About Diabetes Charities of America
Diabetes Charities of America is a nonprofit national federation approved to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is a 55-year-old nationwide workplace giving campaign that reaches all U.S. federal, military and postal workers. Nearly one million generous people donate nearly one quarter billion dollars during the CFC campaign each year. Health, medical and disease-related charities are among the top beneficiaries of the CFC campaign.
Diabetes Charities of America is the CFC’s first and only federation focused exclusively on diabetes. It includes some of the nation's leading nonprofits working to prevent, treat and cure diabetes and related chronic diseases, disorders and conditions. The federation and our members seek to eradicate Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and to prevent the conditions that lead to diabetes.
We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity, and proud to be one of only 45 federations that have met and exceeded stringent federal requirements and been approved to participate in the CFC on a national and international level. We are governed by a 100% volunteer board including individuals with expertise in diabetes research and service delivery, financial and operational management, fundraising, marketing, PR and communications, and legal and regulatory compliance.
Diabetes Charities of America is a nonprofit national federation approved to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is a 55-year-old nationwide workplace giving campaign that reaches all U.S. federal, military and postal workers. Nearly one million generous people donate nearly one quarter billion dollars during the CFC campaign each year. Health, medical and disease-related charities are among the top beneficiaries of the CFC campaign.
Diabetes Charities of America is the CFC’s first and only federation focused exclusively on diabetes. It includes some of the nation's leading nonprofits working to prevent, treat and cure diabetes and related chronic diseases, disorders and conditions. The federation and our members seek to eradicate Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and to prevent the conditions that lead to diabetes.
We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity, and proud to be one of only 45 federations that have met and exceeded stringent federal requirements and been approved to participate in the CFC on a national and international level. We are governed by a 100% volunteer board including individuals with expertise in diabetes research and service delivery, financial and operational management, fundraising, marketing, PR and communications, and legal and regulatory compliance.
Officers of the Board of Directors
Board Chair
Dennis C. Russo, Ph.D., ABPP | Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Psychology, and Head of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University
Dr. Russo is Clinical Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychology at East Carolina University and the Head of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Family Medicine in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He is a co-Investigator on a 5-year grant from the US Health Resources and Services Administration to develop a Center for Integrated Care Delivery Model and also co-principal investigator for two new grants funded by HRSA and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust entitled Tele-TEAM Care: Bringing the Healthcare Team to Needy Diabetic Patients in Underserved Rural Communities.
A recipient of the Lee Salk Distinguished Service Award from the Division of Pediatric Psychology of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Russo has held a number of academic and professional appointments including Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and appointments to the faculties of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
A past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, he has been elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (in five Divisions), the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the American Academy of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the American Psychological Society, the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology, and the Massachusetts Psychological Association.
A Licensed Psychologist and Health Services Provider in North Carolina, Dr. Russo is Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has written over 70 articles, books, and chapters on behavioral medicine, the psychology of integrated care, chronic illnesses and disabilities, health and pediatric psychology, traumatic brain injury, and autism.
Board Chair
Dennis C. Russo, Ph.D., ABPP | Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Psychology, and Head of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University
Dr. Russo is Clinical Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychology at East Carolina University and the Head of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Family Medicine in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He is a co-Investigator on a 5-year grant from the US Health Resources and Services Administration to develop a Center for Integrated Care Delivery Model and also co-principal investigator for two new grants funded by HRSA and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust entitled Tele-TEAM Care: Bringing the Healthcare Team to Needy Diabetic Patients in Underserved Rural Communities.
A recipient of the Lee Salk Distinguished Service Award from the Division of Pediatric Psychology of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Russo has held a number of academic and professional appointments including Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and appointments to the faculties of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
A past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, he has been elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (in five Divisions), the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the American Academy of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the American Psychological Society, the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology, and the Massachusetts Psychological Association.
A Licensed Psychologist and Health Services Provider in North Carolina, Dr. Russo is Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has written over 70 articles, books, and chapters on behavioral medicine, the psychology of integrated care, chronic illnesses and disabilities, health and pediatric psychology, traumatic brain injury, and autism.
Board Treasurer and Vice President
Eileen Pollack, M.S. | Senior Vice President of Development, Communications/Public Relations at May Institute
Eileen Pollack provides strategic direction for May Institute’s comprehensive, integrated communications programs as Senior VP of Development, Communications and Public Relations. She also manages the organization’s development initiatives. Ms. Pollack joined the Institute in 2003 to work on national marketing efforts for the organization’s positive behavior support programming. These programs promote student achievement and social skills through training and consultation to school systems. Ms. Pollack was instrumental in the strategic planning and launch of the National Autism Center, and maintains responsibility for the Center’s communications and development efforts. She orchestrated the international dissemination of the results of its National Standards Project, and served a co-editor for the Center’s other publications, including resource manuals for parents and public school systems.
Her previous work in the nonprofit sector includes 12 years of program management and training in the HIV/AIDS field. She spent a year consulting with a project sponsored by the U.S. State Department in Africa, where she led a team that provided technical assistance to grassroots AIDS organizations in Botswana, the country with the then-highest incidence rate of HIV.
Ms. Pollack earned a master’s degree in Corporate and Political Communications from Fairfield University in Connecticut. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Publicity Club of New England, the New England Society for Healthcare Communications, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Board Secretary
Scott Brooks, Esq. | Attorney at Gregory, Moore, Jeakle and Brooks
Mr. Brooks is a Partner with Gregory, Moore, Jeakle & Brooks, PC, a law firm specializing in employment law. Mr. Brooks has been with the firm for over three decades, and has provided special consultation and legal representation across the United States. Formerly, Mr. Brooks was Associate Special Counsel to the UAW Public Review Board. His areas of expertise include employment law, breach of contract, appeals, and alternative dispute resolution.
Mr. Brooks earned a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in Michigan, and a B.A. in Political Science from Kalamazoo College in Michigan.
Organizational Leadership
Founder
Heidi Howard, MPA, CFRE
Diabetes Charities of America was founded by Heidi Howard. Ms. Howard has held multiple executive leadership positions in renowned national nonprofit organizations including the National Autism Center, the National Center on Family Homelessness, May Institute, Creative Works and the Brain Injury Project. She is adept at championing and securing substantial levels of funding for pressing public health issues and social causes through the CFC and other fundraising campaigns.
Ms. Howard has been instrumental in spearheading national expansion of services for individuals with health and medical issues, disabilities, and other special needs. She has represented and promoted impactful nonprofit organizations on a national level, and manages strategic partnerships with hospitals and healthcare systems, government leaders, nonprofit service providers, community stakeholders, families and donors.
Dedicated to advancing the field, Ms. Howard is a published author in peer-reviewed journals, and is co-editor of publications on evidence-based heath-care practices that have been distributed nationally and to over 140 countries. She helped establish the National Autism Center as the international leader in promoting evidence-based behavioral and educational treatment for children with autism, oversaw worldwide dissemination of its National Standards Report and other publications, and managed extensive national and international media coverage.
Ms. Howard and her teams have received nearly 40 prestigious awards for CFC, fundraising, advocacy and public awareness campaigns. They dramatically increased public recognition of critical public health issues by placing thousands of positive stories, articles and columns in print, radio, television, and online media outlets. Ms. Howard has conducted press conferences and live interviews, and has been quoted numerous times by the media on issues of importance to human health and welfare.
In addition to holding a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Ms. Howard is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). This is the only internationally recognized, exam-based credential for competency-based expertise in philanthropic fundraising. Fewer than 2% of fundraising professionals hold this credential.
Ms. Howard recognizes the acute need for philanthropic support for innovative diabetes prevention, effective treatment, research and eventual cure. To counter the alarming increase in the incidence of diabetes in America, Ms. Howard led the effort to establish a diabetes-specific federation within the CFC, and invites the participation of national and international charities that share the mission of treating and ending diabetes.
Founder
Heidi Howard, MPA, CFRE
Diabetes Charities of America was founded by Heidi Howard. Ms. Howard has held multiple executive leadership positions in renowned national nonprofit organizations including the National Autism Center, the National Center on Family Homelessness, May Institute, Creative Works and the Brain Injury Project. She is adept at championing and securing substantial levels of funding for pressing public health issues and social causes through the CFC and other fundraising campaigns.
Ms. Howard has been instrumental in spearheading national expansion of services for individuals with health and medical issues, disabilities, and other special needs. She has represented and promoted impactful nonprofit organizations on a national level, and manages strategic partnerships with hospitals and healthcare systems, government leaders, nonprofit service providers, community stakeholders, families and donors.
Dedicated to advancing the field, Ms. Howard is a published author in peer-reviewed journals, and is co-editor of publications on evidence-based heath-care practices that have been distributed nationally and to over 140 countries. She helped establish the National Autism Center as the international leader in promoting evidence-based behavioral and educational treatment for children with autism, oversaw worldwide dissemination of its National Standards Report and other publications, and managed extensive national and international media coverage.
Ms. Howard and her teams have received nearly 40 prestigious awards for CFC, fundraising, advocacy and public awareness campaigns. They dramatically increased public recognition of critical public health issues by placing thousands of positive stories, articles and columns in print, radio, television, and online media outlets. Ms. Howard has conducted press conferences and live interviews, and has been quoted numerous times by the media on issues of importance to human health and welfare.
In addition to holding a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Ms. Howard is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). This is the only internationally recognized, exam-based credential for competency-based expertise in philanthropic fundraising. Fewer than 2% of fundraising professionals hold this credential.
Ms. Howard recognizes the acute need for philanthropic support for innovative diabetes prevention, effective treatment, research and eventual cure. To counter the alarming increase in the incidence of diabetes in America, Ms. Howard led the effort to establish a diabetes-specific federation within the CFC, and invites the participation of national and international charities that share the mission of treating and ending diabetes.
