The committee aims to reflect Europe’s diversity, with most geographic regions of Europe represented. The current term runs from 2020 to 2024.
Harald Neerland
President | Norway
Biography
Harald has over twenty years of experience in advocacy for people with autism in Norway and at the European level.
He has been involved with Autism-Europe since 2008, as a member of the Executive Committee for the past 8 years, and has been involved in the organizing committee of two Autism-Europe congresses, 2007 in Oslo and 2019 in Nice.
As a former President of the Norwegian Autism Society, Harald has been a member of several of the stakeholder engagement committees for the Department of Health and Care services in the Norwegian Directorate of Health and Social services.
He has also served as Chairman of the Advisory group, the Autism unit, the National centre for competency on Autism at Oslo University Hospital.
In addition to his voluntary work for autism, Harald is the father of two girls. The youngest has autism with complex support needs.
When he is not working on his commitments in relation to the field of autism, he works as an engineering manager for an international manufacturer of oil and gas production equipment.
Zsuzsanna Szilvasy
Vice President | Hungary
Biography
Zsuzsanna is the director of Mars Autism Foundation. She has been involved in autism organisations, both in Hungary and at the European level, for the past fifteen years. Zsuzsanna was the president of the Hungarian Autistic Society for four years and has played a key role in advocating for the rights of people with autism in Hungary, as well as providing advice to organisations and families about their rights and best practices. She also played a central role in the organisation of the 2013 Autism-Europe’s XI International Congress which was held in Budapest, Hungary.
She has been the president of Autism-Europe from 2012 to 2020.
In addition to her work for autism, Zsuzsanna is also the mother of a young adult on the autism spectrum in need of a high-level of support and works in a deinstitutionalisation project.
Zsuzsanna speaks Hungarian, English, Spanish, and German.
Marta Roca
Vice President | Spain
Biography
Since its foundation in 1976, Marta has been collaborating with Autisme la Garriga. This organisation run a network of services in Catalonia (Spain) based on developing the diagnosis of autism, the creation of lifelong care services and family participation. Apafac, one of the entities of Autisme la Garriga, became a founding member of Autism-Europe.
Since the mid 1980s, Marta has attended Autism-Europe meetings and participated in various activities. She was a member of the Organising Committee of Autism-Europe’s 5th International Congress ‘Hope is not a Dream’ (1996) held in Barcelona. She has also been a member of the Autism Europe executive committee since 2016.
She is the president of Fundació Congost Autisme and Federació Autisme Catalunya and a board member of Confederación Autismo España.
In addition to her voluntary work for autism, Marta is the sister of a woman on the autism spectrum in need of a high and complex level of support.
She works in the Government of Catalonia.
Stéfany (Stéf) Bonnot-Briey
Vice President | France
Biography
Stéf Bonnot-Briey is an expert in autism. She is also a professional (independent consultant and trainer within a social enterprise [VIA]) and a community activist (HANDI-VOICE and PAARI (“Autistic Persons, for a Responsible and Innovative Self-Determination”).
She works for autistic people to promote independence and autonomy, respect for their rights, and to improve their quality of life for people with autism across the spectrum. Stéf has contributed to various developments in France regarding public policy relating to autism: in particular the recommendations on good practice for the French Health Research Authority (‘Haute Autorité de Santé’). She is part of the “national council for autism spectrum disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders” which ensures the monitoring and successful deployment of the national strategy for autism 2018-2022 in France.
Liga Berzina
Secretary | Latvia
Biography
Liga has been the Head of the Board at the Latvian Autism Association since 2014.
With more than seven years of experience in advocacy for people with Autism in Latvia, she actively represents neurodiversity ideas at the National and Municipal levels to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
Liga is a mother of three wonderful children and one of which is a teenage boy on the autism spectrum.
In addition to her voluntary work in the field of Autism, she works in the field of gamification. As owner of uzvediba.lv, she looks for interactive and playful solutions in addressing challenging behaviour in different environments such as workplaces, educational institutions, families, etc.
Adam Harris
Treasurer | Ireland
Biography
Adam Harris is the Founder and CEO of AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity. Adam founded the organisation based on his own growing up as a young autistic person in Ireland. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome from an early age, the condition was far less understood or even known as it is today. Having spent his initial school years within the special education stream, he moved to a mainstream school in Second Class and was supported by an SNA. Today, AsIAm provides support to the autism people and their families, advocates on behalf of the community, and works to support public and private sector organisations and communities in becoming inclusive and accessible. A Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardee, Adam is a frequent contributor to media and conferences in Ireland and overseas. He became a member of AE Council of Administration in 2019. He has also sat and advised on many government consultative and policy committees on disability rights and inclusion. From Greystones in Co Wicklow, Adam was appointed to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in July 2020.
Monique Post
Executive Committee Member | Netherlands
Biography
Monique Post has been working within the field of autism, on national and EU level, for over 14 years. She provides consultation services, works as an autism coach and has given lectures throughout Europe/UK. In 2015 she was asked to be European Ambassador for the Dutch Autism Association (NVA). She was elected to AE council of administration in 2016. Monique has worked as a senior consultant to a Dutch government project, helping to implement the Education branch of the project and has sat on the Women’s Committee for Disabilities in EDF, representing Autism Europe. She has enjoyed working as a joint researcher for various projects, facilitating working with self-advocates in a truly inclusive manner and in 2014 developed and was asked to develop and Chair the first Board of Experience in The Netherlands. She enjoys writing articles on autism for various magazines and in 2017 designed and organised a conference on autism and related health challenges in Wales (UK). Monique currently works as a distance support worker for people suffering from PASC/Long Covid.