The Room
This is a small, carefully assembled room of leaders, spouses, clinicians, and experienced parents whose presence raises the quality of the conversation.
What makes the room work is not the agenda. It is who is in it, and what they are willing to say to one another.
Who’s In The Room
Participants are CEOs, senior executives, and investors who understand pressure, privacy, and what it means to carry visible responsibility in one part of life while carrying invisible responsibility in another.
Some are parenting adult children and bring years of perspective. Others are earlier in the journey and bring urgency, candor, and fresh questions.
Voices Shaping The Weekend
A small number of experienced voices have shared their wisdom that helped us shape the weekend.
Dr. Bradley Schlaggar
President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute and professor of neurology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins. A researcher, clinician, and father, he brings rare perspective on the science of neurodiversity and developing brains — and on what it takes to lead through it.
Keivan Stassun
MacArthur Fellow and founding director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt. Speaks about building institutions and teams that genuinely make use of neurodivergent talent. Listen to Keivan’s interview on Imperfect Leaders podcast.
Adrian Jones
Goldman Sachs leader and father of a son with profound autism. Speaks about resilience, leadership, and what this journey demands over time. Listen to Adrian’s interview on Imperfect Leaders podcast.
Ben Yalom, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist working with senior leaders on mortality, legacy, succession, and family decisions.
Trenna Sutcliffe, M.D.
Developmental pediatrician whose work helps families think across medical, behavioral, and family systems. Listen to Trenna’s interview on Imperfect Leaders podcast.
Brian Harper
CEO and father of a son with profound autism. Speaks about how this journey changed him as a leader and as a builder of organizations. Listen to Brian’s interview on Imperfect Leaders podcast.
Jason Karp
Founder and CEO who speaks openly about his own mental health challenges and leadership journey.
Chris Male
Managing Partner of the Autism Impact Fund and father of a son with profound autism. Listen to Chris’ interview on Imperfect Leaders podcast.
Theresa Hamlin, Ed.D.
CEO of the Center for Discovery and co-author of Autism and the Stress Effect.
Amanda Lukof
Entrepreneur in the autism and caregiving space focused on making caregiving more manageable and more humane. Listen to Amanda’s interview on Imperfect Leaders podcast.
Ling Shao
SVP, Outcomes-Based Care at CentralReach, and founder of SpectrumAi. Mother of four sons, all on the autism spectrum. Leads the weekend’s working session, The Levers We Control.
Rita Gardner
President and CEO of Melmark, a nationally recognized nonprofit serving children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities across three states. A behavior analyst by training and a leader in the field for more than four decades.
Why This Mix Matters
The value of the room comes from the mix itself: operators, builders, clinicians, investors, and parents who can speak from direct experience rather than abstraction.
That combination makes the conversation both more grounded and more useful.