OUR TEAM
Board of Directors
Steven C. Cassell
Founder and Board Member
Steven C. Cassell is the Founder and President of The Jake Cassell Fund. Steve founded the organization to honor Jake’s life by sharing his mission of love and empathy to special children and young adults who struggle with autism and other special needs.
Steven is a real estate professional who serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Washington, DC-based developer Four Points, LLC and in that capacity has overseen more than a billion dollars of construction and development in the greater Washington, DC area. More importantly, Steve is the father of a special needs child and through that experience has experienced the beauty, innocence, unique perspective and promise that special needs children and young adults provide to their families and communities. Mr. Cassell holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Economics from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
Jennifer J. Cassell
Board Member and Director of Marketing
Jennifer Cassell is the Founder and creative force behind Cassell Communications. Her agency's expertise spans a wide range of communication mediums, design, branding, collateral, and web development. Jennifer's dedication to delivering outstanding results has earned her the trust and loyalty of a diverse clientele, ranging from startups to established corporations. Outside of her professional pursuits, Jennifer is passionate about giving back to those in need. She ran Project Honduran Child for ten years, allowing over 160 students to attend schools in underserved mountain communities. She currently supports Sunshine Projects, an organization that offers in-house day programming and an online community that serves young adults with learning challenges.
Roger D. Winston
Board Member
Roger D. Winston the Team Leader in the DC office of the Real Estate Group and also leads the firm's Mixed-Use, Condominium, and Multifamily Development Team at Ballard Spahr. He has practiced real estate law in the Washington, D.C., region for more than 40 years, and has played a key role in bringing numerous significant projects and transactions to fruition both in the region and nationally. Roger has advised and represented many industry-leading developers, investors, and lenders on major projects and transactions in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and throughout the United States.
Michael O'Hanlon
Board Member
Michael O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S. defense strategy and budgets, the use of military force, and American national security policy. He directs the Strobe Talbott Center on Security, Strategy and Technology, and is the inaugural holder of the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy. He co-directs the Africa Security Initiative as well. He is an adjunct professor at Columbia and Georgetown universities, and a member of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board; he was also a member of the External Advisory Board at the Central Intelligence Agency from 2011-2012. O’Hanlon and his wife Cathy have two daughters, one of whom, was diagnosed with autism in 2004 continues to live with her parents in Bethesda. Together, she and her dad created a club for young adults with autism called Friends on the Move who get together monthly for an outings that typically include an educational activity, hiking, a good meal, and community bonding. O’Hanlon has also held several events at Brookings on autism awareness, policy, and hope.
Michael Schecter
Board Member
Michael Schecter is an Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Morgan Properties, one of the largest owner/operators of Apartments in the United States. He is one of the key executives involved in its growth strategy that helped it more than triple in size over the last 15 years. Prior to Morgan Properties, he was in the hotel industry including he worked at Marriott International, Inc. and was one of the founders of a Bethesda-based hotel REIT that eventually he helped take public. In his spare time, Mike has been an adult uniformed leader with Scouting America for over 20 years, including he has been a Cub Master, a Scout Master and is currently the leader of a annual winter camporee that attracts over 1,000 scouts from Montgomery County Maryland. Mike had the honor of being Jacob Cassell's Cub Master, Scout Master and Eagle Advisor.
We need your help.
We need your help to make a difference in the lives of individuals with special needs. Please consider donating to our special needs organization today. Your generosity will help us provide vital resources and support to those who need it most. Together, we can create a brighter future for all. Click the donate button now to make a difference.