Charlene Pell

Award-winning Charlene Pell is the founder of Facing Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals with facial or physical differences cope with staring and communicate confidently. Thirty years ago, Pell survived a plane crash that burned her body, severely injuring her face and hands. As a result of her disfigurement and the lack of resources available to her during her recovery, Pell created programs to help herself and others. Her work has been published in Skin, Psychology Today, the American Burn Association’s Journal of Burn Care & Research, and other periodicals. Pell holds a master's degree in communications from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.