A promise, to Eli.
A promise, to Eli.
We have a story to tell, and a promise to make. We’ve made that promise to Eli Weinstock and to our grieving hearts: a promise to build something good, true, and honest atop this devastated landscape.
OUR job is to spread awareness around the dangers of fentanyl in drugs and distribute tools to prevent overdose, so YOU have the power to save your own life.
“Eli took risks like any other college kid- he didn’t want to die. It takes one seemingly innocuous choice. Fentanyl is everywhere.”
– Olivia, Eli’s Sister
Our Story.
In March of 2021, our beloved son, brother, grandson, cousin, and friend Eli Weinstock collapsed and died at his home in Washington D.C. He was twenty years old, a sophomore at American University, an intern at the Spanish Education Development Center, and an aficionado of hip-hop, snowboarding, and Quentin Tarantino films.
The world lost a bright and playful light— Eli was quick to smile, quick to hug his siblings, and quick to adapt to new situations and friends. He often drew a crowd. He was on his way to a meaningful life of love and connection.
Three months after his death, the coroner reported that two substances were identified in his body; the first mentioned was kratom, a legal herbal supplement found in CBD stores and some smoke shops, and second was fentanyl, a synthetic opioid implicated in over 75% of unintentional overdose deaths. We don’t know, and may never know, how Eli ingested fentanyl or if it was even related to the kratom, but we do know that Eli was unaware that fentanyl was present in what he ingested. He did not intend to die. Over 112,000 people died from an overdose in the last year alone. I repeat: 112,000 people. In. One. Year.
To that end, we’d like you to meet BirdieLight, a hatchling organization with big-sky dreams, one of which is to place education and a fentanyl test strip in the hands of every high-school and college student in America.
Our Team
Beth Weinstock – Co-Founder of BirdieLight & Eli’s Mom
Beth Weinstock M.D. is a poet and physician, but foremost a mother of four whose eldest son Eli died in March of 2021 when he unintentionally ingested fentanyl. In honor of Eli, she and her daughter Olivia founded BirdieLight, an organization dedicated to ending the senseless loss of young people due to unintentional fentanyl ingestion. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University College of Medicine, she recently retired from Equitas Health, where she cared for individuals infected with HIV and Hepatitis C, to focus more exclusively on Birdielight. She teaches poetry workshops to medical students and veterans and serves on several Humanities in Medicine committees. Weinstock and her husband Michael –also a physician—and their children Olivia, Theo, and Annie live in Columbus, Ohio, surrounded by a loving community of friends and family who have helped them navigate this enormous tragedy and find strength from memories of their beloved Eli.
Olivia Weinstock – Co-founder of BirdieLight & Eli’s Sister
Olivia went to the University of Michigan before becoming the CEO and Co-Founder of Tandem, a fintech startup that connects families with reliable child care providers for free. While navigating tremendous loss, BirdieLight provides a clear path forward. For Weinstock, the ability to educate and spread awareness, as well as change the norm around testing recreational drugs, is a way to channel grief into something that is productive and will ultimately saves lives.
Randi Mitev – Board Member
VP, Marketing and Corporate Development at Privcap Media, a video and communications agency serving the capital markets industry. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Mitev, moved to Privcap Media from IBM, where she was a business development executive focused on the financial services market. Before joining IBM, Mitev ‘s career spanned from leading global rebrands at multi-million dollar tech firms to running a digital photo and video studio based in NYC, which grew into a major full-service creative agency for premier brands. Mitev graduated with a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA in French from Middlebury College.
Artie Isaac – Board Member
Artie Isaac has worked with highly creative people, addressing challenges and opportunities facing more than 1,000 leaders and companies. After two decades in advertising agencies (weekdays) and classrooms (weeknights), Artie led corporate brainstorming and idea generation programs to develop new products and expand productivity. Since 2011, Artie has chaired CEO peer groups with Vistage Worldwide, the world’s leading chief executive organization. Beyond his work as a Vistage chair, Artie coaches executives on subjugation for gender. Clients include those who face bias and discrimination and those who are aware that their leadership is conditioned on the demographics of others.
Steve Hall – Board Member
Steve Hall is one of the founders and initial members of Zaino Hall & Farrin, LLC, which is a state and local tax law firm in Columbus, Ohio. Steve provides state and local tax services, legal business counsel, and lobbying services to clients in multiple states and local jurisdictions. He has represented clients in all types of state and local matters including income, sales and use, excise, public utility, personal and real property, and gross receipts taxes. He also frequently represents clients before Ohio’s General Assembly, the Ohio Department of Taxation, and other state and local government agencies, both in tax controversy and lobbying matters. Steve lives in Bexley with his wife Julie Lombardi, son Quinn Hall, and daughter Tessa Lombardi. In his free time, he enjoys watching his kids’ extracurricular activities, playing golf, and watching sports both live and on the couch.
Daija Burke – Director of Marketing
Daija Burke has joined BirdieLight as the Marketing Director. Burke graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing in 2021 and has since been cultivating her skills in digital marketing within the health and non profit sectors. She is excited to be a part of the BirdieLight team and help provide the youth with the knowledge and tools that could potentially save their lives. She eagerly looks forward to spreading awareness on the alarming fentanyl epidemic and the importance of harm reduction.
Lea Kotte – Director of Operations
Lea Kotte, the Executive Assistant to Beth and BirdieLight, is a graduate of Ohio University. She has previously worked as the Executive Assistant to The Alan B. Slifka Foundation, to Riva Ariella Ritvo-Slifka, Sarah Silver, and Rachelle Markowitz. Lea has worked in Non-Profit and Volunteer roles throughout her career. Including the Friends of The Astoria Heights Park in Queens, NY where she helped to raise more than $1 million in capital improvements, and The GCCP in Columbus where she assistant directed an outreach play for more than 75 children and adults. She is an active PTO Board Member and Communications Chair for the BNLC PTO. She lives in Columbus with her husband Aaron, two daughters Penny and Ginny, and her dog Piper.
Megan Willmann – Director of Outreach & Communications
Meg has over 10 years experience in venture backed startups; building internal teams and processes, as well as laying the foundation for what it means to have an exceptional culture. She has a passion for mission driven organizations and thrives in environments that are collaborative, ever changing and diverse. Her success is attributed to her ability to build and foster relationships with both her colleagues and external partners, and finds her strength to be meeting people where they are at. Before joining BirdieLight, Meg worked on acquiring a handful of mental health certifications to help enhance her knowledge and skills. In her free time, she can be found outdoors and active with her young son, Crosley, and husband Michael. She loves art & home decorating, cooking a new meal, traveling, and a good (strong) cup of coffee!
Katy Koch – Office Assistant
Michele Scher – Board Member
Michele Scher is a social worker and activist from Florida, who has been an advocate and cheerleader for BirdieLight since first hearing of our organization last fall. She has been instrumental in organizing two educational and fundraising events in Florida and has continued to help us find avenues for educational opportunities. As her resume shows, she has been a dedicated social worker for years, and most recently has focused on harm-reduction efforts as they relate to both recreational drug use and substance use disorders. I feel her unique contribution to our board could involve youth advocacy, updates on harm-reduction techniques, sensitivity centered around recovery support, and the use of recovery language. (among many more social work-focused contributions that perhaps our board is currently lacking.)
Trevor Moses – Board Member
Trevor went to The Ohio State University where he majored in Accounting and Real Estate. Upon graduation, Trevor began his professional career in public accounting specializing in Real Estate and Insurance clients. After his time in public accounting, Trevor transitioned into a real estate focused role. Trevor is now a Senior Underwriting Analyst at a HUD approved lender. In this role, he is responsible for underwriting healthcare facility transactions with the goal of providing HUD insured, long-term financing for the facilities. Trevor is excited for the opportunity to be a member of the BirdieLight family, providing lifesaving education, information and tools in order to combat the fentanyl crisis.
Sharmaine Haughton – Board Member
Sharmaine (Shar) is the Chief Workforce Officer with a Federally Qualified Healt Center in Columbus, OH. She has a master’s degree with a focus in Human Resources and currently leads a team consisting of HR, IT and Facilities individuals. Prior to joining her current organization, she served over 20 years in skilled nursing facilities and home health agency industry. She hails from Jamaica, West Indies, and she is mother of 2 young adults Briana and Corene and grandmother to a very high spirited 3-year-old, Zoie. Shar enjoys travelling and spend time with her family.
