Leadership

Aevidum 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 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.

Staff

Francesca Pileggi

Executive Director

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Mary Pritchard

Director of Outreach

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Maggie Cardin

Director of Education

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Board of Directors

Jim
Presto

President

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Shanna Muscavage

Vice President

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Mary Beth
Cardin

Treasurer

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Stephen Jiwanmall

Secretary

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Angela
Callie

Board Member

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Lisa
Fulton

Board Member

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Sue
Lettera

Board Member

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Rebecca
Moyer

Board Member

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Eric
Ondo

Board Member

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Nancy & Todd Salomon

Board Member
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Kathy
Spease

Board Member

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National Advisory Board

Dr. Ryan
Axe

Advisory Board Member

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Mike
Resh

Advisory Board Member

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Dr. Matt
Wintersteen

Advisory Board Member

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Student Advisory Committee

The Student Advisory Committee is made up of middle school, high school, and college Aevidum advocates representing many different Aevidum schools. The Youth Advisory Council assists Aevidum with its design, merchandise, programming, social media, and videos and keeps the student voice present at all levels of our organization.

Stay Connected & Join Our Community!

Join us as we continue to empower youth across America to have their friends’ backs and creating cultures of care and advocacy in their schools. 

We are a non-profit youth empowerment initiative creating cultures of care and advocacy in schools across the nation. I’ve got your back.

Copyright ©2024 Aevidum

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      FRANCESCA PILEGGI

      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 at Archmere Academy. Francesca is also a board member of Prevent Suicide PA, a member of the Chester County Suicide Prevention Task Force, and a certified QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Master Trainer.

      MARY PRITCHARD

      Mary (she/her) has been a champion for Aevidum since 2015 as advisor for the Aevidum Club at Nazareth Area High School and as an Aevidum board member. Mary along with student leaders from schools throughout Pennsylvania and beyond has spread Aevidum’s message of youth empowerment by facilitating Talk Workshops for thousands of students. Mary retired after a 38 year career as a clinical and school psychologist in 2021. Since then she has served as Aevidum’s Director of Outreach.

       

      As Director of Outreach Mary continues to facilitate Talk Workshops, onboard new schools, support existing clubs as well as foster partnerships with fellow suicide prevention stakeholders. Mary is a member of the Northampton County Suicide Prevention Taskforce and is a QPR Trainer. Mary’s background includes a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Towson State University, a School Psychology certificate from Rutgers University, and a Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services certificate from Lehigh University.

      MAGGIE CARDIN

      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.

      JIM PRESTO

      Jim has been a sales leader in the electrical distribution industry for over 35 years. He is currently employed by Cooper 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 and Lehigh 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.

      SHANNA MUSCAVAGE

      Shanna Muscavage has supported Aevidum from the very beginning as a 2006 graduate of Cocalico High School. She first joined the staff in 2016, then joined the board where she has served as President. As a coach at the youth and high school level, she has seen first hand the positive impact Aevidum’s clubs have had in school communities. Shanna believes wholeheartedly in its mission and the culture of care and acceptance Aevidum strives to create in schools throughout the nation.

      MARY BETH CARDIN

      Over the last 35 years, Mary Beth has worked on both a professional and volunteer level with area students in grades K-12. With her undergraduate and graduate degrees in areas related to student services, she worked within PA Public School Systems, PA Municipal Governments, and several non-profit organizations. Of all the positions she has held, she found her volunteer work as a mental health advocate with Aevidum to be the most rewarding. As suicide survivors, she and her husband Scott have been supporting Aevidum’s efforts since 2004. They are so happy to see Aevidum’s message of hope growing and continually being shared with the youth of today.

      STEPHEN JIWANMALL

      Stephen Jiwanmall (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Communication at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He was previously the Director of Communications and Marketing at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown. Stephen has been a vocal advocate for mental health support and suicide prevention. He currently serves on the Northampton County Suicide Prevention Task Force and the Lehigh County Suicide Awareness Action Team. He lives in Allentown with his husband Ian and their rescue dog Opal.

      ANGELA CALLIE

      Angela retired from USDA Rural Development with over 35 years of experience in strategic planning, meeting facilitation, team building, and leadership development. She now owns her own Consulting firm, Clear Direction Consulting LLC, with the mission to help customers search for and discover answers that will lead to breakthrough transformational results, improved organizational culture, leadership development, and team growth.  She has pioneered innovative initiatives, including implementing programs and services.  Angela is excited to join the Aevidum Board, and others committed to the Aevidum mission.

      LISA FULTON

      Lisa Fulton served as a school counselor for 21 years at the Eastern Lebanon County School District, where she was the advisor of an active Aevidum Program since 2013. She currently works as the K-12 Counseling Supervisor at the Carlisle Area School District. 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, and is the current Assistant Chair of the American School Counselors Association Board of Directors. She has been awarded the PSCA Middle School Counselor of the Year in 2009 and the RAMP Award for ELCO Middle School in 2016.

      SUE LETTERA

      Sue is the MSW Program Coordinator for Marywood’s School of Social Work Program in the Lehigh Valley located on the campus of DeSales University.  Sue also is a Professor of Practice, teaching SW 505 – Administration in Social Work and SW 802 – Social Policy Advocacy.  Sue has been a practicing Social Worker/Administrator for over 35 years.  

      She earned her Bachelor of Social Work, with a Minor in Sociology from Marywood University and her Master’s in Social Work from Widener University.  She has completed graduate work toward a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Kutztown University, along with numerous professional training/continuing education classes over the years.  

      For many years, Sue worked in residential/day treatment programs/settings for children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and autism.  Beginning in 2001, Sue joined the staff at Lehigh County Children and Youth Services where she primarily worked in in-take/assessment services and specialized in Family Group Decision Making/Family Finding.  In 2016, Sue became the CASSP Coordinator for Lehigh County.  Sue was promoted to Director of Integrated Services in 2018.  On September 1, 2023, Sue retired from Lehigh County after 21 years of services.  

      She is a executive team member of Resilient Lehigh Valley (trauma awareness/ resiliency building coalition), a member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lehigh County, a member of Lehigh County’s L.O.S.S. Team, a member of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Suicide Prevention Coalition, a Trauma Trainer, and a trainer of QPR.

      REBECCA MOYER

      Becky recently graduated from Chatham University with her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. She completed her doctoral capstone with Aevidum, working to implement and track effectiveness on their peer support program, Friend to Friend. Becky started her journey with Aevidum 10 years ago when she was in high school. She now owns her own photography business and will enter the workfield as an Occupational Therapist this year. Becky is excited to return to Aevidum as a board member and to work alongside a team of passionate individuals to help Aevidum grow and to spread mental health awareness and support.

      ERIC ONDO

      Eric is an attorney with Barley Snyder located in Lancaster, PA. Eric focuses his practice on mergers & acquisitions, business formation, general business and commercial and residential real estate. He earned his Juris Doctor from Penn State Law and a B.A in political science from Dickinson College. Eric and his family call Mount Joy home and are excited about the work Aevidum does to help the Lancaster County community and beyond.

      NANCY & TODD SALOMON

      Todd and Nancy Salomon were unexpectedly introduced to the world of suicide prevention in December of 2020, when their 13-year-old son, Craig, took his life.  They immediately realized they needed to prevent other families from this unspeakable pain.  While trying to find the best avenue to help their son’s surviving friends, and his twin brother, they discovered Aevidum and saw all the potential this club has. Craig’s twin, Carter, agreed, and decided to introduce the club to Emmaus High School, where he attends. They have been married for 25 years, currently resided in Macungie, PA, with their two other children. Both are very involved in their children’s lives, including being Scout leaders, holding positions on the PTO, being room parents, coaches, and have had a strong commitment to eating dinner together.  Todd holds a BS in Medical Technology from University of Delaware, MS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from University of New Haven, and MBA from Norwich University.  He is an account manager for Agilent Technologies.  Nancy holds her BA in History and Elementary Education Certification from Western Connecticut State University, and MS from Mount Saint Mary’s College.  Nancy is a stay-at-home mom who runs a direct sales business.  The couple are also involved in the Lehigh County Suicide Task Force and are currently co-chairs for the Action Committee.

      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.

      MATTHEW B. 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.