
But the road to stardom is definitely not paved with gold nuggets or dollar bills for that matter. Melanie took a stab at writing her first novel and says it "stunk so bad that no agent wanted to represent me." So, she says, she buried it in the backyard and worked on her next book. That novel, actually got some interest from agents and she even secured one who attempted to sell it. While the book almost made it past the discerning noses of the marketing executives at a few publishing houses, it unfortunately never made it into print.
At this point in time, while she was no longer considered the family's "cleaning lady," Melanie says her son decided to wax poetic about her current career trajectory:
My mom's name is Melanie,
She writes lots of books
But can't sell any!
She writes lots of books
But can't sell any!
Humiliated and devastated, Melanie realized that her son's latest commentary was a step up from her previous line of work. Determined to finally break into the world of publishing, Melanie perservered and realized that maybe she needed to shake things up a bit. While writing her third novel about the life of a stay at home mom, Melanie devised an interesting plot twist. When the mom gets engrossed in trying to solve a major stain problem in the house, she inhales some noxious fumes that wind up giving her miraculous super powers! Bingo! A book that would set her apart from the rest and give hope to those moms toiling away with Swiffers and Magic Erasers!
With the help of her two sons, who are both superhero and comic book afficionados, Melanie got to work and hit a home run. After switching agents a few more times, Melanie pitched her book to Laura Langlie, an ambitious, determined and supportive agent who not only took her on as a client but became one of her biggest cheerleaders. Melanie's third novel, CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM and a sequel, SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD were bought by Penguin books. CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM, has just become available in soft cover and SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD will be released in hard cover in March 2007.
In the meantime, Melanie has also become a popular force on the worldwide web. Her blog, The Refrigerator Door, shares her musings on life as a mom and author and has enabled her to reach out to many women across the country who can relate and laugh out loud from her daily postings. Melanie has also begun contributing to Role Mommy with a brand new column called Confessions of (a not so) Supermom. To take a peek at her first essay, Click Here.
Even if you have to bury a few bad books in the backyard until you get it right, Melanie says the key to reinvention is to never give up. As she gets ready to embark on her latest book tour, this inspiring author and writer concludes, "The happiest moms I know are the ones who are doing what they love."
With the help of her two sons, who are both superhero and comic book afficionados, Melanie got to work and hit a home run. After switching agents a few more times, Melanie pitched her book to Laura Langlie, an ambitious, determined and supportive agent who not only took her on as a client but became one of her biggest cheerleaders. Melanie's third novel, CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM and a sequel, SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD were bought by Penguin books. CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM, has just become available in soft cover and SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD will be released in hard cover in March 2007.
In the meantime, Melanie has also become a popular force on the worldwide web. Her blog, The Refrigerator Door, shares her musings on life as a mom and author and has enabled her to reach out to many women across the country who can relate and laugh out loud from her daily postings. Melanie has also begun contributing to Role Mommy with a brand new column called Confessions of (a not so) Supermom. To take a peek at her first essay, Click Here.
Even if you have to bury a few bad books in the backyard until you get it right, Melanie says the key to reinvention is to never give up. As she gets ready to embark on her latest book tour, this inspiring author and writer concludes, "The happiest moms I know are the ones who are doing what they love."
To watch Melanie in action, reading an excerpt from Confessions of Supermom, CLICK HERE
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Posted in: Blog, Moms of Reinvention on 09/29/2006
PICKING A WINNER
My son is hosting a four-year-old playmate at our house and I'm about to hand him a snack when I notice that his index finger is lodged way up his nostril. "Find anything good up there?" I ask, thinking he'll decide it's time to find a tissue. "Not yet," he answers. "I'm digging for my brain."
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Posted in: Blog, Kiddy Commentary on 09/29/2006
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