Matthew Asner, TEAFC Founder/President & Chief Executive Officer 

Matthew Asner grew up on TV sets and in the wings of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” watching his father, Ed Asner, and the talented legendary cast in action. His love of the arts and music evolved into a career as an entertainer. At the age of 15, he was performing music traveling up and down the west coast and in clubs around Los Angeles and later explored the world of acting. A natural leader, Matthew became a producer and took his place on the other side of the camera. He has produced and directed award winning documentaries and television shows for over 25 years including 100 Voices: A Journey Home (2011), In Search of Peace (1998), Season Of The Samurai (2009), Live from Jerusalem: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Live with Zubin Mehta Featuring Renée Fleming and Joseph Calleja (2011), Hiroshima (1995) among many others. Asner’s interest in documentaries has brought him to all corners of the globe where he has met with world leaders, celebrities, artists and veterans. Interviewees include, President Bill Clinton; Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu; Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres; PLO leaders Hannan Ashrawi and Saib Erikat; physicist Edward Teller; countless 4 celebrities; veterans of WWII, Vietnam and Iraq wars; and over 100 Holocaust and Hiroshima survivors. In 2008, Asner’s world was changed forever when his youngest son, Will, was diagnosed with Autism. He was familiar with Autism, having grown up with a brother who was on the spectrum. In 2012, he left his successful film career and became the Executive Director for Autism Speaks in Southern California. Since then, he has dedicated himself to the millions of people affected by autism and related disorders in the world. Asner has combined his production talents and love of music with his fundraising prowess to create the annual “Light Up The Blues” concert series featuring top performers including Dave Grohl, John Mayer, Stephen Stills, Neil Young among many others. Having successfully increased the Autism Speaks profile in Southern California, Asner became the Director of Corporate Development for the organization in 2014, where he created highly successful national campaigns. In September 2016, Asner became the Vice President of Development for Autism Society of America. While there he created Autfest, the first international film festival relating to autism. Autfest premiered in April of 2017 and has honored Ben Affleck, Pixar, Sony, Atypical and The Good Doctor. In March of 2018, Asner with his wife, Navah announced the creation of The Ed Asner Family Center. An organization dedicated to providing arts enrichment to special needs individuals and at the same time providing mental health support to their families. The Center has become a beacon of hope within the special needs community. Asner is an autism expert and spokesperson, appearing on national media and at numerous international autism and disability conferences. He has hosted a national satellite radio show. Asner resides in Los Angeles, California, and is married to Navah Paskowitz. They have six children between them, including three on the autism spectrum. 

Navah Paskowitz-Asner, Founder of TEAFC/The Dating Spectrum/Camp Ed Navah

Paskowitz-Asner is the co-founder of The Ed Asner Family Center, the founder of CAMP ED and The Dating Spectrum; a one of a kind relationship course for special needs individuals, and the TEAFC Adult Day Program, as well as .a mother, a spokesperson, advocate and life coach for special needs families. Navah spent her childhood growing up with her parents and eight brothers traveling around the USA in a 24-ft camper while her Stanford-educated, physician father took care of Native Americans free of charge. Her childhood and family life was so unusual that it was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Surfwise. Leaving her familial camper at 15, she headed to New York and began working as a model. Her life as a model took her all over the world. She lived in Italy, France and Israel before finally settling down in Los Angeles, where she helped run her family’s surf camp. While volunteering for multiple autism-related organizations, after the diagnosis of her two youngest sons, Navah developed a desire to help people through the difficult path of diagnosis and treatment. In 2014, she created the Balance Family Conferences, where the explicit goal was to support the foundation of the neurodivergent family, not just the impacted child. Family has been an ever-present theme in Navah’s life. Navah has over a decade of experience in both parent and sibling group support. Bringing this experience, she partnered with her husband and the company’s namesake, father-in-law Ed, to create The Ed Asner Family Center. Her goal: to provide health, healing and community support. This goal was very personal. Years ago Navah was a mother in need, struggling with anxiety and financially unable to seek therapy for her anxiety issues. Her goal at the Center is to provide low or no-cost mental health support and typical sibling support for families in need. Navah continues to be a leader in the community and speaks both nationally and internationally about her personal experiences being a wife and mother to six kids, three of whom are on the autism spectrum.

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