Q&A: MEET OUR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Well... the cat’s out of the bag. Our beloved President Jo Rosen is departing Parkinson’s Resource Organization after 34 years. While Jo pursues the novelty of free time, takes her expertise on the speaking circuit, and pursues her forever goal of eradicating Parkinson’s Disease, PRO will continue with a new captain—our longtime Director of Operations, Eileen Lynch. So who the heck is she? Check her out via the interview below. 

How long have you been involved with Parkinson’s Resource Organization? 

I first met Jo at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. In response to COVID, Jo and the team had shifted their programs online and started getting an influx of new constituents from all over the country. Jo saw the opportunity to really fulfill PRO’s mission – that no one is isolated because of Parkinson’s – but she needed help writing grants to fund the digital transition already underway. I was freelance grantwriter living in Vermont at the time so we met via Zoom and the rest, as they say, is history!

What compelled you to join the PRO team full-time?

Working on these grants, I got to know the various programs really well. I collected testimony from existing constituents to round out the applications and a few things jumped out at me. First – Jo had developed a really unique combination of support for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Her approach married the personal (emotional support) with the pragmatic (practical resources), and prioritized the personal touch. People who meet the PRO team come away feeling not just better informed, but HEARD and SEEN. It’s a people-first approach and it immediately appealed to me. Ultimately, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn from a woman like Jo.

Did you have any personal exposure to Parkinson’s disease? 

You know, at the time I came on board I thought the answer was no. The mother of a former boyfriend had Parkinson’s, but beyond a slight tremor she kept it pretty buttoned up. As soon as I took this job, though, I realized I was actually surrounded by Parkinson’s – as most of us are. Close friends I’d known for years started revealing that their parents, neighbors, or grandparents had Parkinson’s. I realized pretty quickly that Parkinson’s is much more prevalent than we give it credit for and, more importantly, that people live full and active lives for years and decades with the diagnosis. I also began to confront the fact that we as a society tend to stigmatize our chronic conditions – our reluctance to share weighty diagnoses like Parkinson’s with family and friends actually cuts us off from valuable resources like what Parkinson’s Resource Organization provides. 

Tell us more about your career before PRO. 

Sure! I’ve been working with nonprofits for ten years now. I started out doing political campaigns in Virginia and Washington, DC. Everything from knocking on doors and making phone calls to fundraising and communications. I quickly honed in on the healthcare field as my specific area of interest – I worked on reproductive healthcare advocacy and was part of the successful multi-year effort to expand Medicaid to almost half a million Virginians in 2017. I have a lot of doctors and nurses in my close-family – through their clinical experience and my own experience advocating for better healthcare access in rural Virginia communities, I got a front-row look at the shortcomings of our healthcare, health-payment, and aging care systems. I’ve always been a fighter for the underdog – my work with Jo and with Parkinson’s Resource Organization is a natural continuation of that drive. 

Will you share some fun facts about you?

Hmmm. My favorite fact is that I’m a twin – I like to joke that I have half a medical degree because my twin sister is an ICU doctor and I lived with her while she went through Medical School. Lots and lots of flash card study sessions…

I’m also an avid hiker. I try to spend as much time in nature as my schedule allows and on weekends you can usually find me exploring canyons and hunting for oases in the Mojave Desert. I’ve also completed long-range backpacking trips like the 21-day John Muir Trail in the High Sierra or the C-Loop in Torres del Paine, Patagonia. 

I’m also a writer, a poet, and an artist. 

Any words for the Parkinson’s community? 

I would like to emphasize that the Parkinson’s Resource Organization you know and love will continue. It’s been a real honor to learn from Jo over the last few years. There’s no filling her (very stylish) shoes, but what I’ve learned from Jo is rigorous dedication to the individual. What makes PRO special are the relationships we build with our constituents, real friendships that endure for years. We’ll keep looking under every rock for research, treatments, therapies, and information to improve quality of life with Parkinson’s. And we’ll do everything in our power to bring that information to you.