Leadership
Sara O’Meara, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEOSince 1959, Sara O’Meara has provided leadership in humanitarian service to children throughout the world. As a Childhelp co-founder, Mrs. O’Meara is actively involved in the development and oversight of one of the oldest and largest national nonprofits dedicated to preventing and treating child abuse. The organization has put a national spotlight on the problem of child abuse in America and developed cutting-edge solutions. As chairman and CEO of Childhelp , Mrs. O’Meara serves as the organization’s key spokesperson and has primary responsibility for fund development and overall oversight of the organization’s business. She has served on the boards of international organizations concerned with child welfare. As a board member for the International Union for Child Welfare, she was the sole United States representative among First Ladies and ministers of numerous nations. Sara has received more than 50 awards for her service to children, including the Arizona Foundation for Women’s Sandra Day O’Connor Award received in 2004. Others include an award for international collaboration to prevent child abuse presented by the Queen of England; a U.S. Department of Justice award presented by President Ronald Reagan; and an award from the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. She has been the recipient of several awards in Washington, DC, including the National Caring Award and The Hubert Humphrey Memorial Award at the Touchdown Club, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Charity Awards Dinner. Most recently, Sara, along with co-founder Yvonne Fedderson, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Endorsements for the prestigious nomination include letters from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former first lady Barbara Bush, along with numerous politicians, educators, and corporate executives. Mrs. O’Meara was born Sara Buckner in Knoxville, Tennessee and was educated at Briarcliff Junior College, New York; Endicott College, Massachusetts; The Sorbonne, France; and Pasadena Playhouse, California. Sara lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona. She has a son, John Hopkins. Her other son, Charles, died in 1988 in an auto accident. Sara also has two stepdaughters, Taryn and Whitney, and three grandchildren. Yvonne Fedderson, Co-Founder and PresidentFor more than four decades, Yvonne Fedderson has devoted her life to helping needy children. As a Childhelp co-founder, Mrs. Fedderson is actively involved in the development and oversight of one of the oldest and largest national nonprofits dedicated to treating and preventing child abuse. As president of Childhelp , Mrs. Fedderson’s focus is upon developing and supporting the organization’s 18 chapters and auxiliaries. More than 1,800 volunteers nationwide organize fund-raising events in their communities, which raise more than $2 million annually. Since 1994, Mrs. Fedderson has also served as president and CEO of her late husband’s company, Don Fedderson Productions. Her responsibilities include managing the rights of the television programs he produced, including Family Affair, My Three Sons, and The Betty White Show. She has served on the company’s board of directors for more than 30 years. Mrs. Fedderson, a graduate of the Pasadena Playhouse, under the name of Yvonne Lime, has had an extensive acting career in film, television and stage. Mrs. Fedderson has been active in a number of humanitarian organizations including the Assistance League, and the Mary and Joseph League, as well as several professional organizations. She also has served on the board of directors of Children to Children, Inc., the International Alliance on Child Abuse and Neglect, and is an honorary board member for The Dyslexia Foundation. Yvonne has received more than 50 honors and awards for her service to children, some of which include the National Children’s Alliance’s Champions of Children Award, the State of California’s Legislature’s Woman of the World Award, and the Women’s International Center’s Living Legacy Award. She and Mrs. O’Meara have been given the Kiwanis World Service Medal, the American Ireland Fund Humanitarian Award, The University of California Riverside Chancellor’s Founder’s Award, and Family Circle Magazine’s “Women Who Make a Difference.” Most recently, Yvonne, along with co-founder Sara O’Meara, have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Endorsements for the prestigious nomination include letters from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former first lady Barbara Bush, along with numerous politicians, educators, and corporate executives. Mrs. Fedderson was born in Glendale, California and now makes her home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Her daughter Dionne Fedderson also lives in Paradise Valley.
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John Reid, Executive DirectorJohn Reid Serves as the Executive Director for Childhelp. He has extensive leadership experience in the
nonprofit arena and has held executive positions in some of the world’s
leading national and international organizations. Prior
to joining Childhelp , he served as the President and CEO for
FamiliesFirst, one of California’s largest and most respected nonprofit
child and family service agencies. His work in international
humanitarian organizations has taken him to 40 countries in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, and Europe. John served as the Senior Vice
President for World Vision, the world’s largest child sponsorship
agency with operations in over 100 countries. He was the Chief
Information Officer for CARE, the global relief and development agency
and was the Director of Development for Christian Aid. John was
awarded a medal by the Smithsonian Institute for “heroic achievement in
recognition of visionary use of Information Technology” and he holds a
master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of
Washington. Dennis J. Sajdak, Vice President, Program Operations Dennis
J. Sajdak serves as the Vice President of Program Operation for Childhelp. He is an experienced and accomplished Behavioral Healthcare
Executive with over twenty-five years of proven success in managing the
business and operations of psychiatric hospitals and human service
provider systems. Starting as a volunteer, he progressed to CEO
of several psychiatric facilities operated by Charter and Ardent
Healthcare Systems. His non-profit career includes a variety of
executive positions for Baker Victory Services in NY and the Board of
Child Care. His integrity and professional
accomplishments have twice been recognized by both his colleagues and
by consumers of behavioral healthcare services when he was awarded the
designation “Professional of the Year”. Mr. Sajdak was educated
at Canisius College in New York, where he was awarded a full academic
scholarship, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.
He went on to earn a Master of Social Work Administration Degree from
the State University of New York, then conducted Post-graduate studies
at both universities while matriculating towards a Ph.D. in Counseling
Psychology and completing coursework in the Master of Business
Administration (MBA) program. Mark Publow, Vice President, Strategic InitiativesMark
Publow serves as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for
Childhelp. In this role Mark promotes the growth, quality
and sustainability of Childhelp’s programs and national
initiatives. Mark oversees Childhelp’s national grant development
strategy and serves as a catalyst for business analysis and strategy
development for key Childhelp programs and initiatives. Mark has
served as a program officer, manager, executive, board member and
consultant with nonprofit organizations since 1984. He served as
Vice President of Domestic Programs and Vice President of Regional
Program Strategies for World Vision U.S., one of the largest nonprofits
in the U.S. Mark also served for five years on the board of
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD), including
two years as board president. For five years Mark served as a
full-time consultant with nonprofit organizations across the U.S. that
were seeking to achieve significant, sustainable growth in program
quality and impact. In that capacity Mark worked with a number of
community-based and faith-based organizations, family and public
foundations, as well as federal government agencies such as HHS and
HUD. Mark’s work in the nonprofit sector has taken him to more
than thirty countries and over forty states. Mark has an
undergraduate degree from Bethel College in St. Paul, MN, majoring in
philosophy with minors in history and international development.
Mark also has a Masters in Business Administration from the Peter F.
Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Graduate University in
Claremont, CA.
Sarah Rodriguez, Vice President of Corporate and Chapter Relations
Sarah Rodriguez serves as Vice President of Corporate and
Chapter Relations for Childhelp. Her senior management responsibilities include
directing more than 20 Childhelp Chapters in the United States and
supervising all Chapter fundraising activities for the
organization. She also is the corporate officer who directly
interfaces with major corporations to form joint alliances and cause
marketing to benefit Childhelp.
Sarah has overseen a
variety of key management assignments. She had lead responsibilities in
major Childhelp events such as Barrett -Jackson Drive the Dream Gala,
alliances with IHOP, the Chicago Blackhawks and Verizon, all of which
directly benefit Childhelp in administering programs for abused and
neglected children.
Prior to joining the organization, Sarah graduated from UCLA with a
Bachelor of Arts degree. For fifteen years, she held senior sales and
marketing positions and won numerous awards for outstanding sales
results. Sarah resides in Arizona with her husband Mark and two
children. Len Ksobiech, Chief Financial OfficerLen Ksobiech serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Childhelp. He is responsible for financial and fiscal management of Childhelp’s operations including providing strategic leadership and establishing long-range planning in the areas of accounting, budgeting, and business planning and administration.
Prior to joining Childhelp, Len was partner at Four Peaks Financial Management in Scottsdale where he directed start-up companies in developing capital structures, accounting, budgeting and reporting systems and high-level sales and finance transactions. He has also held positions with companies including the Hyatt Corporation and Ernst & Young.
Len earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from DePaul University in Chicago and is a Certified Public Accountant. Natalie Dopp, Vice President of Human Resources Natalie Dopp, SPHR, CCP serves as the Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to joining Childhelp, Dopp was the VP of human resources at Giant Industries, Inc/Western Refining in Scottsdale where she directed the overall HR strategy for 3,000 employees in eight states. Dopp has also held positions with companies including Scottsdale Insurance Company and University Medical Center in Tucson.
Dopp earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and holds the designations of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Certified Compensational Professional (CCP). She also is a member of various human resource organizations including the National Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and WorldatWork. Walt Stutz, Director of MarketingWalt Stutz serves as the Director of Marketing for Childhelp. Prior to joining Childhelp, Walt was the President at Roman Brand Group, a subsidiary of J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, and one of the largest integrated marketing communication firms in Indiana. Stutz has also served as an adjunct faculty member of Butler University’s School of Journalism and Advertising. He holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and a BS in Advertising/Communications from the University of Evansville. |
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