Speaker Bios

David Kirby

David Kirby is author of the critically acclaimed book “Evidence of Harm, Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic – A Medical Controversy” (St. Martin’s Press – 2005), which debuted at number 27 on The New York Times bestseller list, and is still widely read today. Kirby has appeared on such venues as Meet the Press, Larry King Live, The Today Show, Imus in the Morning, CNN Headline News Prime, Montel Williams, Air America, and dozens of local radio and television stations.  Kirby, a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, has been a professional journalist for over 15 years, including extensive contributions to The New York Times. He was a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America from 1986-1990. Kirby has also worked in politics, medical research and public relations. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Stuart Freedenfeld, MD

Dr. Stuart Freedenfeld received his medical degree, with honors, from the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1975.  He completed a three-year residency in Family Practice at Hunterdon Medical Center in 1978 and served as chief resident there from 1977-1978.  He became a diplomate of the Academy of Family Practice in 1978, and he is board certified.  Dr. Freedenfeld presently holds a position as clinical instructor with the Rutgers Medical School.

Julie Matthews, CN

Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant specializing in autism spectrum disorders (as well as healthy pregnancy and babies). She has been a Defeat Autism Now!®  practitioner for five years. Her work and her book, Nourishing Hope, are based in scientific research and an understanding of the biochemistry of ASDs and the role of nutrition to restore health.  Julie has a private nutrition practice and radio show in San Francisco.

Nancy O’Hara, MD

Dr. Nancy O'Hara is a board certified pediatrician.  Prior to her medical career she taught children with autism.  Dr. O'Hara graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and earned a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1998, she began her integrative practice solely for children with special needs.  She is the liaison for medical mentoring for Defeat Autism Now!® and one of the leaders for the clinician’s training in the US and abroad.

Neal Speight, MD

Dr. Speight did his undergraduate work in chemistry at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He attended medical school at East Carolina School of Medicine and completed his residency at University of South Carolina-Columbia. He is board certified in Family Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Medicine, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) and is the Vice President of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine (ACAM). He has additional training in metal toxicology and integrative medicine. For five years he served as an assistant professor at Capitol University of Integrative Medicine in Washington, DC.

Elizabeth Mumper, MD

Dr. Mumper is the Medical Director of the Autism Research Institute and a general pediatrician who treats children with autism spectrum disorders and attention deficits and conducts clinical research in Virginia. In September she opened The RIMLAND Center in order to have a facility where clinicians could come to learn about many aspects of medical care and therapies for children with autism.

Lisa Lewis, PhD

Lisa Lewis, PhD is a co-founder of the Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI), which provides support for parents using dietary intervention. Her books Special Diets for Special Kids and Special Diets II are considered by many to be essential for GF/CF cooking. She has recently written The Encyclopedia of Dietary Intervention with Karyn Seroussi. She is the mother of Sam, a 19 year old with autism who has benefited greatly from dietary intervention.

Edwin Marty

Edwin Marty is currently the director of Jones Valley Urban Farm in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Before returning to Birmingham to start the non-profit “teaching farm,” Edwin earned a BA in Anthropology from the University of Oregon and completed an “Apprenticeship in Agroecology” from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He went on from UC Santa Cruz to work on sustainable farm projects around the world (Mexico, Mongolia, Australia, and Chile). He also worked as an instructor for the Outward Bound School for 4 years in Northern Washington. Returning to Birmingham in 2001, Edwin worked for Southern Living Magazine as a Garden Writer while establishing Jones Valley Urban Farm. In 2006, Edwin left Southern Living to begin working as the full-time Director of Jones Valley Urban Farm.

Scott Pace

Scott Pace began his career in the greenhouse business with his father in 1980 in Saluda, NC where he remained for 8 years. After completing Blue Ridge Community College, he served as Nursery Manager at Jesse Israel & Sons Garden Center and obtained his NC Certified Plantsman Certification. In 2001, Scott returned to growing in the nursery industry as Operations Manager for a 140-acre tree farm in SC. In 2004, he began working at Fafard, Inc. and currently serves as Fafard’s Consumer Products Key Account Manager, covering 5 states in the Southern Region, providing sales and marketing assistance to retail garden center and educational seminars to the gardening public. Scott currently resides in Pelzer, SC with his wife, April and son, David.