As President of The Reilly Group, Colleen Reilly brings her unique ability of “thinking forward” to every project and issue.  She has a clear vision for what needs to happen, how to chart a strategic course, and assemble the right team of professionals to successfully achieve goals.  In addition, Colleen Reilly is skilled with building partnerships and inspiring people to work together.

Ten years ago, she founded The Reilly Group, Inc. to work with leading health companies, foundations and organizations in developing and executing strategic communications initiatives toward improving the health of Americans. 

Reilly has more than twenty years experience in communications and public affairs, specifically in women's health, mental health and wellness.  Having worked in senior positions in the government, national non-profit organizations, media, and the private sector, she can combine this multi-dimensional experience to envision and implement public education & media campaigns, national initiatives, advocacy, and communication /marketing partnerships.   

Prior to starting The Reilly Group, Ms. Reilly served as senior communications advisor to the US Public Health Service Office on Women’s Health in Washington, DC, where she was responsible for designing and implementing national partnership and public education campaigns on women’s health issues with other agencies, non-profit groups and corporations.  In addition, Ms. Reilly’s Federal experience includes launching other national public health education initiatives for the US Department of Health and Human Services. 

She also served as the Senior VP for Communications and Marketing for the National Mental Health Association overseeing national media, public education and advocacy campaigns on mental health issues for over 300 affiliated chapters.  At NMHA, she was primarily responsible for the development, management and branding of the National Public Education Campaign on Depression a major national campaign implemented locally.  She managed a national coalition of the major mental health groups and over forty state campaign coalitions.

Before turning her attention to national health issues, Reilly worked as newspaper journalist and political consultant in Colorado and California.  Reilly received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

John Astin, PhD

Dr. Astin works with RGI on developing mind-body education programs, content and products addressing optimal health, healing and healthy aging.  While treating disease still remains paramount, diet, exercise and stress reduction are increasingly being recognized as central to disease prevention and/or management.  The public increasingly views health in a broader context, one that includes diet, exercise and mind/body approaches to health.  Reilly and Astin have teamed up to developed innovative communications health programs that address the public’s interest in wellness with renowned national organizations and leaders.

Dr. Astin received his Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. From 1997-1999, he was a research fellow in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine.  In 2002, he was on the faculty at the Complementary Medicine Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Since 2003, he has been a Research Scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.  His research and clinical work has focused on several related areas: 1) the use of mind-body therapies, particularly mindfulness meditation, to treat various health-related problems; 2) psychosocial factors associated with use of complementary and alternative medical therapies; 3) the psychological construct of control and its relationship to mental and physical health; and, 4) the role of spirituality in healthcare.

His research has appeared in such journals as Archives of Internal Medicine, JAMA, and the Annals of Internal Medicine. He is the co-author with Deane Shapiro of the book: Control therapy: An integrated approach to psychotherapy, health, and healing.

Along with his scholarly pursuits, Dr. Astin is the author of Too Intimate for Words, a book of contemplative poetry and prose.

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Armstrong is a senior marketing executive with expertise in corporate and non-profit branding/positioning, internal and external communications, cause related marketing, partnership building, public relations, advertising, market research and presentation development.  She is a strong strategic thinker with a successful record of conceiving and executing marketing plans for products, organizations, industries and services. 

Ms. Armstrong has developed marketing programs with some of the largest non-profits in the country including The American Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund, AARP and Big Brothers Big Sisters.  She was Director of Marketing Services at the Red Cross Headquarters, a Senior Vice President at Porter Novelli – the world’s fourth largest international public relations firm – and served as the Organizational Relations Director for AARP.  She is now principal of Mosaic Company – an organization she founded to provide marketing counsel to non-profits and corporations.

Additionally, Ms. Armstrong has established a 501(c)(3) foundation called A Brighter Tomorrow for Africa.  Its initial purpose is to improve the lives of women and children in Sierra Leone, West Africa through financial support of small, community-based organizations.  These organizations help provide food, clothing, medical services, counseling and education to women and children, and raise the marketing potential of Sierra Leonean women through education and skills training.  http://www.brighterafrica.org. 

Armstrong is also a certified Pilates instructor and consults on fitness program development for health clubs.

Wendy Child

Wendy Child has over 25 years experience providing qualitative research and social marketing consulting on a broad range of health, education, and environmental topics for government, foundation, and for-profit clients.  Prior to consulting full-time (since 1988), she was executive vice president of a Washington, D.C. area public relations firm, supervising staff activities in research, creative services and media relations. 

Child has professional experience with numerous health and social issues, specific diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, and others), environmental and education issues   In addition, she has comprehensive expertise with all aspects of in-person and telephone focus group research (overall study design; logistics management including screening and recruiting participants; developing discussion guides designed to elicit in-depth information while providing participants with a rewarding experience; moderating; preparing summary reports of findings; and formulating communication program recommendations in collaboration with clients).

In addition, Child has experience with very diverse professional and consumer audiences from many walks of life, cultures and age groups including experience in providing training for/working with facilitators for culturally diverse groups (Native American, African American, and Latino).

She is also a Certified Diplomate in Asian Bodywork Therapy, National Certification Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Alfonso Guida, JD, President, Guide Consulting Services, Inc. 

Al Guida is a top strategic thinker and expert in public affairs and government relations.  He is adept at advancing legislation & public policy, and impacting government and regulatory issues.  His professional life has been devoted to using his talents to champion the cause of America’s most vulnerable citizens. 

Since starting GSC in 2002, Al has assisted corporate and non-profit clients with government relations and public affairs activities.  He also consults with the Gallup Organization on a public education program financed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to reduce the social stigma associated with mental illnesses; this project is focusing on eight demonstration states. Guida is also working for other non-profit clients in developing and implementing public affairs strategies including congressional staff briefings on the science of mental health, and promoting access to treatment and services for persons with mental illness. 

Before starting his government relations consulting business in 2002, Al Guida served as Executive Director of the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, (NMHAC), which addressed the stigma associated with mental illness. 

Prior to the Campaign, Guida served as Senior VP for Government Relations and Public Policy at the National Mental Health Association where he coordinated state and federal government affairs and helped to start NMHA’s State Health Care Reform Department.  In his seven-year tenure, he fought for mental health parity legislation, Medicaid expansions, the inclusion of mental health care in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and additional federal funding for the Children’s Mental Health Services Program.

Al Guida and Colleen Reilly have worked together on several strategic mental health initiatives.  Combining their expertise in government relations and national public education campaigns, Reilly and Guida have created unique forums and mental health summits with national leaders, and educated and trained hundreds of mental health advocates from around the country to advance mental health issues.

References and Client List Available Upon Request