Strength to Strength Welcomes New Year With New Board Members Kaitlynn Cates & Shannon Silvestri & New Advisory Board Members Dr. Herbert London & Dr. Lisa Weiss
Strength to Strength is honored to add to its incredible Board of Directors and Advisory Board the following individuals:
Kaitlynn Cates
Kaitlynn Cates nearly lost her life during the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15, 2013. She was standing at the finish line observing when the first bomb went off. She was luckily standing next to her friend at the time, who acted quickly enough to save her life. He carried her to his car parked in a private alley, laid her down, wrapped her using a tourniquet, and then rushed her to Massachusetts General Hospital. She was the first survivor to a hospital. Unfortunately she lost her right calf. She has since undergone multiple surgeries and now has an implant, which allows her to fully function. She is forever grateful for the courage and strength that she gained from the power of love and support that was provided from all over the world. Her recovery has come full circle.
During her recovery she decided to change every aspect of her life: career, relationships, and home. Kaitlynn is a professional realtor in the Greater Boston Area. She is on a team and they are amongst the top 1% realtors in New England. She lives in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.
Prior to the Boston Marathon Kaitlynn was a competitive tennis player. In July of 2014 she recovered 100% and returned to the court. She is now the assistant women's tennis coach at Mt.Ida College in Newton, MA. Although she loves coaching her team and helping people through the home buying and selling process, she aspires to help her fellow survivors continue on their journey of life post the 2013 Marathon Bombings and other attacks of terrorism.
Shannon Silvestri
Shannon Silvestri is a dedicated wife, mother, professional, and a survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombings. She was with her teenage children Zachary and Morgan to cheer her husband Kevin on to his third Boston Marathon finish. It was a personal best for him. It was the day that their lives changed forever on April 15, 2013.
Shannon sustained hearing loss, tinnitus, and mild concussion on the day of the Marathon. Since that time she has shown incredible strength and resiliency and has turned tragedy into helping others to heal. Shannon designed and sold over 300 Boston Strong pins and charms as a symbol of strength, courage and healing for Survivors. Proceeds are used for events to bring Survivors and their families together. She created a community of Boston Strong: Strength, Courage and Healing that has inspired Survivors and their families through the days and months following the bombings, and now almost two years later as Survivors continue to heal.
She joined the staff of the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in June 2014 to work with fellow Survivors. As a Peer Support Specialist, Shannon is able to draw from her training to guide others on their recovery journey. Her philosophy is that, while we are not guaranteed tomorrow, we are guaranteed a chance to heal and to create the best possible life regardless of our circumstances. While Shannon wears her professional hat in working with Survivors, she draws great strength, inspiration and healing from those with whom she works. Shannon believes that what you do to benefit others returns to benefit you.
Shannon is a 2012 graduate of Bridgewater State University with a BA in Psychology. She has worked for several school departments as an Applied Behavioral Analysis therapist, running discrete trials and collecting data with autistic children. She has also worked as a Family Partner with a local Wraparound Program. As a family partner, her role has been to advocate for families and assist them in their participation on the wraparound team. Her knowledge and personal experience, has been a critical factor in earning the respect and trust of family members. Shannon has been a mediator, facilitator, and bridge between families and agencies.
Shannon is an avid runner and has used running to emotionally heal since the bombings. She runs for charities and bling. When Shannon is not working, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, snuggling with her marathon puppy Bella, massage therapy, and taking trips with her husband.
Dr. Herbert I. London
Herbert I. London is president of the London Center for Policy Research and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He is the former president of the Hudson Institute. Dr. London is professor emeritus and the former John M. Olin Professor of Humanities at New York University. And he was responsible for creating the Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 1972 and was its dean until 1992. This school was organized to promote the study of "great books" and classic texts.
Herbert London is a graduate of Columbia University, 1960 and the recipient of a Ph.D. from New York University, 1966.
Dr. London is a noted social critic whose work has appeared in every major newspaper and journal in the country including such diverse publications as Commentary, National Review, American Spectator, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Washington Times, New York Magazine, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Modern Age, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Orbis, Encounter, Forbes, and The New Criterion. He is the author and editor of twenty-eight books (see enclosure) and three plays “My Most Embarrassing Moment”, “A Love That Cannot Speak Its Name” and “Mr. Tin Pan Alley.”
In addition to Dr. London's television program, "Myths that Rule America," he created a 47 part C.B.S. series entitled "The American Character." He has been a guest lecturer on many major radio and television news programs and at colleges and universities and has appeared as co-host on the popular CNN program, "Crossfire." He is the chairman of the National Association of Scholars, and is the erstwhile editor of Academic Questions. Dr. London was Executive producer of “Rodney King Incident.” He was formerly syndicated by Knight-Ridder and Bridge News. He is a contributing editor for St. Croix Review, American Arts Quarterly and The American Spectator. Dr. London wrote a monthly newsletter called The London Letter and a nationally syndicated column for King Features.
Dr. London is listed in the Outstanding People of the 21st Century; Directory of Distinguished Americans; Who's Who in Education; Who's Who in the East; Men of Distinction; Who's Who in America, Kingston’s National Registry of Who’s Who, and 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century. He is a recipient of honorary degrees from the University of Aix-Marseille, 1983 and Grove City College, 1993. He has received a Presidential Citation from N.Y.U., is a recipient of the National Pro-Am Achievement Award, was the 1996 recipient of the Martin Luther King Award from the Congress of Racial Equality for Citizenship Achievement, was the 1997 recipient of the Jacques Maritain Society Award, was the first recipient of the Peter Shaw Award for his exemplary writing on higher education and American intellectual culture, was awarded the Templeton Honor Roll Award in 1997 as one of the nation's exemplary professors. In 2000, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, in 2001 the American Jewish Congress Award, and in 2002 the Liberty and Media Award. In 2011, he received the Harbour League’s Founders Award and in 2012 he was given the Jeane Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award from the Bradley Foundation. In 1989, Dr. London was one of the Republican candidates for Mayor of New York City. In 1990 he was the Conservative Party Candidate for Governor of New York garnering more votes than any third party candidate in the state's history. In 1994 he was the Republican Party candidate for New York State Comptroller losing in a close election.
He is currently on the Board of Trustees for BlackRock Funds, the Board of Advisors for Cerego LLC and Cybersettle, the Board of Directors for InnoCentive; the Board of Governance for the American Jewish Congress; the Board of Trustees for the American Council on Science and Health; Chairman of the Board of Governors for Grantham University; Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Scholars; the Editorial Advisory Board for the Edmund Burke Institute; the Board of Directors of the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License; the Board of Directors of the National Association for Industry-Education Cooperation. He is contributing editor at The American Spectator, on the Board of Advisors of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Inc., the Editorial Advisory Board for the Texas Education Review, and American Arts Quarterly and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He formerly served on the Board of Governors at St. John's College, the Board of Overseers at the Center for Naval Analyses and the board of the Hudson Institute. He is an affiliated professor at the University of Haifa in Israel. He is a member of the Union League Club.
Dr. Lisa Weiss
Dr. Lisa Weiss received both her PhD and MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia University, and focused her research on toxicology during early development. For her dissertation, she studied the effect of the World Trade Center disaster on newborn outcomes – with a particular focus on mental health and environmental exposures. Dr. Weiss is currently Director, Epidemiology within the Worldwide Safety & Regulatory group at Pfizer and serves as a core member of development strategy teams and as the Principal Investigator of several key pharmacoepidemiology studies.
Dr. Weiss has volunteered with several public health organizations – both domestically and internationally – with a focus on community development and managing challenging health related initiatives. She has received training in disaster management and has a special interest in the use of emerging technology to manage crisis situations. She has taught courses at both Columbia University and Hunter College and continues to mentor students.