Our Board

Allison Walsh
JD
Chair
Bennett Chin
Vice Chair
Leah Wypych
MPA
Secretary
Artie Fox
Treasurer
Gillian Bush
PsyD
Member
Bo Commander
Member
Margherita Mascolo
MD, CEDS-C
Member
Lorraine Mari
PhD
Member
Cherie Monarch
Member
Abhilash Patel
Member
Achea Redd
Member
Karina Swette Morgan
Member
Shalini Wickramatilake
DrPH, MHS
Member
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Allison Walsh, JD, (She/Her) is a seasoned executive, philanthropist, speaker, professional coach, and consultant, and Miss Florida 2006. A two-time CEO for national coaching firms and certified positive psychology coach, Allison has over 15 years of organizational leadership, mentorship, and coaching experience, and has shared her story with over 100,000 live audience members. In addition to managing national business development teams since 2013, she’s been instrumental in the development of the mental wellness app, Nobu. As host of the She Believed She Could and Dear Mind, You Matter podcasts, and the creator of impactful coaching programs, Allison focuses on helping women develop confidence and leverage their personal brands personally and professionally to scale their businesses, careers, and influence while making an impact.

Named in the Orlando Business Journal’s 2021 Top 40 Under 40 and Women Who Mean Business, Allison is a proud member of Forbes Business Development Council, Entrepreneur’s Leadership Network, and Orlando Business Journal’s Leadership Trust. Allison raised more than $2 million for eating disorder education and treatment through her 501(c)(3)
nonprofit Helping Other People Eat (H.O.P.E.), and her philanthropic efforts have been featured in international news. She served as a Board Member for NEDA and currently serves on the boards of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, Forevers Foundation, and Project Opioid.

Bennett Chin (He/Him) was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. Prior to leaving Canada, he was active in his community – this included volunteering as a crisis line caller with the Calgary Distress Centre and joining as a temporary director and treasurer of a local, Toronto renewable energy cooperative.

Professionally, Bennett brings with him over a decade of commercial and development experience, managing projects and relationships for some of Canada’s largest renewable energy companies and driving the corporate development and strategy for local leaders in carbon policy advisory and carbon credit development.

Bennett currently works with the Bank of Montreal, focused on integrating and expanding the carbon and sustainability capabilities of the firm. With The Alliance, he is committed to scaling the reach of our support services and dedicated to promoting the awareness of eating disorders.

Leah Wypych (she/her) is a Florida native with more than 20 years of experience in human services, behavioral health, and nonprofit leadership. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

Leah began her career in child welfare in 2001, supporting children and families across foster care, adoption, shelter services, and residential treatment settings. Her professional background includes work with several mission-driven organizations, including Children’s Home Society of Florida, the Area Agency on Aging, and Child and Family Connections, where she developed a strong foundation in systems-level advocacy, community partnerships, and service delivery.

She later transitioned into behavioral health and psychiatric services, where she combined strategic relationship-building with program growth and outreach. In 2015, Leah focused her career on eating disorder treatment and advocacy, aligning her professional expertise with a deep commitment to improving access to specialized, ethical care.

Leah currently serves as the National Clinical Partnerships Manager for the eating disorders program at Koru Spring, where she develops national referral relationships across all levels of care. Her work centers on strengthening clinical partnerships, supporting continuity of care, and expanding access to high-quality eating disorder treatment nationwide. Leah is an active board member of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders and has participated in advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., advancing legislative initiatives and industry-wide awareness.

Artie Fox (He/Him) is a CPA with over forty years’ experience, servicing many wealthy individuals, small business, estates and trusts, as well as tax exempt foundations, through his business, Arthur Fox, CPA. He is a member of the AICPA and NYSCPA. Artie is married to Ellen and has two children, Justin and Brittany. Ellen is a Children’s Librarian. Justin is a CPA and attorney and works with him at Arthur Fox, CPA. Brittany, after suffering from an eating disorder for the past ten years, is on the road to recovery and hopes to become speech therapist and is enrolled in graduate school.

Artie has been extensively involved in dealing with his daughter’s treatment and has a very good understanding of Eating Disorders. Artie and Ellen have two homes, one in New York and one in Florida, where they divide their time. Artie is thrilled to be involved and a part of The Alliance.

Dr. Gillian Bush (She/Her) is a licensed Florida Psychologist and has a private practice in Palm Beach Gardens. Dr. Bush treats individuals, couples and families and specializes in work with anxiety and eating disorders.

Dr. Bush received her bachelor’s degree from Boston College, a master’s degree from Teacher’s College, Columbia University and her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral residency at The Renfrew Center of Coconut Creek, a residential treatment facility for adult and adolescent women diagnosed with eating disorders.

Dr. Bush has been actively involved with The Alliance for years, co-leading one of their weekly gender inclusive support groups and volunteering at many of their events. Dr. Bush is passionate about community outreach and education, helping to increase education about eating disorders and mental health issues as well as demystifying the treatment process.

Bo Commander is a licensed CPA who currently works for FTI Consulting. After starting his career at Deloitte & Touche, Bo has nearly 20 years of financial due diligence and audit experience, primarily focusing on clients in the healthcare industry. Prior to his professional experience, Bo received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Florida.

Bo was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is currently located in North Palm Beach, Florida, where he lives with his wife, Lisa, and their three daughters. Eating disorders have had a significant impact on his family and he is passionate about helping others receive the care and support they need.

Dr. Margherita Mascolo (She/Her) is an internationally recognized leader in the medical treatment of eating disorders. With a career spanning fifteen years, her work has ranged from providing hands-on care at the bedside of the most critically ill, hospitalized patients suffering from complications of starvation to consulting for patients at virtual levels of care. She is known for her compassionate and comprehensive care. Professionally, she has led multiple multidisciplinary teams and advanced to being chief medical officer of a multi-state eating disorder treatment company where she created and led the medical treatment arm and medical operations.
After completing her undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, Margherita earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. Her residency was completed in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. Margherita is board certified in Internal Medicine, has published multiple peer reviewed articles on the medical complications of eating disorders, travels nationally and internationally to speak on these complications, and has earned her certified eating disorder specialist certification.

Dr. Lorraine Mari (She/Her) is a licensed Psychologist in New York State and Florida. She is a full time Florida resident residing in Palm Beach Gardens.

Dr. Mari focused her professional career of over 30 years in schools on Long Island. She was the chief psychologist in the Kings Park School District, where she was responsible for psychological services at the preschool, elementary and secondary levels. In-service training of professional staff, parent education groups, and chairing committees for providing special educational services to school age and pre-school age children were among her responsibilities. She also maintained a private clinical practice working with children, adults and families.

Dr. Mari received her doctoral degree from Hofstra University. She has two sons, Andrew Schles and Jeffrey Schles.

Dr. Mari has been volunteering with The Alliance since December of 2010, co-leading weekly support groups, assisting with educational presentations, grant writing and fund raising.

Cherie Monarch (She/Her) graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida. Cherie has been married for 31 years with two daughters. She has chaired/hosted many silent auctions and fundraising events, including five eating disorder walks and a national eating disorder awareness campaign. Cherie sits on the board for the National Alliance for Eating Disorders (formerly The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness) and is the Chair of the Alliance’s Family Action Committee for Eating Disorders: Instilling Truths (FACEIT). She is very active in the eating disorder community and has been involved in many national advocacy events (most recently overseeing the delivery of more than 1,000 medical education packets to healthcare providers across the U.S. and Canada). Cherie was recently awarded the National Mom Making a Difference Award for 2017 for her work with eating disorders. She works diligently to support families on this journey with their loved ones.

Abhilash Patel (He/Him) is currently the Co-Founder of Within Health, a remote provider of eating disorder treatment at IOP and PHP levels of care. He is also an entrepreneur/investor with multiple exits: his digital marketing companies Recovery Brands and Ranklab helped millions to find addiction treatment nationwide; the companies were acquired in 2015 by a public healthcare company. Abhilash then launched Thermal, a venture studio with investments including Byte, Figs, Elemy, Lyft, Bridg, and more. He received his MBA from UCLA Anderson School and his BA from Columbia University. He lives in Los Angeles with his amazing wife Kelly and three boys.

Achea Redd (She/Her) makes mental health awareness her mission—because for her, it’s personal. In early 2016, Achea, daughter of a pastor and wife to NBA legend Michael Redd, was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Terrified and ashamed, the mother of two hid her condition from the world, but she quickly realized it was only getting worse. Her GAD, combined with her history of depression and past eating disorder, affected her both mentally and physically, culminating in a full-blown nervous breakdown. It wasn’t until she acknowledged the situation with her loved ones and sought treatment from her therapist and doctor that things finally started to get better. As a form of self-expression and healing, Achea created her own blog, sharing her feelings about mental health and authenticity. The support she received from the community compelled her to create Real Girls F.A.R.T., a space to empower and equip women with the necessary tools to use their voices and become their best, most authentic selves.

In 2022, Achea was excited to start a new chapter helping others as the new Dean of Student Life, Diversity, and Social Justice at Ohio Dominican University. Achea uses her own life experience and mental health disorder to help women find their voice and let it out. The Precipice of Mental Health: Becoming Your Own Safe Space is Redd’s third book. Redd is also the author of Be Free. Be You. and Authentic You: A Girl’s Guide to Growing Up Fearless and True.  Achea is currently working on her fourth book.

Karina Morgan is a Partner in McKinsey’s Operations Practice, specializing in Product Development and Procurement. She is a recognized speaker on Women in Procurement and serves as the Social Impact Lead for McKinsey’s Miami office. Karina brings deep expertise in strategic sourcing, operational cost reduction, and due diligence, working with a diverse range of global clients in industries such as industrials, energy, retail, and transportation, with a focus on private equity. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with concentrations in Management and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Shalini Wickramatilake, DrPH, MHS is the Director of Health and Human Services at the National Association of Counties. She previously served in the Biden-Harris Administration as a Senior Advisor at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and as Associate Director for Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Throughout her career, she has worked to advance mental health and substance use policy and strengthen systems of care at the federal, state, and local levels.

As a public health leader and researcher, Dr. Wickramatilake has focused on mental health, substance use, and maternal health policy. She previously served as Policy Director at the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and as Associate Director of Federal Affairs at the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Agency Directors. She earned her Doctor of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where her dissertation research examined how state governments are addressing eating disorders, with a particular focus on prevention, treatment access, and systems coordination.

Her commitment to eating disorder advocacy is both professional and personal. Through her policy leadership, research, and lived experience in recovery, Dr. Wickramatilake is passionate about ensuring that individuals affected by eating disorders have access to timely, evidence-based care and support. She is honored to contribute to the National Alliance for Eating Disorders’ mission of raising awareness, reducing stigma, and improving access to treatment and recovery resources for all.