PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: May 7, 2007

Contact:  Wendy Fournier, NAA (Portsmouth, RI) 401-632-7523            Rita Shreffler, NAA (Nixa, MO) 401-632-6452

NAA Welcomes New Board Member Deirdre Imus

The National Autism Association is honored to announce the addition of Deirdre Imus to the NAA Board of Directors.  Ms. Imus, a national leader in children’s health and environmental issues, is the founder and president of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology, part of Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey, a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation.  The Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control, and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children.

The Environmental Center developed the award-winning Greening the Cleaning® program. Greening the Cleaning® means eliminating to the greatest extent possible all cleaning agents containing hazardous ingredients and replacing them with environmentally responsible ingredients with the least level of toxicity. 100% of all profits go to the Environmental Center for education and research.

Deirdre is also co-founder and co-director with husband, Don Imus, of The Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit authentic 4,000 acre working cattle ranch in northern New Mexico, which provides the experience of the American cowboy to children suffering from cancer and various blood diseases, as well as to children who have lost a brother or sister to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Numerous organizations have recognized Ms. Imus’ impact. In May 2007, the National Audubon Society will honor Mrs. Imus with the Rachel Carson Award for Women in Conservation.  She was recently honored with the prestigious Lizette H. Sarnoff Award for Volunteer Service by the National Women’s Division of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. In 2005, she was honored with the Excellence in Cancer Awareness Award by the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.  In addition to her work to identify and prevent toxic environmental exposures that may cause adult and pediatric cancer, Deirdre is a leading advocate for children affected by autism.  Her efforts have been instrumental in broadening public knowledge of the link between toxic exposures to the development of autism spectrum disorders. 

The author of numerous articles and the best-selling book, The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys Deirdre’s latest book is a New York Times Bestseller, Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning, offering a wealth of insights and expertise for protecting families from harmful chemicals.

Everyone with NAA welcomes Deirdre to our board of directors and looks forward to working with her as we continue our advocacy on the critical issues facing children and families affected by autism.