Founder & Board Chair
Bert E. Brodsky
Bert E. Brodsky is founder and board chairman of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA). Brodsky founded AFA in 2002, after caring for his mother, Anne, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease for more than a decade.
“It took years for me to realize the scope of what was happening and how to deal with it,” he said. “There was nowhere to turn with questions, no resources for support and very little regard for how the disease affects not just the individual, but their family as well.”
Brodsky wanted to ensure that no other family would have to go through this journey alone. He imagined a place where families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses could go for help. He turned his vision into reality and created AFA as a resource for families to get information, education and support.
A leading entrepreneur, active philanthropist, proud community member and true visionary, he has devoted the last five decades to innovating numerous industries, including healthcare, technology, hospitality and real estate. Mr. Brodsky graduated City College of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in finance, economics. He is the third CCNY alumnus to receive that institution’s prestigious Finley Award.
Board member
Steve Israel
Former Congressman Steve Israel joined the AFA Board of Directors in 2017, following sixteen years as a Member of Congress, from 2001-2017. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing passage of funding for the Defense Department to research Alzheimer’s and potential links to brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He also served as House Democrats’ chief political strategist for four years. President Bill Clinton called him “one of the most thoughtful Members of Congress.” Israel also published two critically acclaimed satires of Washington entitled “The Global War on Morris” and “Big Guns.”
Israel is Director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University, and is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. His insights appear regularly in The New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, 6O minutes, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Fox News and elsewhere.
Israel graduated from George Washington University with a BA in Political Science. He has two daughters – one works as a farmer, the other in Pharma. His home is in Oyster Bay, Long Island.
Board member
Arthur Laitman, Esq.
Arthur S. Laitman, Esq. has been a member of AFA’s Board of Directors since 2018. He is a partner with the law firm of Rosenberg, Fortuna & Laitman, LLP in Garden City, NY, where he practices commercial, corporate and real estate litigation. Prior to joining the firm, he served in the Hofstra Criminal Justice Clinic.
Mr. Laitman is a member of the North Shore LIJ Health System Commerce and Industry Council, the American Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association and the Board of Directors of the Hofstra University School of Law Alumni Association. He was also named to the Legal Affairs Counsel to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Vice Chair
Edward D. Miller
Edward D. Miller joined AFA’s Board of Directors in 2016 and currently serves as its Vice Chairman.
Mr. Miller is chairman of the board of American Express Centurion Bank and a director of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. He is also a trustee of the New York City Police Foundation and Phoenix House, and a member of the AFA Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Miller is chairman of the Partnership for New York City’s Security and Risk Management Task Force.
Mr. Miller is the former president and chief executive officer of AXA Financial, Inc., and served as a member of the supervisory board and senior advisor to the chief executive of AXA Group from June 2001 to April 2003. He majored in finance at Pace University and completed management programs at Harvard and Columbia Universities. He has received honorary doctorate degrees from Pace University, Long Island University and Lehman College. Mr. Miller also served in the United States Marine Corps.
Secretary
Gerald Angowitz, Esq.
Gerald (Jerry) Angowitz, secretary of AFA’s Board of Directors, brings to AFA many years of experience counseling companies on executive matters, general business management and human resources. Currently, he serves as managing director at Lloyd Staffing.
Angowitz has served on AFA’s board since 2012. He was drawn to the post, in part, because of his personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease.
“I’ve served on a number of boards and am terribly impressed with the quality of commitment of AFA’s board members and staff,” he said. “It’s not a business; it’s an occupation of passion and love and it radiates throughout the organization.”
Board member
Luisa Echevarria
Luisa Echevarria joined the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s Board of Directors in 2012, inspired by her memories of her mother and grandmother, both of whom lived with Alzheimer’s disease.
Luisa is the former Director of Community Empowerment for Univision Communications Inc. in Chicago. She earned several Emmy awards for her public service campaigns and news productions during her 30 year career. She has been a member of the board of directors of Chicago’s El Valor organization for over 20 years. She volunteers her time with several Latino service organizations in the Chicago area including Association House, Casa Central, Mujeres Latinas en Acción and Arden Shore. She joined the board of Chicago’s Equal Hope organization in 2019 and is an advocate for ending health disparities in communities of color.
Luisa was born in Cuba and moved to the Chicago suburb of La Grange in 1961. Luisa and her husband have lived in Chicago’s Lakeview community for the past 30 years.
Board member
Lee J. Brodsky
Lee J. Brodsky joined AFA’s Board of Directors in 2021 and is the Chief Executive Officer of BEB Capital, a privately held, multifaceted real estate company. Since its formation in 2013, Lee has led BEB to become an institutional-grade owner and operator of industrial assets along the East Coast. In addition to their industrial portfolio, BEB owns and manages numerous multifamily assets and development sites in New York City and the surrounding region.
Lee oversees the overall direction of BEB and spearheads strategic planning for the business including the execution and management of key partnerships. Under Lee’s leadership, BEB launched their lending division in March of 2020, a significant component to the firm’s growth since inception. He serves on the Investment Committee, which makes continuous contributions to drive BEB’s growing real estate and investment portfolio. In addition to his contributions on the investment side of the business, Lee leads all asset management related functions. Prior to joining BEB, Lee worked as a corporate real estate advisor at Newmark in its Manhattan headquarters.
Lee holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
Board member
Nathan Halegua
Nathan Halegua has been involved with AFA since 2018 and joined the AFA Board of Directors in 2021. Mr. Halegua and his family are passionate champions of the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, particularly supporting research for a cure for Alzheimer’s. Mr. Halegua’s mother, Oro Halegua, lived with Alzheimer’s disease for more than five years.
Along with his personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease, Mr. Halegua brings an extensive business background to his position. He has over 40 years experience in New York City real estate and is a principal owner of Jonis Realty, a real estate acquisition and development firm, and a principal owner of Citi-Urban Management, a real estate management company. He also has extensive experience in the acquisition, management, financing, leasing and supervision of residential and commercial real estate.
Mr. Halegua is a graduate of Queens College, where he sits on the Board of Jewish Studies, and has a master’s degree from Michigan State University.
Board member
Stuart Rabinowitz, Esq.
Stuart Rabinowitz, Esq. is Senior Counsel to Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP and focuses his practice on state and federal litigation, appellate litigation, constitutional law, civil rights law, voting rights law, education law, including higher education and labor relations and liaison with local, state and federal agencies and officers relating to economic development.
Prior to joining the firm, for more than 50 years, Mr. Rabinowtiz held numerous positions at Hofstra University, serving the last 20 years as University President until his retirement in August 2021. Under his leadership, Hofstra University received new regional, national and international visibility. He created several new schools, including the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, the Hofstra/ Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, and the School of Health Professions and Human Services. He also founded the University’s National Center for Suburban Studies and the Center for Entrepreneurship. Mr. Rabinowitz was also instrumental introducing Hofstra University to a national audience, bringing three consecutive presidential debates (2008: Obama/McCain, 2012: Obama/Romney, 2016: Trump/Clinton) to the Hofstra campus, making Hofstra the only university in the U.S. to have hosted that many consecutive presidential debates.
Mr. Rabinowitz received a juris doctor, magna cum laude, from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a member of the board of editors of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He graduated from the City College of New York with honors, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Director of Development
Stephanie Lang
Stephanie Lang (she/her/hers) is the Director of Development at the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), where she spearheads fundraising initiatives and forges strategic partnerships to enhance research and support for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease. With over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, she specializes in board development, team building, donor relations, and corporate partnerships, consistently achieving organizational goals through effective relationship-building.
Before joining AFA, Stephanie held various leadership roles in the nonprofit sector, focusing on fundraising and strategic planning. She is also a dedicated advocate for foster children, serving on the Board of Hudson County CASA.
A graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in Communications and Marketing, Stephanie enjoys traveling, sports, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Associate Board member
Matthew F. Didora, Esq.
Matthew F. Didora is a Partner of the law firm of Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP. As Director of the firm’s Commercial Litigation department, he has represented clients from individuals to local businesses and Fortune 500 companies on matters such as business torts, commercial real estate, intellectual property and trademarking. Mr. Didora, a graduate of Fordham University and St. John’s School of Law, has also lectured on a variety of topics involving commercial law and authored several articles which have appeared in the New York Law Journal, Newsday, and Nassau Lawyer.
The fight against Alzheimer’s disease is a cause which is very personal to Mr. Didora. His maternal grandmother had Alzheimer’s in the 1990s, and he witnessed how the disease impacted her and the other members of his family. Those experiences inspired him to give back and help other families who are going through the same fight.
“I am thankful for the privilege of working with such a talented group of individuals dedicated to helping families cope with this terrible disease,” said Mr. Didora.
Associate Board member
Judi Marcus
Judi Marcus is the Studio Manager for Fred Marcus Photography. She previously worked as a social worker for United Cerebral Palsy. Ms. Marcus has also served as a board member of Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn, NY, the Roslyn Public School Coordinating Council of Parents Association, and was a member of the Parent’s Committee at Emory University.
In addition, Ms. Marcus served on the North Shore University Hospital AIDS Awareness Committee, on the board of the Long Island Jewish Hospital’s Partners in Women’s Health, and was a past president of the Roslyn Chapter of the Children’s Medical Fund of Schneider’s Children’s Hospital (now the Cohen Children’s Hospital). She was also one of the founding members of the Sid Jacobson JCC.
Ms. Marcus was also the primary caregiver for both her mother and mother-in-law who had dementia.
President & CEO
Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr.
AFA President & CEO Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. has built his career around one driving purpose: improving the lives of others. That commitment defines both his professional path and his personal mission.
Since taking the helm of AFA in 2014, Fuschillo has transformed the organization into a national leader in dementia care, support, and education. He has expanded programs, strengthened services, grown membership, and increased revenue — all while maintaining rigorous fiscal discipline. Under his leadership, AFA consistently earns Charity Navigator’s highest four‑star rating for transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship.
Fuschillo has dramatically strengthened AFA’s Helpline, extending operations from limited weekday hours to a full seven‑day‑a‑week service and adding web‑chat and text capabilities in more than 90 languages. He also launched “Allison,” AFA’s Virtual Helpline Assistant, which supplements the Helpline’s work by providing around‑the‑clock answers to hundreds of common dementia‑related questions. He further elevated AFA’s impact by expanding “National Memory Screening Day” into a year‑round National Memory Screening Program offering free, confidential memory screenings to individuals across the country.
He has championed innovative, community‑focused initiatives, including the multi‑year “Educating Across America Tour,” which brings vital information on Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, brain health, caregiving, and care planning directly to communities nationwide.
He opened AFA’s Education & Resource Center and the AFA Barbara Rabinowitz Education & Resource Center, creating welcoming spaces for dementia‑friendly programming. He also oversaw the development of AFA’s children’s books, Dancing With Granddad and Gardening With Grandma, which help adults explain Alzheimer’s disease to children in an accessible, age‑appropriate way.
Fuschillo’s commitment to innovation is evident in projects like The Apartment— a full‑scale model residence that demonstrates practical ways to make homes safer and more dementia‑friendly. He also led the creation of the nation’s first Respite Care Relief Parks, offering individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers a supportive outdoor environment to relax, connect, and learn about available services. Under his leadership, AFA has significantly increased grant funding for community‑based programs and research toward a cure, delivering meaningful help today and hope for tomorrow.
Before joining AFA, Fuschillo served nearly 16 years as a New York State Senator, where he authored more than 200 laws, including measures that expanded access to health services and strengthened protections for individuals with cognitive conditions. He served more than 300,000 constituents and regularly hosted free health screening programs throughout his district.
Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Operating Officer of a New York‑based nonprofit family service agency.
Fuschillo’s lifelong dedication to public service has earned him numerous honors, including the Excellence in Healthcare Award from the Long Island Herald; the Autism Advocacy Award and Legislative Champion Award from Autism Speaks; The Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for Individual Leadership and Service; the Pendl Badge of Courage Award; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State Grand Lodge Foundation. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the State University of New York and serves on the Board of Trustees at Adelphi University.