A huge success!
Our May 1, 2025, Voices Autism in Leadership Awards Gala was filled with joy, inspiration, and a powerful sense of community.
At this truly special evening we celebrated the strength, passion, and impact of our honorees:
Leadership Award: Hilary Mercer, Debra Solomon
Volunteer Service Award: Keith Alleyne, Lori Dressler, Lynn Sampelayo, Diane Slonim
Community Service Award: Jordan Keller
It was a privilege to recognize each honoree with plaques from Yes She Can and citations from NYS Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Shelley Mayer and NYS Assemblymember Chris Burdick who generously joined us to personally acknowledge our outstanding volunteers. We were honored as well by the presence of White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach, who joined in the celebration.
The night simply wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors:
Platinum
Aronson Mayefsky & Sloan; Morgan Stanley
Benefactor
Jeffrey Pietrzak, The Mansion on Broadway
Ambassador
Hillspoint Advisors, Cindy and Stephen Margulies, Robin Ross, USAI
Associate
Mitchell Bloomberg, Randolph Cowen, Littman Krooks LLP, Anne Prost Robert Family, Cindy Braunstein, Dr. Gwen Lopez-Cohen
The Greker Broz, who joined us via Lagond Music’s Power Through Performance, gave an inspiring performance and Kevin Kujawa the Juggler delighted guests with his impressive act.
About our Leadership Awardees:
Debra Solomon is Founder of Spectrum Strategies, and is dedicated to empowering neurodivergent young adults to navigate their path to success.
A New York University-certified Life and Career Coach, Debra works with young autistic adults and other learning differences, advocates to raise awareness of their abilities and challenges, and educates employers and other professionals in how best to help them succeed. Debra started her company, Spectrum Strategies, to help create a level playing field for these young adults.
We were especially moved by Debra’s words
“Yes She Can is changing lives every day. I am so fortunate to sit on this board and to have the opportunity to help this wonderful organization with its work… My work is dedicated to helping these very bright and capable young people develop life skills and obtain and maintain employment… It is my privilege to be in a place to help a group that often needs an advocate to get through the hurdles that life throws at us and help them to succeed… Yes She Can is an organization that does so much to help these individuals. I am proud to be a part of it and honored to receive this award.”
Watch Debra’s speech here
Hillary Mercer. While growing up in Chicago, Hillary’s innate curiosity and differing perspectives flourished, supported by a family in which Neurodiversity spans generations. Perpetually a voracious reader, Hillary collected knowledge encompassing an astounding breadth of topics driven by special interests and the desire to understand “why”. As she got older, Hillary’s neurodiverse traits created a rift with other kids, creating an overwhelming feeling of isolation. Hillary sought acceptance and made a mask to conform to social expectations, dimming her sparkle and authenticity.
Hillary shared insights that brought everyone in attendance to their feet.
“…I am thrilled that Yes She Can exists to give young people like me opportunities I didn’t have, the opportunity to recognize their sparkle and let it shine from the get-go…We are not just neurodivergent or autistic people. We have so much potential and to give, so much to offer in the face of adversity, in the face of, dare I say, asinine assumptions about who we are and what we can do. Be courageous. Show who you are, what you can do, and stand up for what you believe in. And so with that, thank you all for being here. Thank you for this honor.”
Click here to watch Hillary’s speech.
Here are some pictures of our special evening.
Thanks to all our attendees, staff, event volunteers, and collaborators who made this magical evening possible.
Click below to view the Awards journal.
