ADAO is proud to launch our 2026 “Meet the Speakers & Honorees” six-week blog series in celebration of ADAO’s 21st Annual Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference, taking place on September 25–26, 2026. Each week, we’ll spotlight the distinguished speakers, honorees, sponsors, and ADAO leaders whose expertise, leadership, and dedication are advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, and the law.
We are deeply grateful to these individuals and organizations for generously sharing their time, knowledge, and experience with our community. Their commitment to science, public health, advocacy, and justice continues to inspire action and strengthen our shared mission to prevent asbestos exposure and eliminate asbestos-caused diseases.
Join us this September for two days of education, collaboration, and action. Register today and be part of the conversation shaping the future of asbestos prevention and public health.
Performers, Keynote Speakers, and Honorees
September 25, 2026 — Under the Stars Friday Event Performers
Jordan Zevon
Jordan Zevon, ADAO’s tremendous National Spokesperson and Celebrity Board Co-Chair, is a singer/songwriter and film composer.
Jordan was the executive producer for his father, Warren Zevon’s, final album The Wind. He also co-produced Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon, which features an all-star cast of singers and musicians. Jordan’s own work includes his self-titled EP and the New West release, “Insides Out”. He’s performed multiple times on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Grammys, and his music has been featured on numerous television shows. Jordan’s immeasurable commitment to asbestos victims and concerned citizens has provided a united voice that will continue to help ensure that their rights are fairly represented and protected, while raising public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and often deadly asbestos-related diseases.
Matt Cartsonis
Matt Cartsonis is a Grammy-nominated composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and acclaimed film and television music composer whose career spans decades of performance, recording, and storytelling. A longtime friend and musical collaborator of Warren Zevon, he performed alongside Zevon during his final years and helped preserve his legacy through recordings, live performances, and liner notes. Through his artistry and compassion, Cartsonis continues to honor Zevon’s enduring influence while inspiring audiences through music, creativity, and heartfelt storytelling.
Jordan Summers
Jordan Summers is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, musician, and producer. He has led tribute performances of Zevon’s music with the Wild Honey Orchestra, including a celebration marking Zevon’s 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Through these performances, Jordan has supported public awareness efforts around mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease, contributing his artistry to a broader public health cause. His work reflects a continued commitment to preserving Warren Zevon’s musical legacy while advancing awareness of asbestos-related illness.
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Dan Whu, MD, MPH, FACPM, FAAMA
Dr. Dan Whu, MD, MPH, FACPM, FAAMA, Chief Medical Officer of the International Association of Fire Fighters, will deliver the keynote address at the Mesothelioma Awareness Day Academic Conference. The IAFF represents nearly 370,000 professional firefighters and paramedics.
Dr. Whu is a founding member, senior disaster physician, and medical team manager for FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1. During more than 40 years as an emergency first responder, he has deployed to major national and international disasters, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Maria, and the Surfside condominium collapse. Asbestos exposure can occur during these natural disasters when old buildings are destroyed, which sends the tiny fibers into the air. Firefighters are twice as likely as the average citizen to contract asbestos-caused cancers like mesothelioma.
Julie Gundlach
Julie Gundlach, a mesothelioma survivor and longtime asbestos-ban advocate, will deliver the keynote address at the Mesothelioma Awareness Day Awards and Recognition Dinner. Diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in 2006 following secondary asbestos exposure, Gundlach traveled across the country seeking treatment and underwent multiple radical surgeries and chemotherapy protocols. She has remained stable since 2014.
Gundlach has advocated on Capitol Hill with ADAO, served on Department of Defense mesothelioma research panels, and remains deeply committed to securing a comprehensive ban on asbestos. Her personal experience has both opened the eyes of policymakers to the dangers of asbestos and helped ADAO grow our community of mesothelioma warriors and caregivers.
Honorees:
Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH – Dr. Irving Selikoff Award recipient
Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH, is Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Medical Director of both the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health and the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai. A leading expert on the physical and mental health consequences of large-scale disasters, Dr. Crane oversees care for roughly 22,000 responders exposed to toxins at Ground Zero, the largest program of its kind. Before joining Mount Sinai in 2006, he spent 16 years at Con Edison of New York as Assistant Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, and in 2002 established a medical monitoring program for Con Edison workers who took part in WTC recovery efforts. He holds an MD from the University of Rochester and an MPH from Columbia University.
John M. Dement, PhD – Dr. Irving Selikoff Award recipient
John M. Dement, PhD is a Professor Emeritus at Duke University Medical Center’s Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, where he has studied asbestos and occupational lung disease for over four decades. His research focuses on how exposure to substances like asbestos affects workers’ health, helping build the scientific evidence used to understand and prevent diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Dr. Dement is widely respected for his long-standing commitment to independent, rigorous science in this field.
Jordan Summers – Warren Zevon “Keep Me in Your Heart” Award recipient
Jordan Summers is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, musician, and producer. He has led tribute performances of Zevon’s music with the Wild Honey Orchestra, including a celebration marking Zevon’s 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Through these performances, Jordan has supported public awareness efforts around mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease, contributing his artistry to a broader public health cause. His work reflects a continued commitment to preserving Warren Zevon’s musical legacy while advancing awareness of asbestos-related illness.
Mesothelioma UK – Tribute of Hope Award recipient
Mesothelioma UK is a national charity dedicated to supporting people affected by mesothelioma through expert care, information, and advocacy. Our mission is to improve the lives of those living with the disease today while helping to prevent future cases by championing equitable access to care, advancing research, and ensuring patients’ voices are heard.
Founded in 2004 as a Macmillan resource centre at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, we became an independent Charitable Trust in 2008 and a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2018. We lead efforts to enhance mesothelioma care across the UK through a network of Mesothelioma Clinical Nurse Specialists based in NHS hospitals, delivering specialist expertise at the point of need.
9/11 Health Watch – Tribute of Inspiration Award recipient
9/11 Health Watch is an independent nonprofit watchdog organization dedicated to ensuring the federal government upholds its long-term commitment to the health and well-being of 9/11 responders, survivors, and their families. Founded by the unions and advocacy groups that fought to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, the organization monitors the two federal programs the law created: the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical monitoring and treatment, and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which provides financial compensation. Even after the Act’s reauthorizations in 2015 and 2019, 9/11 Health Watch continues to track implementation, flag service gaps, and push for policy improvements. Governed by a board drawn from labor and advocacy organizations, including the New York State AFL-CIO, the group remains a vital independent voice for the tens of thousands of Americans still living with 9/11-related illness.
Miles for Meso – Tribute of Unity Award recipient
Miles for Meso is a national 5K, fun run, and walk that has grown into a community centered on mesothelioma awareness, remembrance, and advocacy. Launched in 2009 and sponsored by the law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy, the event’s flagship race takes place each September in Alton, Illinois, timed to coincide with National Mesothelioma Awareness Day, with additional races held across multiple states and virtual participation from around the world. Beyond fundraising, the event provides a space for survivors, caregivers, families, and advocates to connect with others affected by mesothelioma and to honor those who have lost their lives to the disease. Since its founding, Miles for Meso has raised nearly $1 million for mesothelioma research and advocacy organizations, with the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization serving as its designated beneficiary since 2014, reflecting the event’s ongoing role in supporting the broader mesothelioma community.
Libby Brow – Alan Reinstein Tribute Award recipient
Libby Brow became involved with ADAO after her 28-year-old son, Felix, was diagnosed with biphasic pleural mesothelioma in 2017. During his year of treatment, she gained firsthand knowledge of cancer care, the healthcare system, caregiving, and patient advocacy. Through ADAO, Felix connected with other mesothelioma warriors, including the late Mike Mattmuller, whom he met at ADAO’s 2018 conference in Washington, D.C.
Following Felix’s death, Libby supported family members and friends through grief and worked as a caregiver for a woman with dementia. She later transformed her grief into Felixology, a memorial bookshop in Massachusetts offering books, gifts, and art. Opened in 2024, Felixology honors Felix’s spirit while providing a welcoming community space. The shop hosts monthly Death Cafés and Grief Cafés to support open conversations about death, dying, and bereavement. A recent Fold-A-Thon for Felix raised ADAO awareness and collected 1,022 origami cranes.
Penny Jo Major – Alan Reinstein Tribute Award recipient
Penny Jo Majoris a longtime supporter of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and a dedicated advocate for families affected by asbestos-related diseases. Her commitment to this work is deeply personal: her father died from mesothelioma, a preventable cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Transforming grief into action, Penny has devoted her time and energy to raising awareness, supporting the mesothelioma community, and advancing ADAO’s mission to prevent exposure and eliminate asbestos-related diseases. A resident of Illinois, Penny serves as captain of ADAO’s Ban Asbestos Team for the annual Miles for Meso race in Alton. Through her leadership, she brings together family members, friends, advocates, and community supporters to honor loved ones, raise critical funds, and amplify the call for prevention. Penny’s compassion, perseverance, and steadfast commitment embody the power of advocacy rooted in love, remembrance, and hope for a future free from asbestos exposure and disease for every family.
ADAO is honored to recognize these organizations, communities, and individuals in pushing forward a future where no life is taken by asbestos. Check in next week for Meet the Sponsors.
Register todayand join the movement towards an asbestos-free future.
Official ADAO Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference Sponsors:
