Chris Nowinski, PhD

Co-Founder & CEO, CLF

Chris Nowinski, PhD, is co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization leading the fight against concussions and CTE and dedicated to improving the lives of those...

Robert Cantu, MD

Co-Founder, Medical Director

Currently Dr. Cantu’s professional responsibilities include those of Medical Director and Director of Clinical Research, Dr. Robert ...

Lisa McHale

Director of Legacy Family Relations

Lisa McHale graduated from Cornell University, where she met her husband, Tom McHale, an All-American Defensive End for the Big Red. They m...

Julia Manning

Chief of Staff & Communications

Julia Manning joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation team in September 2018 after spending six years in broadcast journalism. Most recently, Julia worked as the 10PM producer at the CBS affiliate ...

Alan Blackburn

Director of Operations

Alan joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in March of 2023. Prior to joining CLF, Alan served as the Chief Operating Officer for Fin3 Technologies, Inc. and the Director of Operations at Profess...

Samantha Bureau, PhD

Director of International Programs

Samantha Bureau, PhD joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation team in December 2021, following nearly five years with the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada where she most recently acted as the Ass...

Michael Burke

Associate Director, Patient Programs

Michael Burke joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in January 2017. Michael manages CLF's patient services, including the CLF HelpLine, peer support programs, and co...

Emily Crouch-Ponder

Database Manager

Emily joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in August 2022 after moving from Austin to Tacoma when her husband got stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McCord. Growing up in a football-centric household...

Sagar Dave

Digital Technology Manager

Sagar joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in August 2022 after working in technology and programming for a decade. In his previous role of programming services manager at Reading Area Community...

Morgan Hicks

Development Manager

Morgan joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in January of 2021. A lifelong soccer player and self-proclaimed 'fangirl' of the US Women's National Team, she first heard about CLF when Brandi Chas...

Dan Molloy

Communications Manager

Dan joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in February 2023 following a decade working in newsrooms as a sports reporter and anchor. After graduating from the University of Missouri with...

Emmy Schumacher

Donor Engagement Manager

Emmy joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation as the Donor Engagement Manager in May 2023. Driven by her unwavering passion for both athletics and public health, this new endeavor allows h...

Tyler Ambrose

Peer Support Coordinator

Tyler joined CLF in March 2023 as a peer support coordinator. Tyler’s passion for education, human development, and mental health care sparked early in high school while serving as a volunteer for ...

Megan Ashworth

Program and Research Coordinator

Megan Ashworth originally joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation team in May 2022 as an intern for the Patient Services Department, after which she transitioned into a new role as CLF's Program an...

Samantha Pyle Buono

Legacy Family Community Coordinator

Samantha joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in August of 2022. She first became acquainted with CLF in 2015 when her father passed away after years of struggling with cognitive and behavioral ...

Matt Downing

Program and Events Coordinator

Matthew Downing joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation team in July 2023, after working in the Olympic and Paralympic movement for the last 3 years. He has experience planning and executing large ...

Nicholas Paik

Digital Content Coordinator

Nicholas Paik joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation as Digital Content Coordinator in April 2021. He comes from a marketing & communications background, and has had experience working at non-...

Niki Popyer

Finance & Administration Coordinator

Niki Popyer joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation as the Finance & Administration Coordinator in July 2022. Her first contact with CLF was as a high school basketball player who sus...

Tricia Ruiz

CLF HelpLine Coordinator

Tricia Ruiz joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation as the CLF HelpLine Coordinator in September 2022. She was born in central California and raised in eastern Montana, where hunting, fishing and s...

Katelyn Walker

Social Media Coordinator

Katelyn joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in May of 2023 as the Social Media Coordinator. She graduated from Longwood University with a B.A. in Biology, where she developed a particular inter...

Courtney Welch

Patient Services Coordinator

Courtney Welch, ATC joined the Concussion Legacy Foundation in April 2023 as a Patient Services Coordinator. Courtney is a Certified Athletic Trainer and has previously worked in both the collegiat...