Co-founder

Steven Bier, MD, graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and currently attends at Saint Peters University Hospital and Jersey City Medical Center. He is author of many medical and scientific papers and received a Writing Fellowship from Columbia University.

He has been involved with philanthropic work since he was fourteen-years-old. His family ran fundraisers in the 1970s for the National Association of Patients on Hemodialysis and Transplant. He helped fund the first summer camp with dialysis machines so teenagers with renal disease could attend camp.

He is a former board member of MyGOAL Autism and a co-founder of Popcorn for the People. He has coached in various Disability Leagues in NY and NJ.

As an active public historian, he has long been fascinated with the American Revolution and is a published author on this topic.

Co-founder & Board of Trustees Member

Barbie Zimmerman Bier M.D. is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician and mother of four children. Her clinical and research experience over the last 2+ decades has centered around improving medical care and services for children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.

She has been the principal investigator (P.I.) on many research and service grants, including NJ Governor's Council for Medical Pilot Studies, NJ Autism Center of Excellence, industry-funded clinical trials as well NIH and CDC Grants. Dr Zimmerman-Bier has also served as a Academic member of the New Jersey Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism and as a Board Member of MyGOAL Autism. 

When her oldest son, diagnosed with autism, entered adulthood, she was dismayed with the lack of job opportunities available for him. She co-founded Popcorn for the People with her husband Steven Bier in a quest to provide meaningful and sustainable employment for a growing neurodiverse workforce. 

Advisory Board Member

Bob Kaufman brings over three decades of invaluable experience in the food industry to our board of advisors. Currently serving as the divisional president of Woodstock Farms Manufacturing, a division of UNFI (the largest retail food distribution system in the country), Bob's extensive background speaks volumes. Before joining Woodstock Farms, he spent 31 years at Performance Food Group, where he served as the director of special segment sales and was previously on the board of directors for MOJO Organics. He discovered our nonprofit through a colleague and was instantly captivated by our mission. With a deep sense of gratitude for his own success, Bob is committed to paying it forward by championing the right causes and supporting meaningful initiatives in the food and beverage sector. 

Events Director & Advisory Board Member

As a parent of an adult with special needs, Steve’s goal in life was to make sure that his daughter Mia had purpose beyond graduation from school. When Popcorn For The People was established in 2015, the dream became a reality and Mia is now an employee that is not judged by what she is not able to do but praised for the tasks that she was able to do. Steve left his job with the New York Times to become the event director for Popcorn For The People. “ At the age of 51,  I went from a dead end job with no meaning to getting up every day and fulfilling my dream of working side by side with a population that is showing the world their untapped potential." Steve resides in East Brunswick with his wife Gabrielle, his son Alex and his daughter Mia, who was his inspiration and driving force in making this career change come.