Dear John,

I hope this message finds you and your family well. My name is Keith Wargo and I'm pleased to meet you and serve this incredible community as the new President and CEO of Autism Speaks.

It's important to share with you, first and foremost, that I was a part of the Autism Speaks community prior to taking on this role. As the father of an adult on the spectrum, Autism Speaks has been a longstanding resource for my family — most recently as my son made the pivotal shift from school to the workforce.

During my first two weeks at Autism Speaks, I've been immersing myself in our many programs and initiatives. I've met with volunteers, staff and donors to hear firsthand about our successes as well as where there are opportunities to do better. Your ideas, feedback and experiences are critical and I invite you to share your thoughts with me at [email protected].

Before joining Autism Speaks, I knew this organization was driving significant impact through advocacy, services and supports and research to create a world where all people with autism can reach their full potential. But what's clear now is that Autism Speaks has the potential to do even more.

I will be coming back to you to share more about my strategic vision soon but in the meantime, I want to thank you for your steadfast support of Autism Speaks, especially in light of the challenges throughout the past year and a half. Without you, we would not be able to continue our work of enhancing the lives of those on the spectrum and their families.

I look forward to speaking to you again in the coming weeks.

All my best,

Keith Wargo
President & CEO