Deirdre B. Phillips

The Board of Directors of the Autism Consortium elected Deirdre Phillips as Executive Director effective in May 2009.She had previously served in an Acting Executive Director capacity since December 2008. Deedee came to the Consortium with extensive experience in the financial services industry where she served as a government and community relations executive at several prominent institutions, most recently as Managing Director at Putnam Investments.

She has been involved in the autism community for over twenty years, and has a particular interest in advocating in the public policy arena for better understanding of this complicated disorder, insurance coverage for related treatment/services and employment opportunities for young people with autism. In addition, Deedee is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where her research is focused on the intersection of public policy and risk management in financial institutions. She also serves on the board of directors of Horizons for Homeless Children, where she chairs the Program and Policy Committee, and on the WGBH Community Advisory Board.