Les Turner ALS Foundation

Staff

Our small and tightknit team brings decades of experience and compassion to their jobs.  Made up of a team of support service professionals, fundraising and marketing and communications professionals, and an office staff that handles administrative functions, we are committed to providing the best possible support for people living with ALS and their families.

For us, this is personal. Many of us got into this work because we lost a family member or friend to ALS. We know what this journey is like, and we know how to provide support.

Laura Freveletti is Chief Executive Officer of the Les Turner ALS Foundation. She comes to the ALS field with 30 years of experience in executive leadership, most recently as senior program officer at The Allstate Foundation. She has deep connections to the Chicago non-profit community, with experience as a senior fundraising executive at the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as service as board president of the Sudden Infant Death Services (SIDS) of Illinois.

Laura also has led corporate marketing and community involvement at companies including Kraft Heinz, LaSalle Investment Management, and Chicago Title & Trust Company, and earned a degree in business administration from the University of Louisville. She brings a personal understanding of the impact of ALS to the position, having lost her brother-in-law to the disease.

“I am deeply inspired by the courage and resilience of those living with ALS. And I am committed to working tirelessly to advance research and improve care for this community. We have made tremendous progress in understanding the disease, and I believe that with continued collaboration and innovation, we will find a cure for ALS.”

Contact Laura at 847 745 6050 or lfreveletti@lesturnerals.org.

Constance Paesel, MBA, serves as Chief Operations Officer and Director of Finance and Human Resources. She has extensive finance and administrative experience in both for-profit and nonprofit industries. Her diverse background includes positions in the areas of education, human services, and international business. A native German, Constance studied languages and international business and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northumbria in the U.K. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Constance has volunteered in many local organizations such as the Evanston Art Center, PEER Services, and the Woman’s Club of Evanston. More recently she served on the Board of Directors of Mental Health America of the North Shore.

In her free time, Constance enjoys cooking, paddleboarding, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Contact Constance at 847 745 6014 or cpaesel@lesturnerals.org.

Sarah Reiter serves as as the Human Resources and Office Coordinator.  After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science, Sarah served in HR and benefits roles across both the private and public sectors and on the Board of Directors of a non-profit environmental center in New York City. In her spare time, she enjoys attending arts and cultural events in Chicagoland and spending time with family and friends, and pets, preferably in nature.

Contact Sarah at sreiter@lesturnerals.org.

Mark Heiden, MS, serves as Chief Communications Officer, bringing more than 20 years of experience in print and digital publishing. He holds a BA in English, history, and sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in health communication from Northwestern, where he led communications about research and events at the university's International Institute for Nanotechnology. He has also spent several years living and working in Japan.

Mark has collaborated with subject matter experts in science, medicine, dentistry, and other fields to develop resources for professional education and patient empowerment. In his free time, he enjoys running with Team Race for ALS, spending time with his wife Kelli, and trying to keep pace with their two young daughters, Gillian and Mallory.

"I help fight ALS to support family caregivers and help ensure that every person facing this devastating disease knows they are not alone."

Contact Mark at mheiden@lesturnerals.org.

Alden Kennedy, MBA, serves as Communications and Marketing Manager, bringing a wealth of experience in marketing and communications from both corporate and agency backgrounds. With eight years of combined experience in these arenas, he has a deep understanding of strategic communications, content creation, and project management; leading cross-functional teams in producing high-quality content marketing with global reach.

Alden holds a Social Impact M.B.A. from Brandeis University, where he graduated in 2022. Prior to that, he earned a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from the University of Michigan in 2014, along with a Secondary Teaching Certification. A native of Michigan, Alden received the Spirit of Detroit award from the Detroit City Council in 2015 for his work in tax foreclosure prevention.

Contact Alden at akennedy@lesturnerals.org.

Ange Bolton serves as the Operations and Database Coordinator. Ange earned a BA in general studies from Western Illinois University. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for most of her career, including 15 years in the promotions and image departments at PBS stations in Champaign-Urbana and Kentucky, and has been in the database field since 2018. In her spare time she enjoys visits with her three adult children and two grandchildren.

Contact Ange at abolton@lesturnerals.org.

Riley Kelly serves as Events and Development Senior Associate. A native Memphian, she moved to Chicago to study Political Science and Nonprofit Management at Loyola University Chicago, graduating with her BA in 2022. She has a passion for nonprofit development, having worked and volunteered with The Orpheum Theater Memphis, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, All American Nursing Home, the Refugee Empowerment Program Memphis, and multiple Chicago-based Chambers of Commerce. In her free time, she enjoys painting, playing pool, and spending time with her friends and two cats.

Contact Riley at rkelly@lesturnerals.org.

Kim Kempf serves as Director of Events and Partnerships. She has over 25 years of experience in Event Management and has worked both in the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors working on large-scale events such as the Chicago Marathon and the Chicago Triathlon. Kim has many years of fundraising and development experience, most recently as the Development Director at the Arthritis Foundation, in addition to working in advocacy for Horizon Therapeutics.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Illinois Wesleyan University. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts, plays and traveling.

Contact Kim at 847 745 6024 or kkempf@lesturnerals.org.

Lauren Webb, LCSW serves as Chief Advocacy and Outreach Officer. She has worked in the neuromuscular community for 18 years—providing direct patient care for individuals with ALS, selling neurological genetic tests, coordinating clinical trials at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and overseeing the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s nationwide Care Center Network. Her master’s degree is in social work with a concentration in health administration and policy from the University of Chicago. When Lauren isn’t working, you can find her at donut shops across the city.

“I fight ALS to honor the legacy of people with ALS who touched my heart and sparked my passion for research and interdisciplinary care early in my professional career.”

Contact Lauren at 847 745 6020 or lwebb@lesturnerals.org.

Anne Marie Doyle, M.A., CCC-SLP serves as Director of Community Education.

Anne Marie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders from Saint Xavier University followed by a Master’s Degree in Speech & Hearing Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

For 13 years, she worked as a speech-language pathologist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab serving both the inpatient and outpatient populations with a specialty in adult neurological conditions, including working with people living with ALS. She maintains a membership with the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association and participates in their Special Interest Group for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. She has lectured at the state, national, and international level, as well as participated in clinical research. Anne Marie resides in Chicago with her husband and dog.

Contact Anne Marie at adoyle@lesturnerals.org.

Cara Gallagher, MA, LCPC, serves as Director of Support Services. She received her Master of Arts in Counseling and Psychology in 1997.  She has over 25 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector managing In-home and Residential Support programs, as well as providing case management to individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Cara joined the Foundation as the National ALS Registry Associate and member of our Support Services Team in 2016. Cara also meets with people living with ALS every week at the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic at the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine to provide support and resources.

Contact Cara at cgallagher@lesturnerals.org.

Michelle Shaker, LCSW is a dedicated social worker with a background in medical social work. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University Chicago and a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy certification from Boston University School of Social Work. While working as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the Neuromuscular division she provided case management, ran counseling groups, and held one-on-one psychotherapy for patients with neuromuscular diseases, including Muscular Dystrophy and ALS.

Michelle lives in Chicago with her husband and two children.

Contact Michelle at mshaker@lesturnerals.org.

Karen Raley Steffens, RN, CHPN, CCM received her Associate Degree in Nursing from William Rainey Harper College in 1994. She is also a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse and Certified Case Manager. Before joining the Foundation, Karen worked as a Hospice Care Manager with JourneyCare where she worked with her first ALS patient. Karen joined the Foundation as an ALS Support Services Coordinator in 2016.

“I help fight ALS because I was blessed with the opportunity to do so.  I have never worked with such a devastating disease and yet a patient population that is so amazingly selfless and courageous.  I consider it an honor to be able to help support this incredible group of individuals and their families.”

Contact Karen at ksteffens@lesturnerals.org.

Easton Stevenson, LCSW received her Master's in Social Work from the University of Chicago in 2000. For the majority of her social work experience, Easton worked with the HIV+ population, providing therapeutic services to infected adults and their affected children. Common issues that were addressed included depression, relationship issues, medication adherence, stress, diagnosis acceptance and end-of-life planning.

Contact Easton at estevenson@lesturnerals.org.

Rochelle Walwer, LCSW serves as a Support Services Coordinator. She received her psychology degree from Washington University and her Master’s in Social Work from Aurora University. Before joining the Foundation in 2022, Rochelle worked as a hospice and palliative care social worker where she served on an ALS care team. She also has extensive nonprofit administration experience working with adult literacy and education programs.

In her spare time, Rochelle enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, gardening and spending time with her family.

Contact Rochelle at rwalwer@lesturnerals.org.