Listen to “Dawn Tolson, Executive Director, Citywide Event Coordination and Management & Street Activity Permit Office” on Spreaker.

Dawn Tolson has worked in the events space for over 20 years. She joined the Mayor’s Office in 2014, as the Director of Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO). As Director Ms. Tolson oversaw the permitting of high-profile events including, Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Year’s Eve, NBA All-Star, Papal Visit, Formula E, Summer Streets, Fashion Week and Apple Launch.  She also modernized SAPO procedures and updated permitting rules and administrative protocols.
In 2019 Ms. Tolson began working at Gracie Mansion were as Executive Director she partnered with the Gracie Mansion Conservancy (GMC), Historic House Trust (HHT) and the Parks Department to maintain the historical aspects of Gracie, including supervising the installation of art exhibits, and ensuring that Gracie Mansion remains “The People’s House” and a private home to Mayor of New York City.
Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, Ms. Tolson spent eight years with American Council On renewable Energy (ACORE) as the Senior Vice President of Events and Information Technology, where she coordinated the planning, marketing and logistics for all ACORE conferences, teleconferences, special events and programs. She was also responsible for managing the design and marketing of all ACORE websites.
Before joining ACORE, Ms. Tolson worked as the Program Director of Reaching Out to Others Together (ROOT) a Washington, DC based nonprofit. Ms. Tolson previously spent over seven years working as a Marketing Director and Coordinator in the entertainment industry. She created and managed tours for independent and signed artists, working with labels including Disney Music, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Group.
Dawn Tolson attended Howard University in Washington DC. An epicure, she enjoys music, travel, snowboarding, and currently resides in Harlem.

#NYC #DawnTolson #NYC.gov #NYCgov

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Hear from Azure Antoinette, the “Maya Angelou of the Millennial Generation,” …
On Living Well with MS for Black Americans. https://www.moretoms.com/

Azure Antoinette is a commissioned poet, entrepreneur and arts education advocate. She has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for over a decade. Azure will be joined by Board-Certified Neurologist and world-renowned MS Specialist Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams, who is an advocate for living well with MS, especially for Black Americans, who may be more at risk for MS than previously thought.

Azure was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at age 28. In her early twenties, she began having spasms, tingling in her hands and feet, and had trouble walking. She felt so tired that it was difficult to stay awake, to watch a movie or drive a car, even after sleeping for 16 hours some nights.

The fatigue experienced by MS patients is much different from an everyday tired feeling, and it can come on with no warning. Managing MS fatigue is an ongoing challenge because it isn’t a one-size-fits-all symptom.

Just ask Dr. Williams, who partners with patients to create personalized treatment plans for their distinctive MS experiences, including:
 Feeling excessively tired or weary
 Having trouble with memory or mental focus
 Experiencing muscle weakness or trouble with coordination

In a public service announcement (PSA) launching in February, Azure encourages Black Americans living with MS to pay attention to their symptoms and advocate for their health. She also shares her first-hand experience as a Black woman living well with MS in a documentary alongside Dr. Williams, who explains what symptoms to watch out for and advice on staying active while managing often overwhelming MS symptoms.

MS is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself, making it difficult for the brain to communicate with the rest of the body.2 Approximately one million adults live with MS in the U.S., a majority of whom are diagnosed with RRMS. Women are three times more likely than men to develop RRMS, and Black Americans have an increased risk of developing progressive symptoms.2

Azure and Dr. Williams discuss the upcoming PSA and documentary launch – in time for Black History Month in February and MS Awareness Month in March – and More to MS, an educational resource to help patients and their caregivers learn more about and better manage MS symptoms like fatigue.

Interview courtesy: Janssen

References
1 The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Fatigue. https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symptoms-Diagnosis/MS-Symptoms/Fatigue. Accessed January 2021.
2 Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. Who Gets Multiple Sclerosis. https://mymsaa.org/ms-information/overview/who-gets-ms/. Accessed December 2020.

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The post AN OFTEN INVISIBLE BUT DEBILITATING SYMPTOM OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS appeared first on Good News!.