Kayla Albrechtson, MPH
Senior Membership Coordinator
As Senior Membership Coordinator, Kayla maintains GLOBAL’s Membership program by supporting new and returning members, maintaining membership benefits, and other membership duties. Kayla works with all individual members. Before joining GLOBAL, Kayla worked in nonprofit public health programs, where she found a love for the IDD community.
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Anthony “Chapman” Bryant II
Manager of Public Policy and Advocacy
Anthony “Chapman” Bryant II is based in Washington, DC, and serves as the Manager of Public Policy and Advocacy at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL). As part of the GLOBAL Advocacy Team, Chapman advocates and represents GLOBAL’s legislative priorities in collaboration with the United States Congress, the White House, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Anca Elena Call
Senior PR Advisor
Anca Elena Call is the PR and Communications Consultant at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. Anca is responsible for GLOBAL’s awareness outreach to the general public.
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Bryn Gelaro, MA
Research & Medical Care Senior Director
Bryn Gelaro has a Master’s in Social Work and a background in behavioral health for adults with Down syndrome. Her work includes furthering GLOBAL’s adult care initiatives, serving as an executive committee member and co-author of GLOBAL’s Medical Care Guidelines for Adults with Down Syndrome, and managing the development and operations of GLOBAL’s efforts to open a World Class Medical Clinic for adults with Down syndrome.
Cole Kirschbaum
Database Senior Coordinator
As the Database Senior Coordinator, Cole has refined his skills working with and manipulating data to streamline its use for the data team and all those integral to GLOBAL’s success.
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Jill “Kat” Loewen
Office Assistant
Kat is an Office Assistant for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She joined GLOBAL in 2011 and is responsible for assisting with programs and office administration.
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Molly McNiven
Senior Coordinator
Molly McNiven is a Senior Coordinator at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She supports GLOBAL and the Research and Medical Care department through data tracking, resource distribution, maintaining local and international resource information, and providing community and family support.
Shannon Mize
Education Center Administrator
Shannon Mize is GLOBAL’s Education Center Administrator. At the nexus of Global Down Syndrome Foundation and the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, the GLOBAL Education Center provides a free community learning space for organizations to meet and host events and learning opportunities.
Tamara Pursley
Events Senior Director
As the Events Senior Director, Tamara manages the logistics of GLOBAL’s two marquee events, the award-winning Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show and the AcceptAbility Gala, as well as other GLOBAL events highlighting the Down syndrome community.
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Katie Reddington
Community Development Director
As Community Director, Katie supports the revenue and engagement goals for GLOBAL’s many programs and events, including GLOBAL’s award-winning Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show.
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Ashleigh Rutledge
Community Development Executive Assistant
Ashleigh Rutledge is the Community Development Executive Assistant at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She holds a Health Sciences degree from Arizona State University and is a certified health coach.
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Sarah Schaefer
Events and Programs Specialist
Sarah Schaefer is the Events and Programs Specialist at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She helps organize several well-known GLOBAL programs, including the I Love You Dance Parties, GLOBAL Webinars, and the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Dance Classes
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Allie Seracuse
Research and Medical Care Senior Specialist
Allie Seracuse is the Research and Medical Care Senior Specialist at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. Passionate about healthcare access, she transitioned from clinical medicine to advocacy, aiming to promote healthcare accessibility across diverse populations.
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Ashley Sparhawk
Executive Assistant & Awards Program Manager
Ashley Sparhawk is the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and GLOBAL’s Awards Program Manager. She is responsible for assisting with multiple tasks and multi-faceted projects, including but not limited to calendar and time management, overseeing event and travel logistics, managing talent and donor relationships, and establishing and implementing processes and protocols for all staff. Ashley also manages GLOBAL’s three annual award programs which provide much-needed funding to local Down syndrome organizations, the GLOBAL Education Awards, Self-Advocate Employment Initiative Awards, and the COVID-19 Emergency Relief GLOBAL Awards.
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Dana SwansonHartselle
Vice President of Data and Analytics
As the Vice President of Data and Analytics, Dana oversees the health and management of all constituent information. This data supports GLOBAL in its mission to improve the lives of those with Down Syndrome and their families through Research, Medical Care, Education, and Advocacy.
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David Tolleson
Vice President, Strategic Alliances
David Tolleson is Vice President-Strategic Alliances for Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the world’s leading Down syndrome medical and research advocacy organization. David oversees GLOBAL’s Membership Programs, the award-winning Down Syndrome WorldTM magazine, and multiple existing and new strategic alliances.
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Josh Tucker
Database Specialist
Josh Tucker is the Database Specialist at the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. He works on the database team to support GLOBAL in our mission to significantly improve the lives of people with Down syndrome. He does this through the maintenance of excellent data health and accurate reporting, ensuring GLOBAL can connect with as many families as possible.
MaryKate Vandemark
Senior Project Manager, Strategic Alliances
MaryKate Vandemark brings her experience of progressively expanding responsibilities in the nonprofit, disability sector to Global Down Syndrome Foundation. Her area of focus for GLOBAL includes improving organizational effectiveness through working collaboratively with the Strategic Alliances team to build relationships with national and international disability organizations.
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Richard Waysdorf
Legal Consultant
Richard is responsible for providing legal counsel to the Foundation, negotiating and drafting agreements, and advising on a wide range of legal and policy issues. He oversees outside counsel in specialties including government relations, intellectual property, biomedical research, and not-for-profit operations.
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Michelle Sie Whitten
President & CEO, Co-Founder
Michelle Sie Whitten is the President and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL). She co-founded the organization in 2009, after giving birth to her daughter Sophia, who happens to have Down syndrome. GLOBAL has become the largest non-profit in the U.S. working to save lives and dramatically improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome.
Read more about Michelle Sie Whitten
Cole Wilkes
PR & Communications Specialist
Cole Wilkes is the PR & Communications Specialist at GLOBAL. As part of the PR/MarCom team, she supports social media management, market research, media asset organization, press pitches, interviews, and fundraising events. She is also a contributing writer for GLOBAL’s award-winning Down Syndrome World™ magazine.
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