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. On March 22, 2022, she delivered the TEDx Talk, “What Can You Learn from a Professional Dreamer?“
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.
Lauren is a public health educator and advocate, with a focus on healthcare and resource accessibility for vulnerable and underserved populations. She has implemented programs serving LGBTQ+ 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 and chronic conditions, including mental illness and autism spectrum differences. She is thrilled to serve as Programs Manager with Project Sleep, where she leverages her diverse personal and professional experience (and love of spreadsheets) to coordinate advocacy and awareness initiatives with the sleep community. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in the Blue Ridge mountains, reading too many books at a time, and trying to keep up with her large extended family. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and teenaged kiddo.
Rachel is a content creator and digital communicator, with a passion for working in the non-profit sector. She has worked with a small theater in her hometown of Wausau, WI, and with a dog rescue organization based out of Thailand.
Rachel is excited to continue learning about sleep health and sleep disorders. She believes sleep is indeed a pillar of health and strives to share its benefits with the world, mostly via social media and other digital platforms! In her spare time, she 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! As much as Rachel loves living in Wisconsin, the winters can be tough! She plans to start being a “snowbird,” trading the cold winter for a warmer climate.
Project Sleep’s Expert Advisory Board includes clinicians, researchers, patients, 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.
