Ali Guthy

Twenty-three year old Ali Guthy has been recognized from an early age for her leadership acumen and her gifts as a spokesperson. An activist, advocate, and author, Ali has addressed a range of subject matter that reflects her passion for public service and her focus on the principle of beneficence—a lifelong commitment to positively impact the lives of others. In June 2015, Ali graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. While at UCSB, she served as Associated Students President, representing the entire undergraduate student body—as many as 20,000 students—on all local, state, and national levels. Her duties included managing a budget of $10.6 MM and supervising 33 career staff members as well as more than a 300-student staff. During her time at UCSB, Ali also served as the Hunger-Houseless Coordinator for the Community Affairs Board (CAB), organizing weekly volunteer events to serve meals to the local houseless community. Additionally, Ali co-Founded, and served as President of Swipes for the Houseless, a program that enables students to donate unused meals from their college dining plan to those impacted by hunger. Ali’s leadership journey has no doubt been shaped by the diagnosis, received at age fourteen, of Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)—a rare autoimmune disease with devastating consequences and no known cure. Ali is a co-Founder of the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation that she and her parents established to fund lifesaving research and accelerate a cure. Since 2008, Ali has served as the public face of NMO to help transform the medical landscape. As the author of several articles and the co-author of the memoir, “Saving Each Other – A Mother-Daughter Love Story” she has shared her miraculous, empowering story with a wide range of audiences. In May 2016, Ali Guthy was invited to speak at the Vatican’s Third Annual Conference on Regenerative Medicine and received an honor for her ongoing advocacy. Ali currently resides in Los Angeles.