Meet Our Team Now

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

karen

KAREN FESSEL

DR PH, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Karen founded the Autism Health Insurance Project after struggling to secure services for her son, who has Asperger’s.

KAREN FESSEL

Karen founded the Autism Health Insurance Project after struggling to secure services for her son, who has Asperger’s. She started AHIP to help children on the autism spectrum obtain medically necessary services by supporting families in their journey through the insurance maze. Later AHIP became MHAIP, and the journey expanded to include those with other mental health conditions. In addition to serving as the executive director of MHAIP, Karen co-moderates the ASDinsurancehelp and ASDMedi-Cal Yahoo users groups. Karen holds a doctorate in public health from UC Berkeley. Her prior work experience includes developing technology assessments and treatment guidelines for the Permanente Medical Group, and conducting research projects at the Department of Public Health and UCSF. On the public policy front, Karen co-chaired the autism subcommittee on insurance with the East Bay Autism Regional Task Force, and served as a parent advocate on the initial Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) Autism Advisory Workgroup. She is the proud parent of an 22-year-old son with Asperger's and an 18-year-old daughter.

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Lisa Valerio

LISA VALERIO

TREASURER
Lisa is a mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend – all which gives her drive, inspiration and passion in life.

LISA VALERIO

Lisa is a mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend – all which gives her drive, inspiration and passion in life. She loves to travel and spend quality time with family and friends in her down time. Her career of over 20+ years has been in the field of marketing, advertising and operations. She currently is a consultant in the areas of marketing operations, change management and systems implementation. She has in the past worked as an Insurance Advocate with Autism Health Insurance Project and now is a board member. Lisa is an active volunteer at Community Gatepath, where she runs their Autism Support Group and Technology Workshops and Wings Learning Center, where she sits on their Fundraising Committee and Strategic Council. To connect with Lisa you can reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter on @lisaDValerio.

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LAJOYCE PORTER

DIRECTOR
LaJoyce L. Porter is a sole practitioner in Walnut Creek, CA

LAJOYCE PORTER

LaJoyce L. Porter is a sole practitioner in Walnut Creek, CA. Her practice areas consists all aspects of education law, including but not limited to special education suspension, expulsions, 504 and ADA issues, bullying and private school and college litigation. She has been in private practice for 9 years. Ms. Porter has two daughters who have special needs which is what prompted her transition into education law. Prior to that, Ms. Porter worked at several Bay Area law firms where she practiced workers' compensation defense, insurance defense and civil litigation. She represented insurers, third party administrators and self-insured employers throughout the Bay Area. Many of her clients were Fortune 500 corporations. Ms. Porter graduated from University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Communications. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC. She is a member of the Black Women Lawyers of Northern California and the Charles Houston Bar Association. She travels throughout the Bay Area speaking on Education issues.

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STAFF

karen

KAREN FESSEL

DR PH, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Karen founded the Autism Health Insurance Project after struggling to secure services for her son, who has Asperger’s.

KAREN FESSEL

Karen founded the Autism Health Insurance Project after struggling to secure services for her son, who has Asperger’s. She started AHIP to help children on the autism spectrum obtain medically necessary services by supporting families in their journey through the insurance maze. Later AHIP became MHAIP, and the journey expanded to include those with other mental health conditions. In addition to serving as the executive director of MHAIP, Karen co-moderates the ASDinsurancehelp and ASDMedi-Cal Yahoo users groups. Karen holds a doctorate in public health from UC Berkeley. Her prior work experience includes developing technology assessments and treatment guidelines for the Permanente Medical Group, and conducting research projects at the Department of Public Health and UCSF. On the public policy front, Karen co-chaired the autism subcommittee on insurance with the East Bay Autism Regional Task Force, and served as a parent advocate on the initial Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) Autism Advisory Workgroup. She is the proud parent of an 22-year-old son with Asperger's and an 18-year-old daughter.

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Debra Nelson

DEBRA NELSON

APPEALS SPECIALIST
Debra Nelson has a background in policy analysis, philanthropic advising, fundraising, and advocacy for mental health and autism issues.

DEBRA NELSON

Debra Nelson has a background in policy analysis, philanthropic advising, fundraising, and advocacy for mental health and autism issues. Debra thrives in bringing people together, understanding clients’ needs, advocating for what is right and fair, and achieving a creative and satisfying outcome for all involved. Debra's professional background includes grantmaking, relationship management and social impact investing for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Jewish Community Federation and the Nonprofit Finance Fund, where she had the privilege of providing grants to hundreds of nonprofit organizations. As a volunteer, Debra has raised funds for capital campaigns, annual operations, and special projects for a variety of community organizations. Holding a B.A. from Middlebury College in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the U.C. Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, Debra is a skilled analyst, writer, and communicator. For the past 15 years, Debra has served on the boards of directors of Slide Ranch, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and the Brandeis School. A lover of contemporary ballet and a seeker of fun, interesting and new experiences and a San Francisco Bay Area native, Debra lives with her husband and two sons.

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MARCY SMITH

APPEALS SPECIALIST AND NEWSLETTER
Marcy and her family were clients of MHAIP several years ago and she has been eager to help other families in the same way ever since.

MARCY SMITH

Marcy and her family were clients of MHAIP several years ago and she has been eager to help other families in the same way ever since.

Several years ago, at the end of their appeals process for a mental health claim, Marcy and her family connected with MHAIP. Karen and her team took on the case and won a meaningful settlement. Believing that it simply should not be so incredibly hard to obtain coverage for valid claims inspired Marcy to stay close to MHAIP. Marcy holds a BA from Colgate University and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. She then went on to a 20+ year career on Wall Street in Equity Sales and Trading. Marcy and her husband have 2 college-age daughters and a son in high school. She is an avid swimmer, loves yoga and spending time outdoors.

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Allison Clark

ALLISON CLARK

M.S., PATIENT ADVOCATE
Allison lives in California where she has worked as an instructor at a small community college, teaching General Psychology and Child Psychology for 11 years.

ALLISON CLARK

Allison lives in California where she has worked as an instructor at a small community college, teaching General Psychology and Child Psychology for 11 years. She earned both her bachelor's degree (Psychology) and master's degrees (Counseling - Marriage, Family and Child Option) at California State University, Fresno (Go Bulldogs!). Allison has worked in numerous settings, including group homes for adolescents, drug treatment centers, as a social worker in Child Protective Services, and as a therapist with gang involved teenage boys and she enjoys working with adolescents and children. She has been married for 20+ years and has two children (ages 21 and 13). Allison enjoys spending time with her family/friends, cooking and volunteering within the community. Allison views one of her greatest accomplishments is being cancer free after being diagnosed eleven years ago with Stage 2 breast cancer.

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SARA DU TERROIL

Appeals Specialist
Sara Du Terroil is a mother of three, healthcare advocate, and licensed insurance consultant. She has long followed MHAIP and is delighted to join Karen’s team in working to improve access and funding for necessary care.

SARA DU TERROIL

Sara began her advocacy career as a labor law attorney in the United Kingdom where her work included appeals and grievances, discrimination cases, employment policies and procedures, and conducting trainings to help employers resolve grievances before they became litigation.

Informed by her journey as the mother of a young adult with autism and intellectual disability, Sara moved into patient advocacy to help individuals and families understand and assert their healthcare rights, especially for mental health parity. Sara is passionate about finding creative solutions and breaking down barriers in access to behavioral health and crisis care.

In advocating for her son’s complex medical, behavioral and educational needs, Sara has found great strength in the wider disability community. Based in New York, Sara is also a seasoned legislative policy advocate around disability rights, including the advancement of care systems that work for, and protect, those with complex needs.

In her free time Sara enjoys theater, tennis, yoga, and the great outdoors.

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