The ALLY Foundation core team is made up of a small number of full- and part-time staff and independent contractors. A larger number of dedicated supporters, tireless volunteers and generous sponsors give their time, talents and resources to helping end sexual violence in the United States.
Andrea Casanova co-founded The ALLY Foundation in 2002, following the brutal murder of her daughter Alexandra Zapp by a repeat sex offender that year. As Executive Director of The ALLY Foundation, Ms. Casanova helped pass Massachusetts Bill 1005, The Sexually Dangerous Commitment Law; worked with Senator Edward Kennedy's office to develop a centralized resource for best research and best practices regarding sex offense issues. Ms. Casanova has served on appointment to the Governor’s Commission of Sexual and Domestic Violence; secured unanimous acceptance by the National Lt. Governor’s Association for The ALLY Foundation’s Resolution to Advocate for Awareness of Pilot Sex Offense Courts; and partnered with Boston Municipal Court Department to develop a Sex Offense Court Initiative. Additionally, Ms. Casanova has served on the Steering Committee for CSOM’s Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management grant and has presented at several National and International Sex Offense Treatment Providers conferences as well as serving as a media spokesperson on the issue of sexual violence and it’s impacts. As Co-Founder of The ALLY Foundation, Ms. Casanova has been honored to receive several awards including the Children’s Trust Fund Annual Award, the Theo Seghorn Award from the Massachusetts Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers, and the Boston Celtic’s “Hero Among Us” Award. She brings more than a dozen years of experience serving on non-profit boards, as well as more than 20 years experience in the private business sector.
Steve Stiles has brought his passion and penchant for innovation to the ALLY Foundation’s mission. Presented with a wholly new field of information, he has researched the relationships between governmental agencies, existing non-profit business models, and the success of public-private partnerships. He has also systematically sought out experts in various fields who deal with sex offenders, selectively identified venture philanthropists concerned with social causes, and started our efforts for a national awareness campaign. Drawing on his 30-year entrepreneurial career in business, including real-estate development, investment and asset management, he has helped craft a practical vision of how we should organize to prevent repeat offenses.
