Honorary Board of Directors

Mary McDonnell

MaryMcdonnell HS BWOscar-nominated actress for “Dances with Wolves” and “Passion Fish”, also starred in the very popular 2003 “Battlestar Galactica” mini TV series and plays the role of President in the current sci-fi TV series which has received numerous awards including the Peabody, Hugo, and Saturn. Other McDonnell movie roles include “Independence Day” and “Sneakers”. TV work includes a role on “ER” in 2001-2 for which she was Emmy-nominated, a role in “The Locket” on the “Hallmark Hall of Fame,” and “O Pioneers” for PBS. Her work in the theater includes the title role on Broadway in the Pulitzer Prize winning play the “Heidi Chronicles.” She wrote the Foreword for Denise Lang’s new book, Coping with Lyme Disease and is the national spokesperson for the Lyme Disease Association.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McDonnell
https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mary-mcdonnell/165099

 

Patricia Susan Slaughter, PhD

Attended Boston University and Dartmouth College , leaving to become the youngest Family Scheduler for President Jimmy Carter. She became very involved with his entire family and continues to speak to family members on various issues. After the Carter White House years, Patricia returned to Cambridge , Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard University . During these years, she became a speaker on various issues including politics and career advice. She served as a political consultant, as well as a speaker to organizations regarding, “Career Advice for 2000 and Beyond”. Ms. Slaughter is currently a partner in CSI, The Banking Group, an international executive search firm specializing in banking. Traveling around the world for business has allowed her to continue to consult in diplomatic and financial circles. Currently, she is helping to organize a (5)-Five Tier Donation level for the Lyme Disease Association, Delaware Chapter.

 

Amy Tan 

NY Times Bestselling author of Joy Luck Club, which was translated into 25 languages and later made into a movie, is also the author of Bonesetter’s Daughter, Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses and her first non-fiction work, The Opposite of Fate in which she devotes a chapter to her battle with Lyme disease. These were followed by her newest work Valley of Amazement. She also has written two children’s books. Ms. Tan was the Creative Consultant for “Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat,” an Emmy-nominated television series based on her book of the same name, which aired on PBS and worldwide. Her essays and stories are found in hundreds of anthologies and textbooks, and they are assigned as “required reading” in many high schools and universities. She also sings in a band with other writers for charity benefits for children’s literacy. She actively supports the LDA’s LymeAid 4 Kids fund. https://www.AmyTan.net

 

Rebecca Wells

Latest novel, Ya-Yas in Bloom, follows two New York Times bestsellers, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, #1 Bestseller, which was also the winner of the 1999 Adult Trade ABBY Award (later made into a movie), and Little Altars Everywhere, which won the Western States Book Award. She was born in Louisiana , but after college, Ms. Wells moved to New York City to pursue her acting career and began studying the Stanislavski method of acting, as well as a depth approach that integrates spirituality and performance. Her commitment was not only to the stage, but to peace and social justice, as well. In 1982, she went to Seattle , Washington , where she performed at numerous professional theaters. She also founded a chapter of Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament. She now resides on an island near Seattle , Washington . https://ya-ya.com