Christian John Lillis, Co-founder & Executive Director

Peggy’s elder son. Christian has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit management. He has an eclectic background as both “behind-the-scenes” strategist and frontline fundraiser.

Christian is currently managing director of research & prospect development at Teach For America, where he leads prospect development and analysis efforts. He was previously director of development at In The Life Media, a nonprofit that produces educational media for television and online audiences. Christian has also served as director of major gifts for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and as associate director of development research for NYU Langone Medical Center.

He is a past board member of the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement and the City University of New York’s Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies. Christian holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Brooklyn College.

Victoria Amari 

Victoria has more than a decade of healthcare publicity and marketing experience, including work that spans several disease areas - infectious diseases/vaccines, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. Her areas of expertise include third party advocacy relations, consumer education programs, and physician outreach.

Throughout her career, Victoria has supported both pharmaceutical and non-profit clients in a variety of activities, providing strategic and tactical oversight of key regulatory and data milestones, physician and consumer education campaigns, and issues management activities. Victoria has also planned and executed numerous events, including press conferences, coalition meetings and patient education events.

Over the years Victoria has developed relationships with top medical and third party organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Medical Association (AMA), National Meningitis Association, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and AARP.

Victoria holds a Bachelor of Science in mass communication from Boston University.

Helen Beigle, RN 

 Peggy’s elder sister. Helen has been a registered nurse for nearly 20 years. She currently manages inpatient placement for the Northshore LIJ Health System.

She holds a BS in Nursing from Molloy College.

Denice Hilty, DC

Dr. Hilty has been helping individuals and families in New York City enjoy better health since 2001. In addition to being a skilled chiropractic diagnostician, Dr. Hilty has done extensive study and been trained in several additional methods of healing. Understanding that imbalances can show up in the body on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels, Dr. Hilty helps her patients discover the root cause of the imbalance and assists them in releasing and eliminating those issues.

In 2004 Dr. Hilty accomplished her dream of starting her own practice, Transformational Healthcare. Dr. Hilty is an avid learner and is continually expanding her knowledge by studying new ideas and research, as well as attending seminars. This love of learning and helping people is what guided her to become a natural integrative healthcare provider.

Tammy Kohlschmidt

Tammy is a Certified Clinical Thermographer and a frontrunner as a Licensed Dental Hygienist. She has a special interest in the Oral Systemic Link and in Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy using Lasers. By combining Thermal Imaging andPeriodontal Therapy she has made connections between the mouth and body that address The Oral Systemic Link. Tammy believes the mouth and body share an ecosystem that is best treated as a whole to obtain sustainable health.  Tammy is a founding member of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health.  She is a member of Dentistry for Diabetics, Centers for Dental Medicine, Thermography Unlimited, and the International Body Talk Association.  She has co-hosted a national radio show on Sustainable Dentistry, she teaches and lectures on Thermography and is currently co-hosting the show Sustainable Dentistry- A Better Way with Dr. Reid Winick on Manhattan Cable, channel 57. Tammy’s free time is spent as a dancer, choreographer and dance instructor.

Liam James Lillis, Co-founder

Family representative. Peggy’s younger son, Liam is a plumber at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and member of Plumbers Local 1. He previously worked for Ideal Plumbing and AC Klem.

He resides in Marine Park, Brooklyn with his fiancée, Melissa, their dog, McGee.

Julie Reagan, PhD, JD, MPH

Julie holds a PhD in Management, Policy, and Community Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health in Houston, Texas. She completed a Masters of Public Health degree from the same university.  Dr. Reagan is also an attorney licensed to practice law in New Mexico and Texas (inactive status).  She has been practicing law since 1993.  She also holds degrees in health education and dental hygiene.

Dr. Reagan’s dissertation topic, The Movement Toward Patient Safety: State Action Related to Reporting and Disclosure of Healthcare-Associated Infections, presents a comparative analysis of state reporting and public disclosure laws and activity among U.S. states and territories.

Dr. Reagan’s healthcare consulting practice currently focuses solely on healthcare-associated infection issues. She serves on the New Mexico Healthcare-Associated Infections Committee and also the Nevada Safe Injection Practices Coalition. She was also a member of an expert working group that advised the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the development of an HAI Policy Toolkit presenting state policy options to prevent and eliminate HAIs.

Moshe Rubin, M.D.

Dr. Rubin serves as the director of the Gastroenterology Division and program director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship Training program. Dr Rubin, who hails from Queens, attended Queens College where he received a B.A. in Psychology. He then attended Yale University School of Medicine and received his M.D. in 1983.

After completing three years of Internal Medicine residency training at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell, Dr. Rubin achieved his Gastroenterology Fellowship training at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. He remained on the faculty as an associate professor at Columbia University Medical Center for 20 years and assumed many leadership positions while conducting clinical research and maintaining an active clinical practice.

In January 2008, Dr. Rubin joined New York Hospital Queens to lead the hospital's Gastroenterology Division through an unprecedented growth phase and program expansion.

Dr. Rubin oversees a division with many highly skilled subspecialists and brings to New York Hospital Queens expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the small intestine, obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and clostridia difficile enteritis

Erik Satre

Erik is director of new media at In The Life Media, where he leads development, production and distribution of online educational video. He has an extensive background in television, feature film and commercials. Clients have included Nestle, Comedy Central, Sega and Disney. Erik has also worked on independent films that have screened at the San Francisco International, Woodstock, and Berlin film festivals. With over 14 years of broadcast experience, he understands the importance of aesthetic and technical growth in new media content delivery. He holds a Masters degree in Radio and Television from San Francisco State University.

Alicia Skovera, MSW

Alicia Skovera is the Director of Camping & Year Round Programs at The Fresh Air Fund. Ms. Skovera joined The Fund in 2007 as the Director of Camp ABC and Off-Season Programs. She received her master’s degree from Hunter College School of Social Work in New York City and has spent 23 years working with at-risk inner-city youth.

Ms. Skovera currently serves on the Boards of the American Camp Association (New York & New Jersey Section) and the New York State Camp Directors Association. Prior to joining The Fund, Ms. Skovera worked with people living with HIV/AIDS, and was a director at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in New York City, where she provided counseling and consulting services.

Cynthia Wagner, RDH

A dental hygienist for 20 years, Cynthia has worked in a variety of healthcare settings. A member of the Dental Forensics Society, she spent several months following 9/11 working to identify the remains of hundreds of Americans lost in the terrorist attack. She is also a past volunteer at the Brooklyn Children’s Advocacy Center.

Cynthia is a graduate of New York Technical Institute.

Reid Winick, DDS

Dr. Winick is a licensed dentist for 24 years in the State of New York. He has graduated from NYU College of Dentistry and presently practices in the Chrysler building in New York City. He is a pioneer and on the cutting edge in bringing new high tech procedures to his patients.

Dr. Winick not only has hundreds of hours of continuing education, he has had his research published in peer reviewed journals. He is past co-founder and director of the TMJ/Facial Pain Clinic at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary on 14street, in New York City. Dr. Winick has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Gary Null, Time Out Magazine and other health related magazines and cable shows.

Christopher Young

A graduate of Wake Forest University, Chris currently works in the Finance department of Horizon Media, a leading advertisement planning and placement firm.

The Advisory Board is actively seeking members with expertise in public health, infectious disease, epidemiology, and media/public relations. If you're interested in joining, please contact Christian John Lillis at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .