Our Team

Steve Gleason played for The New Orleans Saints from 2000-2008. As a counter-culture athlete who spent his off-season adventuring in third world countries, he will always be remembered for his blocked punt on the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina.

In January, 2011 Steve was diagnosed with ALS, considered a terminal neuromuscular disease. Beyond his faith that there is a solution to heal, it is his mission to show that people can not only live but thrive after this diagnosis. In doing so, he intends to inspire others to do the same.  With that in mind, Steve and his wife, Michel, formed “Team Gleason” to help him accomplish those goals and more.

Steve has helped pass 2 laws, innovated for and helped create new technologies for people with ALS and other disabilities, is a Congressional Gold Medal Winner, and most importantly, the father of two amazing children.

In her original role as Co-Founder of Team Gleason and also as Steve’s wife, Michel had a crash course in ALS and all that implies. In the film, ‘Gleason’, she and Steve shared their story with the world, creating enormous awareness for the disease and Team Gleason. Her official roles are as an advisor and also managing merchandise for the organization, but she remains a pillar or maybe two. And, every good idea is always attributed to Michel.

Sally can be seen putting together a fundraising softball game with NFL players or taking spouses of people with ALS to a spa day. She could be working countless hours on any given event, but you will rarely see her without a smile. She is our Chief Smile Officer.

Although Kenny did not know much about ALS, he joined Steve’s care team a few years ago and now has a rich understanding of not only the disease, but a valued understanding of the complexities of caring for someone with the disease. Those assets are essential to all Team Gleason’s missions.

Clare’s roles vacillate between communications, policy, and like all within Team Gleason, duties as needed. With ALS, there is no shortage of needs, so there’s no task Clare, nor the team aren’t willing to approach.

After the birth of her children, she realized what it was like for another human to completely rely on others for their care. She’s translated that into everything she does in her work toward assisting those with ALS. Carolyn uniquely came to New Orleans and ultimately Team Gleason via Toledo, Ohio on the advice of her Spirit Guide and a connection to the number 37. Thank you Spirit Guide.

In her time at Team Gleason, Emily has said, “It feels unreal to be able to help the amount of people each day in the way that we do. This was a big change from working in a clinic where you have a certain amount of time to work with each patient and have to see so many per day, to being able to actually listen and assist each person no matter the time or insurance.

From New Orleans, Emily was a longtime fan of Team Gleason and has always been passionate about working with people living with ALS. Despite her fears of watching the film, ‘Gleason’, because she felt she would cry for hours, she said it only made her more passionate to join the team and make an impact. We’re glad she did.

Despite all the positive assets Daniel brings to Team Gleason, none is more impressive than his ability to play the bouzouki, mandolin, tuba, and bass. We aren’t sure if he can do that all at once, but it wouldn’t be surprising.

Yutha’s path from Boston to New Orleans came through interning at the State Department, working for a law firm, and on a Congressional campaign. But her overwhelming passion for life is in public service and humanitarian work. Yutha credits her drive to work for a non-profit with being raised by a family who dedicated their lives to helping others. And, Team Gleason and the ALS community are grateful.

If her travel background wasn’t enough, Emily has worked in disability rights and in journalism. She first learned about ALS through the Ice Bucket Challenge and then saw Steve and Team Gleason in a Mardi Gras parade. Once she became more familiar with team Gleason’s mission, she joined the Team in an effort to return to helping people. We are thrilled to have her, but we especially hope she brings some of her Scottish folk dancing skills to the team.

Despite not knowing much about ALS when Steve was diagnosed, Rian dug in and began helping in every way. She’s been instrumental in the growth of Team Gleason in Steve’s hometown of Spokane through Gleason Fest, the Gleason Classic Golf Tournament, and other events, while creating many more key programs that benefit people living with ALS.