About A2A

Adversity comes in many shapes and sizes—from life-threatening illnesses, to mental health challenges, to countless other forms and degrees of personal hardship. It can center on one’s own struggles or those of another. And its duration can range from days to years. While the means of addressing adversity are every bit as varied as its many forms, there is one approach that’s been shown, again and again, to amplify the benefits of all the rest. It taps the wisdom of the age-old adage that we help ourselves by helping others, and it is supported by a growing body of empirical evidence. This approach is simply that of turning one’s personal challenges into service to others with similar challenges, and it’s available to anyone battling any form of adversity. Unfortunately, far too few people facing adversity are aware of the life-changing power of this A2A process–despite growing media coverage and a current boom in research into such topics as altruism, empathy, and sense of purpose. And for those who do recognize the potential that personal advocacy offers as a means of dealing with adversity, another roadblock far too frequently awaits them: access to service opportunities.
 
That’s where Adversity 2 Advocacy fits in. With your help, we aim to fill these voids through a web-based collection of inspiring stories, educational material, and advocacy opportunities for individuals: (a) facing mental, physical, or other life challenges; and (b) looking for ways to be of service to others with similar challenges.

 

Our Team

Board of Directors

Jeff Bell

Founder/Board President

Jeff is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and radio news anchor. His two books, Rewind, Replay, Repeat and When in Doubt, Make Belief, have established him as a leading authority on adversity and the concept of Greater Good motivation. Jeff served for eight years as a board member and national spokesman for the International OCD Foundation and has lent his support to numerous wellness organizations, including Mental Health America, which has honored him with its prestigious forWARDS Award, for “moving the cause of mental health forward.” A 30-year veteran of radio and television news, Jeff retired in 2022 as co -anchor of the KCBS Afternoon News, two-time winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in America.

 

Sandie Dorman

Board Vice President & Director of Outreach

Sandie is a former President of the Board of Directors of the Ann Martin Center, a non profit that provides psychotherapy and learning therapy for at risk youth in Alameda County. She is also is a mentor for Year Up students and has co produced short documentaries for them. Prior to joining the non profit world she worked in advertising and as a marketing consultant.

 

Mandi Friedel

Board Secretary

Mandi Friedel is a dedicated elementary school and reading intervention teacher, and was recently named “Teacher of the Year” for the River Delta Unified School District. When not in front of a classroom, Mandi serves as a community volunteer, devoted family member and friend, and co-editor of Jeff Bell’s books. She is thrilled to have been asked to be on the A2A board of directors, and is so proud to be involved with this project that she believes will help countless individuals and their loved ones.

 

Kelley Gibbs

Board Treasurer

Kelley Gibbs is a Certified Public Accountant practicing in California since 1978. He has degrees in Geology, Accounting, and an MBA.
He has worked with non-profits for over 40 years, both as a volunteer and as a consulting CFO and served on numerous non-profit boards.
Kelley has acted as the CFO for a number of dot.com startups and has been involved with businesses in a number of foreign countries.
He believes A2A’s mission of sharing inspiring stories coupled with education and advocacy will prove to be an invaluable asset to those in need.

 

Robin Gianattassio-Malle

Board Member

Robin Gianattassio-Malle is the founder of BlueEGGMedia, LLC, a San Francisco-based consultancy that incubates and produces media futures for global networks and core platforms in North America and East Asia. Founding producer and director of Forum, the award-winning national current affairs program broadcast daily on the San Francisco National Public Radio (NPR) affliate station, KQED-FM. In addition to her journalism career, Gianattassio-Malle holds visiting faculty posts in the Design and Technology Department and directed the Center for Word, Text and Image at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) and also serves as a visiting professor at the California College of Art (CCA), teaching classes that integrate journalism with contemporary art and design.

 

Lee Stimmel

Board Member

Lee Stimmel is President and Senior Partner of Stimmel, Stimmel, & Smith in San Francisco. An attorney since 1973, he is also a lecturer and author, and has served as an arbitrator in numerous complex disputes. Lee is the founder of Blue Water Foundation, an all-volunteer, nonprofit corporation dedicated to bringing the joys of sailing to San Francisco Bay Area inner city and at-risk youth. He was a founding board member of One World Health and served as Board President of Urban Pioneer Experiential Academy, a San Francisco public charter school.

 

Robert Villanueva

Board Member

Robert Villanueva is a well-known speaker in the field of mental health, with an emphasis on the stigma of mental illness. Through sharing his story of living with a severe mental illness, Robert has been involved in research, outreach, and education at prestigious universities at an international level. He is a National Trainer of Trainers for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and serves as Assistant Research Director/West Coast Regional Director for Let’s Erase The Stigma.

 

Coordinators

Ken Bell

Toby Nady

Guy Ras

Advisors

Belinda Lyons

Dacher Keltner, PHD

Stephen Hinshaw, PhD

Helen Riess, MD

Spencer Weisbroth