Leadership

Aevidum is advised by the Aevidum Board of Directors and the Aevidum Youth Advisory Council, which is made up of
middle school, high school, and college Aevidum ambassadors representing 15 different Aevidum clubs. Aevidum is run by
staff and volunteers who strive to support and energize the important and authentic work being done by students and
advisors in Aevidum schools. Aevidum students and advisors across the nation pour their hearts into Aevidum’s mission
and truly make Aevidum the genuine, transformative, nurturing organization it is.

Brian Heisey, President

Brian earned his BS in Biology Education from Millersville University has been teaching in the Central York School District since 2003. His passion for technology then sparked his interest in earning his Master’s degree in Classroom Technology from Wilkes University in 2008. Brian became interested in Aevidum when some of his fellow colleagues approached him about the idea in 2017. He then, with the assistance of his fellow educators, started the Aevidum program at Central York Middle School, where he is an active co-advisor. Brian resides in York with his wife Sarah, and children, Noah and Violet.

Barbara Boland, Secretary

Barbara has over 30 years experience in the mental health field working with children and adolescents.  She received her BA in Biology from Gettysburg College, an MSW from Rutgers University, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  Barbara currently works as the Coordinator of Student Assistance Services at the Conrad Weiser Area School District in Berks County, overseeing mental health, homeless, foster care and substance abuse services for the district.  In her previous employment, she worked with children and adolescents in the field of oncology, traumatic brain injury, autism and developmental disabilities. Barbara is co-advisor of the Aevidum Club in the Conrad Weiser Area High School. Barbara has been an active volunteer for Cystic Fibrosis and Safe Berks (formerly Women in Crisis).

Mary Beth Cardin, Treasurer

Mary Beth Cardin has an undergraduate degree in Commercial Recreation from Penn State University and a graduate degree in Education from Temple University with an emphasis on campus activities and student services. Mary Beth has worked many years in the community services sector, with the most recent as Director of Recreation for Marple Newtown Leisure Services Commission. In addition, Mary Beth was the Varsity Head Girl’s Lacrosse Coach at Cocalico High School for 15 years and was a volunteer coach for Cocalico Youth Soccer Association, Mother of Divine Providence CYO Basketball Association, and the Cocalico Middle School Lacrosse program. Over the past 25 years, she has served various terms as a board member for the Adamstown Recreation Commission, Adamstown PTA, Adamstown Swim Team Parent Association, and Aevidum. Mary Beth and her husband Scott are the parents to two children, Philip (lost to suicide in 2003) and Maggie who is currently a public school teacher in Lancaster County, PA and very active in the Aevidum organization.

Lisa Fulton

Lisa Fulton has been a school counselor for 20 years and currently serves as a school counselor for grades 8 -9 at the Eastern Lebanon County School District.  She has been the advisor of an active Aevidum Program at ELCO Middle School since 2013.  She presented at the American School Counselors Conference in 2016 on the Aevidum Program and through an ASCA Webinar in 2017.  She has held leadership positions within the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association, including as a Governing Board Region Representative and as President.  She has been awarded the PSCA Middle School Counselor of the Year in 2009 and the RAMP Award for ELCO Middle School in 2016.

Alexandra Lambert

Alexandra Lambert graduated from Penn State University in 2014 with a degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management and began working in Atlanta, GA for a fast paced, high-intensity restaurant company. After four years, she returned to PA to be closer to her friends and family. Alex has been a long time supporter and volunteer for many Aevidum events and close friend to the Cardins throughout the years. She has seen the pain and destruction that mental illness can cause to not only the individual struggling, but also to the families affected by this disease. Alex wants to use her positivity and energy to help spread the message of Aevidum and teach people the importance of mental health.

Lori Lorah-Sauder

Lori was introduced to Aevidum by her daughter, Alex, and her high school friend, Maggie Cardin. In awe of Maggie and her family’s courageous efforts to turn tragedy into a movement, Lori is honored to be a part of Aevidum. Lori has a business degree from Shippensburg University and has spent most of her career in customer service and national account management. Retired from the corporate world, she is a project coordinator/office manager for a local builder and spends time helping her family and volunteering for various organizations. Lori believes peer support and awareness are key to stopping the tide of depression and suicide in youth.

Sheri McVaugh

Sheri McVaugh was first exposed to the mental healthcare world 21 years ago when her son, Matthew, was hospitalized with depression at age 12. Matthew’s battle with depression ended in 2014 at the age of 26. Since that time, Sheri and her family have been working behind the scenes advocating for individuals and families whose lives have been affected by suicide. In addition, they continue to participate in suicide education and prevention events. Sheri is a graduate of Goldey Beacom College and has managed a dental practice for over 25 years. In 2016, she started a local chapter of a national dental office management organization and serves as chapter president. She and her husband value most time spent with their daughters, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, grandchildren, and extended family.

Hannah Metzger

Hannah Metzger is a two-time suicide loss survivor, a person who struggles with mental health, and a mental health advocate. She graduated from West Chester University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and began exploring what she could do to further the advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Since then, she has worked closely with Aevidum, to support the program in any manner that she is able. Currently, Hannah is working as a Montessori preschool teacher. She is also a certified QPR Instructor and a 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher. Hannah is very excited help expand Aevidum as far as possible!

Shanna Muscavage

Shanna Muscavage became Aevidum’s Director of Outreach in 2016, focusing on club communication and community events. She has previously volunteered with Aevidum as co-chair of the ColorBlast 5K as Aevidum partnered with TeenHope to celebrate local clubs and promote mental health awareness throughout the community. She has followed Aevidum’s success from the very beginning. As a coach at the youth and high school level, she has seen first hand the positive impact Aevidum’s clubs have in the community and believes wholeheartedly in its mission and the environment Aevidum strives to develop in schools throughout the nation.

Jim Presto

Jim has been a sales leader in the electrical distribution industry for over 35 years. He is currently employed by Rumsey Electric. Jim lost his son, Josh, at 19 years old to suicide in 2014. Since then, he has focused his advocacy efforts on Aevidum. He is also the co-chair of the Eastern Pa Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Jim has brought the Talk to schools in Northampton, Lehigh, Carbon, Monroe, Pike counties. He is also a member of the suicide prevention task forces for Northampton, Lehigh, Monroe, Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Jim’s son, Josh, was one of those people that suffered from depression in silence. Since that time, Jim has learned so much about mental health and suicide prevention and the pain it causes. Jim is on a journey to save lives all in his Josh’s memory.

Alex Puskar

Alex is an associate at Barley Snyder. He earned his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He practices in estate planning and estate administration. His practice also includes assisting clients on general corporate matters such as entity formation and corporate filings, as well as assisting nonprofit organizations in their formation, filing for tax exempt status and general governance issues. Alex also has represented clients in various Orphans’ Court matters, including guardianships, wills contests and issues regarding fiduciaries.

Kathy Spease

Kathy earned her Bachelors degree in Psychology from The University of Texas and worked in community mental health for over 20 years providing case management and therapeutic services to children and families.  She then earned her Master’s degree in Psychology with a Certification in School Psychology from Millersville University in 2011. Kathy first became connected with Aevidum while completing her school psychology internship at Cocalico in 2010. Aevidum and its mission have personal meaning to Kathy and her family, having a son who battles with depression, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. Her husband Michael and their two children, Jake & Alex, have been active members of Aevidum. Currently, she is a School Psychologist at Manheim Township Middle School.  She has been a co-advisor of the middle school Aevidum club since it’s inception in 2014.

Dr. Ryan Axe

Dr. Axe graduated from Shippensburg University with a BS in English Education. He then went on to earn an Administrative Certification from Alvernia University and a Masters from Walden University. He completed his Doctorate from Immaculata University. He has been in the education field for 22 years.

Mike Resh

Mike Resh is an elementary school counselor at the Landisville Primary Center in the Hempfield School District. He has been school counselor at LPC for the since 2009 where he works with close to 600 students grade K-3. Mike started the very first Aevidum program at the Elementary Level better known as “Lil’ Aevidum” in 2013. He has presented on Aevidum locally and also at the PSCA state conference. Mike was recently named the 2015 Elementary School Counselor of the Year for the State of Pennsylvania. Mike also serves as the middle school boys soccer coach at Hempfield and is an active member of the Lancaster County IU Flight Team as well as the Hempfield SD Flight Team.

Dr. Matt Wintersteen

Matthew B. Wintersteen, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Director of Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Wintersteen is Co-Investigator and Co-Program Developer of a SAMHSA-funded study designed to build training, screening, and intervention in schools across Pennsylvania. Additionally, his grant-funded work supports his role as facilitator of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Suicide Prevention Coalition, a collaborative partnership among nearly 100 campuses across Pennsylvania designed to support one another in developing meaningful and effective methods of reducing suicide deaths on campus. Dr. Wintersteen was also the Principal Investigator of a SAMHSA-funded campus suicide prevention project at Thomas Jefferson University designed to increase awareness about suicide, educate students and faculty, enhance linkages to services, and promote healthy behaviors. He led an extensive assessment of mental health and suicide risk among students in the health profession fields at Jefferson and collaborated with colleagues on this nationally. In addition to his grant-funded projects, Dr. Wintersteen has served on national task forces convened by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, the American Association of Suicidology, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the National Institute of Mental Health. He was a consultant to the National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide (NCPYS), and serves as the Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative. Finally, Dr. Wintersteen organized, participated, and moderated a panel of national and international experts on youth suicide tasked with developing an empirically-informed list of warning signs for youth suicide.

Francesca Pileggi, Executive Director

Francesca was drawn to Aevidum and its “I’ve got your back” message when she appeared in a 2010 “teen depression” segment on Good Morning America alongside Maggie Cardin, who was representing Aevidum. Since then, Francesca has been an active part of the organization. She began serving as the Director of Programs in 2013 and became the Executive Director in 2016. Francesca earned her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in 2014 and currently works as a high school counselor. Francesca is also a board member of the Pennsylvania Suicide Prevention Coalition, a member of the Chester County Suicide Prevention Task Force, a certified QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Master Trainer, and serves as the Youth Leader for the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Mary Pritchard, Director of Outreach

Mary Pritchard has over 20 years experience in education and is currently employed as a school psychologist at Nazareth Area School District. She received her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Towson State University, her School Psychology certificate from Rutgers University, and her Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services certificate from Lehigh University. Mary is passionate about using her clinical skills to support students with mental health and learning issues. She has been a champion for Aevidum in Nazareth Area School District, the Lehigh Valley, and beyond. Mary continues to spread the Aevidum message by facilitating Talk workshops throughout the state.

Maggie Cardin, Director of Education

Maggie Cardin Myers has been a member of Aevidum since its grassroots beginnings in middle school in 2004. She has spoken on a public stage on behalf of the organization many times, sharing her message of hope for all, fueled by remembering her brother Philip who died by suicide. She currently serves as the Educational Director of the organization. Outside of Aevidum, Maggie devotes her time to teaching eighth grade for the Ephrata Area School District, coaching high school lacrosse, and managing/coaching a summer swim team, and bike riding with her husband Alex. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in middle school education and a masters degree from Kutztown University in technology.