Stefan de Nocker is the Managing Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (C.A.R.D.). Before coming to California, he was working as a civil law trial lawyer and partner of a law firm in Germany. In January of 1994, he moved to the Los Angeles area to marry Doreen Granpeesheh. In the following years, the two together developed CARD into one of the leading forces helping children on the autism spectrum all around the world.

While the awareness of autism continues to improve, Stefan feels that too many funds are concentrated on the research of the causes of autism alone. Left behind are the families who are raising affected children right now, for whom the results of the research will be coming too late. That’s why he and his wife were founding members of ACT Today!, to try to make more funds available to more families who do not get the support they deserve from public sources or insurance companies. “With all the great success that we are having with our work at CARD, what is most frustrating for me is to know that so many more children and families could be helped if only there was enough money to get them into early intervention. But all possible funding sources are under financial constraints and try to push the responsibility away. The families are left alone and thus our society is failing a big part of our next generation. These kids need our help now!”

Stefan has always been interested in real estate and also manages a company for property investment and development. He is an avid golfer and lives with Doreen and their three beautiful children in the San Fernando Valley.