Out Team

Emily Abbott
Founder & President
Emily Abbott created The Who Is Carter Foundation in response to her family's journey to find treatment and support while caring for their brain-injured infant son, Carter. In addition to leading the Who Is Carter Foundation and The Brain Possible, Emily is the Director of Creative Design for Abbott Properties, a real estate development company with properties throughout the midwest and the southeastern United States. In her spare time, she, her husband Matthew, and their children make their home in Austin, Texas, where they enjoy family hikes and mountain biking.

Jessica Burdg
Editorial Chair
Jessica volunteers as the Editorial Chair for The Brain Possible and the Who Is Carter Foundation, where she writes The Brain Possible’s Stories of Hope series. Trained as a print journalist, Jessica has made a career of telling authentic stories that matter as an author, journalist, and content developer. Currently, she's writing a series of children's books that tell realistic and empowering stories of characters facing physical, social, and mental challenges. You can find Jessica spending time with her two daughters, running, or traveling in search of unique people and places and the stories that need to be told.

Allison Murray
Operations Director
Allison leads the team's digital maintenance, while also editing content and strategizing and promoting outreach. Her background is in teaching, having been an educator for 11 years; she's also worked as a freelance writer. Allison received degrees from Clemson University and Wheaton College and her teaching certification from Avila University. She and her husband, Chad, enjoy gardening, traveling, DIY home-improvement projects, and spoiling their dog, Titus.

Mary Hawkins
Content and Editorial Director
Mary oversees the content creation and editorial strategy for The Brain Possible, handling writing, editing, social media promotion, and the editorial calendar for the site. Mary's career in online media began in 2009, and most recently she served as Deputy Editor for one of the most well-known parenting and lifestyle websites on the web. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, and she resides in Connecticut with her teenage son and pint-sized dog. When she isn't busy typing away, she spends her time taking yoga and barre classes, hiking, and traveling, as she's always up for an adventure.