Meet Our Board
Overview of board
Debbie EappenPresident
Debbie is Matty’s Mom. She grew up fifth of of seven children in Chicago. She works as a Comprehensive Ophthalmologist in Boston and is President of the Matty Eappen Foundation.
Debbie is dedicated to educating medical professionals about the prevalence of child abuse and Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma ( SBS/AHT) in all socio-economic groups. She has spoken at the American Academy of Ophthalmology midyear forum to enhance educational materials on SBS/AHT. She has shared her experiences at numerous conferences including the International Conference on SBS/AHT. She also interviews with general media to prevent abuse through public education. Debbie recognizes the impact of SBS/AHT on the entire family, including siblings. She has testified at legislative hearings on child protection. She identifies with victim rights issues and has spoken at the victim rights conference in Boston. She has encouraged organ donation in homicide victims. She has spoken to medical examiners, legislators, college students, medical grand rounds attendees, and victim’s families. She has run the Boston Marathon eight times to raise money for the Matty Eappen Foundation. She is the proud and very active mother of Matty’s 3 siblings: Brendan, Kevin, and Elisabeth, who bring her great joy. |
Charlie PipalVice President
Charlie lives in Riverside, Illinois and has been on the Matty Eappen Foundation Board since its inception in 1999 and has served as Vice President since 2000. He is an architect and is married to former board member, Susan Pipal, with whom he has two children.
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Sunil EappenBoard Member
Sunny Eappen is Matthew’s father and an anesthesiologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.Sunny was born and raised in Chicago, went to the University of Illinois for his degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and to the University of Chicago for medical school before moving to Boston for his residency program.
Sunny and Debbie have been married for over 30 years and have 3 children—27, 23, and 21. Sunny has been a board member since 1998. |
Jim AderTreasurer
Jim has been on the board since 2007 and Treasurer since 2009. He has a Bachelors of Science in Forestry from University of Illinois and a Masters of Business Administration from Indiana University. He spent 20 years in various financial roles at Consolidated Rail Corporation and Capital One Financial before returning to his passion for flight. He currently works as a flight instructor at Skill Aviation Services in Waukegan, IL and lives in Libertyville, IL with his wife, Deb.
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Katie Millerboard member
Katie has been on the board since 2007. She is an administrator in the Chicago Public School System. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the University of Delaware, and Master’s Degree in Administration at Northeastern Illinois University. She enjoys hiking, travel and is an enthusiastic marathon runner.
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Brendan EappenBoard Member
Brendan is Matty’s brother. He is currently a student at Harvard Medical School. He graduated in 2016 from Harvard College where he studied Psychology and Global Health and Health Policy. He has returned to school after working with Partners In Health and Fortify Health, two global health organizations. He loves teaching and learning, and he strives to extend care to the most vulnerable people through his work and everyday encounters. Brendan is an enthusiastic albeit amateur musician and enjoys the company of his family and friends.
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Linda AyerBoard Member
Linda received her Masters in Social Work degree from Boston College and has worked in the field for 25 years. She has spent much of her career advocating for children and supporting families. Linda and her husband have two adult children and she enjoys spending her time outside, hiking and kayaking.
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