Speaker Bios

Dan Unumb is an attorney and founder of the Autism Legal Resource Center. Mr. Unumb previously served as the founding Executive Director of the Autism Speaks Legal Resource Center, where he worked to secure improved insurance and Medicaid coverage for individuals with autism in over 40 states.

He has worked with federal and state regulators to secure improved guidance and enforcement on autism-related issues and has filed amicus briefs on autism legal issues in state and federal appeals courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He is co-author of the law school casebook “Autism and the Law” and has presented on legal topics pertaining to autism at numerous national conferences and trainings.

Mr. Unumb is also co-founder of the Autism Academy of South Carolina, a treatment facility providing state-of-the-art care to children on the autism spectrum. He has served on the supporting board for the Greenwood Genetics Center and is a board member of Ascendigo, in Aspen, Colorado, which provides challenging recreational activities to children and adults with autism as well as community living support. Mr. Unumb has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country in private practice in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Charleston and as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice.

Lorri is a lawyer, professor, mother of three boys, and an internationally renowned autism advocate. She began her legal career clerking for a federal judge in Charleston, South Carolina, and then moved to Washington, D.C. to practice law with the United States Department of Justice, where she met the dashing Dan Unumb. She enjoyed a fulfilling career as an appellate litigator, arguing immigration cases in U.S. Circuit Courts all over the country. After two academic stints at law schools in D.C. (George Washington) and Charleston, Lorri began teaching advocacy at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center. She also hosted an award winning weekly television show called “The Law with Professor Lorri.” Following her firstborn son’s diagnosis with autism, Lorri began working in autism advocacy as a volunteer, writing ground-breaking autism insurance legislation for South Carolina (“Ryan’s Law”) that passed in 2007 and served as the catalyst for the national movement toward autism insurance reform. In recognition of Ryan’s Law, Lorri was awarded the Autism Society of America 2008 Parents of the Year Award (along with Dan). She was then recruited by the New York-based nonprofit Autism Speaks to lead State Government Affairs. Lorri has testified more than 100 times on health insurance issues in legislatures and parliaments around the world. For her efforts, Lorri received the NASCAR Betty Jane France Humanitarian of the Year award and was featured in Town & Country Magazine as a Longines “Women Who Make a Difference” recipient. Lorri also served as a Commissioner for the South Carolina Department of Disabilities & Special Needs, which administers the state’s HCBS waivers serving individuals with developmental disabilities. She and Dan founded the Autism Academy of South Carolina (recently rebranded “The Unumb Center for Neurodevelopment”), a nonprofit ABA center and diagnostic clinic. Together, they also wrote the first-ever comprehensive textbook on autism legal issues called “Autism and the Law,” and Lorri developed & taught a course by the same name at GW Law School. Lorri is the founder of the Autism Law Summit. She is also a former world-champion clogger and first-runner up in her 4th grade spelling bee.

Jenna is licensed to practice law in Maryland and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association. In her early career she spent 5 years in the metro DC area, working for medical non-profits learning the ins and outs of the regulatory process.  Following that, she spent 10 years as the Director of Operations for a large non-profit ABA organization in Michigan where she also served as the interim Executive Director.  In 2013, she founded Minton Healthcare Strategies, now known as Proactive Strategies, LLC (PS) who specializes in guiding clients through Medicare and Medicaid regulatory processes.  Specifically, we focus on the development of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Codes which are used to report medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures and services.  PS also assists in valuing medical services through the American Medical Association's process (the AMA Relative Update Committee).  Clients we work with include: applied behavior analysis provider organizations and coalitions, medical specialty societies, and virtual technology companies.  We also support ABA provider organizations with audit, contracting, and claims processing issues.  In 2023 we grew our team to five and we look forward to what the future holds. 

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Brian earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the College of William & Mary and graduated from William & Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law, where he was member of The Order of the Coif, Law Review and the Moot Court team. Brian devoted his legal practice to civil litigation with an emphasis in education law to help families of children with disabilities. 

Since joining The Faison Center as President and CEO, Brian has overseen the growth from a small school to a world-class center for autism.  Today, The Faison Center provides services to individuals with autism of all ages all along the autism spectrum in its Early Education Center, The Faison School in Richmond, the Peninsula School in Newport News, the Faison Residence, Family Partner program, Adult Day program and Behavioral Health Clinic. 

Brian routinely works with legislators at the Virginia General Assembly on legislation involving special education laws and other laws that impact individuals with autism and those who provide services to them.  In an effort to advocate for and expand best practices for autism service providers, Brian was elected to the Board of the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP), where he served four years as that organization's Chair.  Most recently, he was appointed by the Governor to Virginia’s Autism Advisory Council.