Board of Directors
Meet the Board of Directors
A Brighter Today is so blessed to have such a talented group of individuals on its Board Of Directors. Each one of them chosen based on their individual expertise, but most important their commitment and passion to change the way special needs & medically fragile children are cared for.
We must remember that one
determined person can make a significant difference and that a small group of
people can change the course of history.
-Sonia Johnson
Tracy Ferguson | Dr. Donald Olson |
Rick Sweeney
Midge Walterhouse
Tracy Ferguson
The Founder of A Brighter Today, Tracy Ferguson is a mother of a 3-year-old
child with special needs. She is an M.B.A. graduate. Tracy currently oversees
all aspects of A Brighter Today. Her vision for A Brighter Today is to have
multiple centers across 22 counties throughout California, as well as
nationwide. "Because of my son Cooper's history with severe epilepsy it is my
mission to provide advanced epilepsy training to my staff."
Tracy also sits on the Board Of Directors for the United Way, San Francisco, Bay Area Chapter. "My goal is to pave the way for developmentally disabled and medically fragile children. I want my parents to never have to worry for one minute about the safety of their child. A Brighter Today is my heart and soul, it is everything I wished I would have had in a daycare center. And now, I can finally feel confident knowing that my son Cooper will be in such an amazing program."
Dr. Donald Olson
Don is a pediatric neurologist at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital,
Stanford. Don's specialty is pediatric epilepsy. Don graduated from the
University of Oregon in 1981. He completed his residency at Children's Hospital
of San Francisco in 1984 and the University of Washington Medical Center in
1987. Don attained his fellowship though UCLA Medical Center in 1989. He is
Board Certified in the areas of: Clinical Neurophysiology, American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology Neurology - Child Neurology, American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics.
Don has been on staff at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital for six years. Don was the first chair for the Epilepsy Foundation, and brings a wealth of expertise and empathy to the board.
Rick Sweeney
Most recently was a construction safety officer at a private firm working for
OSHA, focusing on the unique environments of post 9/11 public sector work.
Prior to his construction experience, Rick served 19 years with the Berkeley
Police Department.
Mr. Sweeney has held a variety of management and senior management level positions in franchising, printing and high=tech industries. Mr. Sweeny received a Bachelors Degree from California Polytechnic University and a Masters in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College. Rick is married and has two daughters, one of which was diagnosed with significant medical challenges. His wife Lu is a neonatal intensive nurse and together they bring both combination of parent, medical and business perspectives to the board.