fbpx

Our Leadership

Meet our Board of Directors

Learn more about all Project Sleep Board of Directors members.

Meet our Staff

Julie Flygare, JD
President & CEO

Julie Flygare, JD, serves as President & CEO of Project Sleep. Flygare is an internationally recognized patient-perspective leader, an accomplished advocate, and the award-winning author of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy. In March 2022, she delivered the TEDx Talk, “What Can You Learn from a Professional Dreamer?” Recently, the Sleep Research Society awarded Flygare the 2024 Public Service Award for significantly advanced the mission of the SRS through advocacy and public policy efforts.

Since receiving a diagnosis of narcolepsy with cataplexy in 2007, Flygare advanced her leadership in the sleep and healthcare space through speaking engagements, publications, earned media, collaborations, and advocacy and awareness initiatives. Prior to accepting her current role as President & CEO of Project Sleep, Flygare served as President of Project Sleep’s Board of Directors, while also gaining invaluable experience in marketing and philanthropy at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and City of Hope. Additionally, she served on the National Institutes of Health’s Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board from 2012 – 2015. Flygare received her B.A. from Brown University in 2005 and her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2009, focusing on health law, policy, and rare disease drug development.

Youtube video player
Professional photo of Lauren Oglesby, a white woman with blue eyes and brown chin length hair, wearing a blue floral top and blue cardigan.

Lauren Oglesby, MPH
Programs Manager

Lauren is a public health educator and advocate, with a focus on healthcare and resource accessibility. They have implemented programs serving LGBTQIA+ youth in rural Virginia, teens at high risk of pregnancy, and people who are incarcerated and living with HIV.

Lauren has personal and family experience with invisible disabilities, chronic illness, neurodivergence, and LGBTQIA+ identity, and is committed to creating spaces of belonging and inclusion. They are thrilled to serve as Programs Manager with Project Sleep, where they leverage their diverse personal and professional experience (and love of spreadsheets) to coordinate advocacy and awareness initiatives with the sleep community. In their spare time, Lauren enjoys hiking in the Blue Ridge mountains, reading too many books at a time, and trying to keep up with their teenaged kiddo and large extended family. They live in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Rachel Aubrey, a white woman with long brown hair and hazel eyes wearing a dark teal dress.

Rachel Aubrey
Digital Media Specialist

Rachel is a content creator and digital communicator, with a passion for working in the non-profit sector. She has worked with a private nonprofit community arts organization in her hometown of Wausau, WI and with an animal rescue and transport organization based in Thailand.

Rachel is excited to continue learning about sleep health, sleep equity, and sleep disorders. She believes sleep is indeed a pillar of health and is thrilled to be able to share its benefits with the world. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys seeing live music, getting outside to explore the beautiful land and lakes that Wisconsin has to offer, and also traveling far beyond to an ever-growing list of destinations! She finds that spending the summers in Wisconsin and traveling to warmer destinations during the cold winter months is the perfect balance for her.

Heather Lill; a woman with reddish shoulder-length hair and blue eyes wearing a cream-colored blouse and peachy-orange colored blazer.

Heather Lill, LPC-MHSP
Sleep Helpline Manager

Heather is a licensed professional counselor (LPC-MHSP) in the state of Tennessee. She has worked in rural mental health, serving her hometown for the last decade, both within the school system and in her own private practice. Heather has a great passion for working with adolescents and their families, particularly with the LGBTQIA+ community.

Heather’s interest in the science of sleep developed during graduate school, when her sister began exhibiting signs of narcolepsy type 1. She has often emphasized to clients and their families that sleep is the foundation of wellness, which became a much more important sentiment to her after her own chronic illness diagnosis. She serves as a county representative for the Mid-Cumberland Council for Children and Youth and a member of the expert advisory board for Vocational Rehabilitation.

Outside of work, Heather is an avid hiker, recently tackling the goal of hiking at all 57 state parks in her home state of Tennessee within a year. In addition, she enjoys reading, drinking decaf coffee in local coffee shops, antiquing with her best friend, weight lifting, fossil hunting, and bird watching. She lives in her hometown with her partner, Matt, their three children, and three dogs.

Emma Cooksey; a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a blue and white striped button down blouse.

Emma Cooksey, LLB
Sleep Apnea Program Manager

Emma Cooksey is a writer, speaker, and patient advocate. She was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea at the age of 30, after more than a decade of unexplained health issues. In 2020, Emma launched a weekly podcast, Sleep Apnea Stories  to break down stereotypes of sleep apnea while also raising awareness of symptoms and treatment options.

In 2021, Emma became the first person with sleep apnea to complete Project Sleep’s Rising Voices speaker’s training. For the past several years, Emma served as a volunteer on Project Sleep’s Board of Directors, leading the organization’s efforts to establish the Expert Advisory Board in 2022.

In her current role as Sleep Apnea Program Manager, Emma runs Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Education and Awareness Program. Through this program, she develops and implements new awareness and educational initiatives, events, and activities to empower people with sleep apnea to seek diagnosis, support, and care. Emma holds a degree in Law and Economics from Aberdeen University.

Farah Hasan, MSc
Sleep Education Specialist

Farah Hasan is a graduate of the Health Science Education Program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. During her Master’s, she conducted research on the efficacy of using virtual reality headsets to teach clinical anatomy and developed curriculum proposals for sleep health education initiatives for parents of adolescent children.

Farah became involved with Project Sleep as a Rising Voices speaker, sharing her story about being diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia at age 21 after more than 15 years of experiencing symptoms. She was also an inaugural member of Project Sleep’s Expert Advisory Board and consulted on the development of Project Sleep’s Sleep Helpline.

In her role as the Sleep Education Specialist, Farah coordinates online webinars, develops resources and educational materials, and implements new strategies to support the organization’s sleep education and narcolepsy awareness programming. In her spare time, she enjoys making greeting cards for special events, crocheting gifts for friends and family, going on late night bubble tea and ice cream runs with her sister, and rewatching The Office for the millionth time with her husband. Farah lives in Ontario, Canada.

Allyson Sargus
Digital Content Writer

Allyson is a communications professional with a passion for storytelling that drives social impact. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, she transitioned from traditional media to the nonprofit sector, where she crafts compelling content to connect with diverse audiences and inspire action.

With a sharp eye for detail and a creative approach to content development, Allyson specializes in amplifying brand visibility, fostering community engagement, and driving mission-focused change. Her work spans content strategy, social media campaigns, donor communications, and advocacy initiatives.

As a proud Marine Corps spouse, Allyson understands the value of adaptability and community. She is eager to deepen her knowledge of sleep health, sleep equity, and sleep disorders, recognizing the transformative role sleep plays in overall well-being. Outside of work, Allyson enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and walking her energetic German shepherd, Abel.

Meet our Expert Advisory Board

Project Sleep's 30 Expert Advisory Board members.

Project Sleep’s Expert Advisory Board includes cliniciansresearcherspatients, and advocates who are thought leaders and trailblazers in their respective fields. This powerful group works together to accelerate our mission of improving public health by educating individuals and communities about sleep health, sleep equity, and sleep disorders.

Latest News

Announcing the 2025 Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship

In 2025, Project Sleep’s 12th annual Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship will award 30 scholarships of $1,000 each to college-bound students with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. Five of these scholarships will be awarded to students with idiopathic hypersomnia, thanks to a generous partnership with the Hypersomnia Foundation. High school seniors diagnosed with narcolepsy or idiopathic…
2024 Hill Day sleep advocacy group poses on Capitol steps.

Advocacy in Action: Elevating Sleep Awareness on Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, October 29th, 2024, Project Sleep and other leading sleep organizations visited Capitol Hill to meet with important policymakers in Congress. The 2024 Hill Day activities included 42 patient advocacy organization and professional society representatives divided into seven teams. These teams represented 20 states and conducted over 50 Congressional Office visits! Sleep Community Rallies…
sleep apnea treatment options

Sleep Apnea Squad: Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

CPAP is so commonly prescribed as a first-line treatment for sleep apnea that you could be forgiven for thinking it is the only option. In this Sleep Apnea Squad broadcast, we explored ALL the currently available treatments for sleep apnea and how to access them. Our host Emma, Cooksey, was joined by Karen Wolk, who…

2024 Sleep Advocacy Forum Focuses on Sleep and Public Health

On Monday, October 28, 2024, Project Sleep facilitated the fifth annual Sleep Advocacy Forum in Washington, DC. This in-person event brought together a diverse group of policy makers and sleep community leaders to share updates and discuss areas of common interest. This year’s forum was centered around sleep and public health. This year’s forum featured…

TIME Features Sleep Apnea and Project Sleep

Project Sleep’s Sleep Apnea Program Manager, Emma Cooksey, has been featured in the TIME article, “​​What to Do If You Have Sleep Apnea” by Matt Fuchs, published on November 22, 2024. The article discusses why it’s important for people with sleep apnea to know about different treatment options available and in development. Given that an…
Skip to content