Zach Anner is an American comedian, actor, and writer with cerebral palsy who gained worldwide attention with the submission of a video to Oprah Winfrey’s “Search for the Next TV Star” competition. He won his own TV show on OWN through Oprah’s Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.
Jason Benetti
Jason Benetti is an American sportscaster. He is the primary television play-by-play announcer for Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball on Bally Sports Detroit.
Cathryn Gray
Cathryn is a University of Michigan alumna and a trailblazing adaptive track and field athlete. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she made history as the first female adaptive athlete and the first adaptive track and field athlete at the university. With international recognition in the F35 class, she graduated with honors and distinction. Cathryn has been honored as a US Paralympic High School All-American and a Women’s Sports Foundation National Ambassador/Travel and Training Grant recipient. She competed at the World CP Games in Spain in 2018, is the 2017 National Champion in both javelin and discus, and holds the National javelin record. Hailing from Atlanta, GA, Cathryn also deeply enjoys her role as a Cerebral Palsy Foundation ambassador, where she advocates for and supports others in the CP community.
Jerron Herman
Jerron Herman is an American choreographer, dancer, performance artist, writer and a teacher for the Dream Project at National Dance Institute for children with disabilities. He grew up in California as part of a religious and art loving family.
Michael Kutcher
From the moment of birth, Michael Kutcher has overcome challenges and conquered obstacles. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa as the unexpected twin brother of actor Christopher “Ashton” Kutcher, Michael met his first of many challenges at delivery. Entering the world notably smaller than his twin at less than five pounds, Michael was hardly responsive and struggled to take his first breath.
Thanksto outstanding medical care and his instinct to survive, Michael pulled through his first days and weeks, although not without lasting adverse effects. By age three, Michael was battling significant developmental delays. Hewas diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy before he entered kindergarten and also had a life-saving heart transplant as a teenager as a result of heart failure brought on by a virus.
It was this second close brush with death that opened Michael’s eyes to the fragility of life and inspired him to take control of the future he once thought he wouldn’t have. Michael graduated from Mount Mercy University with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Finance .
Michael’s medical triumphs and perspective on Cerebral Palsy have led him to serve as an advocate and public speaker for Reaching for the Stars and the Cerebral Palsy community. Michael has shared his story on Capital Hill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the National Institute of Health and AACPDM.
When he’s not advocating for Cerebral Palsy awareness or inspiring audiences around the nation as an inspiring speaker, Michael resides in Denver, Colorado, where he’s built a successful career as an Assistant Vice President for Transamerica. In his free time, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and playing golf.
Jessy Yates
Jessy Yates is an actor and performance artist from Ohio. She is a graduate of the Acting Class of 2022 @ Yale School of Drama, where she was the first wheelchair using student in the school’s history. On stage her work has been seen at The Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, BAM, and many more around the country. She is a fervent advocate for disability justice and disability representation in media, and is a friend of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
healthcare advisory circle
Our healthcare advisory circle is made up of professionals with cerebral palsy who all work across different specialties within the field of healthcare. They bring valuable wisdom and experiences to our projects and and programs.
Matthew MacCarthy, MD
Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Prisma Health
Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Prisma Health
Matthew MacCarthy, MD
Matthew D. MacCarthy, MD, is a pediatric physiatrist at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. He received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and then completed a fellowship in pediatric rehabilitation medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Dr. MacCarthy specializes in functional ability and offers medications, therapies, programs and assistive devices to develop and restore skills and mobility to children and adolescents facing temporary or permanent disability and loss of function due to medical conditions, injuries or accidents. His particular areas of interest include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and spina bifida.
Physiatrist, Akron Children’s Hospital
Raffi Najarian, MD
Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Bethany Children’s
Justin Ramsey, MD
Justin Ramsey, M.D. is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is sub-specialty boarded in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. He graduated from the Kansas University School of Medicine. He then completed his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation training at the Kansas University Medical Center and a fellowship program in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Children’s Mercy Hospital (Kansas City, MO). Dr. Ramsey spent several years as faculty with the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine fellowship program at Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Kansas University Medical Center’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. He has served as chair of the Advocacy Committee for the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and has served on its Communications Committee.
Currently, he works at a private pediatric rehabilitation hospital (Bethany Childrens Health Center) near Oklahoma City, which specializes in the care of children with disabilities. In collaboration with neurology and OU Health Science Center’s neurosurgery department, he has created Oklahoma’s joint pediatric movement clinic. He currently serves as the Associate Medical Director for the Movement clinic and Cerebral Palsy. He volunteers as a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Justin has hemiparetic cerebral palsy and is active in local advocacy. He is married to his wife (Kendra) and has 2 beautiful young children (Ryan and Reese), who keep his family busy. Medical and disability education are some of his major subjects of interest. He is grateful for early college experiences in working with individuals with disabilities while volunteering at Hetlinger Developmental Services, Inc in his hometown of Emporia, KS.
Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Levine Children’s
Toby Tsai, MD
Dr. Tobias J. Tsai is a physiatrist in Charlotte, North Carolina and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Atrium Health-Pineville and Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama Birmingham
Cynthia Wozow, DO
Karina Carnall, LPC
As a licensed therapist with spastic cerebral palsy, I am passionate about exploring the intricate link between physical and mental well-being. My personal journey has fueled my interest in understanding the mind-body connection, driving me to advocate for comprehensive mental health screening and support for individuals with cerebral palsy, other disabilities, and chronic conditions. Through my involvement with the foundation, I aim to promote awareness and access to mental health resources tailored to the unique needs of this community. I plan to support the mentorship program offered by the foundation and contribute to other initiatives where I can make a meaningful impact.
consultants
Our bring with them diverse lived experience and consultants work closely with us to collaborate on and manage different aspects of programmatic areas.
Our team of digital collaborators are from diverse backgrounds with different kinds of lived experience who all have cerebral palsy. We work together to craft messaging, create content, and ensure that the work we do represents everyone with cerebral palsy.
