Child Psychologist and Co-Author of Replays
Dr. Karen Levine

Dr. Karen Levine was the co-founder and co-director of both the Boston Children's Hospital Autism Program and the Building Blocks Specialty Service Provider program of the North Shore ARC. She is on the National Boards of the Interdisciplinary Council for Development and Learning Disorders (ICDL), and the Williams Syndrome Association. She is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School. In addition to co-authoring Replays, Karen Levine has also published many articles and book chapters on related topics. She is a frequent regional and national presenter and has also spoken at the Massachusetts State house on legislation for autism services. Karen, who operates a private practice, does a large amount of pro bono work, school visits and evaluations, and is very active in special education advocacy. She is a long-time supporter of the Federation, having presented free of charge at our conferences, attended the gala numerous times, and contributed monetarily throughout the years. As a Developmental Psychologist of more than twenty years, Dr. Karen Levine's passion for improving the well-being of children with challenges has been the driving force throughout her career. She continues to give of herself and her services in a selfless way, benefiting hundreds of children and families every year.

Director, Producer
Dan Habib and wife, Betsy McNamara

Dan Habib is the director, producer and cinematographer of the new documentary, Including Samuel. The film won the 2007 Positive Images in Media award from TASH, an international group committed to the full inclusion of people with disabilities. The film was named "Best Documentary" at the 2007 Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival, and has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, and in the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. Exceptional Parent Magazine said "Including Samuel is a must see film." Habib has been named New Hampshire Photographer of the Year six times. He has been a judge of Pulitzer Prizes, Pictures of the Year, Best of Photojournalism and White House News Photographer's Association. He was one of 10 young photojournalists from around the world chosen for the 1995 World Press Masterclass in Amsterdam.

Betsy McNamara

Betsy McNamara is the principal and senior consultant of Full Circle Consulting. She brings twenty-one years of successful non-profit fundraising and campaign management to the Full Circle table. Betsy has raised in excess of $10 million which has been directly invested in successful community efforts that have improved the lives of people who are low-income or have a disability, constructed community arts facilities, and secured precious undeveloped farmland from future development. Betsy serves on the boards of Community Bridges, the area agency charged by New Hampshire with supporting persons with disabilities in her region, and CONFR, a nonprofit that provides training and education for fundraising professionals.

Habib and his wife, Betsy, live in Concord, New Hampshire, with their sons Isaiah, 13, and Samuel, 10.

Parent Advocate
Barbara Popper

Wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, colleague, mentor, friend, advocate - these are just a few of the roles that Barbara Popper fulfils for her family, friends, colleagues, professional partners and for all families raising children and youth with special needs. Barbara was a staff member of Family Voices for many years, where she contributed to the creation of the Bright Futures for Families Pocket Guide. She also gathered information from families and professionals about their telehealth and telemedicine experiences to create, "Family Voices in SCHIP Telehealth/Telemedicine Report to Families: Bridges Not Boundaries, The Value and Use of Telemedicine for Children and Youth with Special Needs." Barbara was the lead investigator for Family Matters, a multi-state research study about promoting health and wellness for children with special health care needs As a long-time staff member at the Federation, Barbara helped direct the APPLE project, which assists parents of children with special needs in developing their leadership skills in the education system, provides mentorship for the Helping Hand: Mother-to-Mother project, and staffs the Family-to-Family Health Information Center. Barbara and her husband Steven live in Needham, and enjoy spending time with their four married children and eight grandchildren.