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DSDN Board
We are thankful for the ongoing efforts of our Board of Directors in governing and providing strategic direction to DSDN.
Kathleen Seitz
DSDN Board President. Kathleen is the Chief Global Development Officer at Breakthrough T1D. With over 25 years of development experience, she has worked with a cross-section of nonprofits. She has significant expertise in volunteer management, fundraising staff recruitment and training, and strategic fundraising planning. Kathleen has served as the DSDN Board President since November 2022. She and her husband reside in Chicago with their two children. Her son, Henry, has Down syndrome.
Patricia Nesbitt
DSDN Board Vice President. Patricia is a nonprofit professional with over 15 years experience in the nonprofit sector. She has spent the last 10 years in nonprofit program management. She is currently working as a Grants Analyst for the city of Clarksville. Patricia lives in Clarksville, TN with her husband and two children. Her son, Jax, has Down syndrome and sparked her passion for the work of DSDN.
Anna Yen
DSDN Board Treasurer. Anna, CFA, has spent over 20 years as an investment professional, financial writer, and business owner. She’s held senior roles at UBS, JPMorgan, and asset management firms, along with founding personal finance blog Family Money Map and bilingual storytelling podcast Chinese Star Tales. Currently Anna also serves as Senior Advisor for Prudent Investors, a registered investment advisor focused on trusts, estates, and families, where she has a passion for special needs planning. She advocates tirelessly for her middle child whose super power is Down syndrome. Anna’s worked in 5 countries and visited 57!
Taryn Lagonigro
DSDN Board Secretary. Taryn is a business consultant and the author of Ups, Downs and Silver Linings and Dear Mama: Stories of an Extra Lucky Life. Taryn is the co-owner of Iris Yoga, a yoga studio in New Jersey, and Extra Lucky Moms, an advocacy brand in the disability community. Taryn’s writings have been featured in several national publications and she has frequently been a guest on podcasts and television shows for topics relating to yoga, Down syndrome and parenting a child with a disability. In addition to holding the role of Secretary, Taryn also leads the DSDN Technology Committee. Taryn is a wife and mom to four daughters, the youngest of whom was born with Down syndrome in March 2020.
Jenny Di Benedetto
Jenny is the Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer at the Lockwood Group. She is a founding Board member of DSDN and has served on the Board of Directors and within the DSDN Operations team in a multitude of ways over the last 9+ years. Jenny resides in New Jersey with her family. Her son, Luca, has Down syndrome.
Jennifer Dingman
As an entrepreneurial digital communications leader, Jennifer brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the DSDN Board. She is currently the Head of Digital Communications at Approach Marketing, where she is responsible for leading a team of digital experts across social media, paid media, and influencer marketing. Jennifer lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two young daughters. Her youngest daughter, Millie, rocks an extra chromosome.
Lori Fontaine
Lori has over three decades of extensive and varied healthcare experience, encompassing roles in clinical research, medical education, information technology, consulting, administrative management, and direct patient care. In 2019, her achievements were acknowledged when she was honored as an "Outstanding Women in Business" by the Worcester Business Journal. She has recently retired from her position as Global Vice President of Clinical Strategy at Smith+Nephew and is now dedicating her expertise to part-time consulting for innovative medical device start-ups. Lori's connection with DSDN stems from her niece welcoming a beautiful baby girl into the world, who rocks an extra chromosome, solidifying Lori's commitment to supporting families like hers.
Ben Hughes
Ben has 13+ years of customer experience leadership across a variety of industries and currently works as a Customer Experience Team Leader for General Motors. As a proud father to Elliott (7), who has Down syndrome, Ben is closely connected and passionate about the mission and goals of DSDN, using his own experiences and professional background to help further that mission. He also serves as a Rockin' Dad Retreat Director and sits on the DSDN technology committee. Ben currently lives in Michigan with his wife and two children.
Dr. Marisol Martinez-Garcia
Dr. Marisol Martinez-Garcia has served in public education for more than 20 years, working as a paraeducator, teacher, school psychologist, and, for the past 14 years, a school administrator. She currently leads an early childhood education program that serves pregnant mothers and children from birth to five. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with research centered on the attributes of parents who advocate for inclusive education. She serves as a parent facilitator for her local Down Syndrome organization’s Stepping Up program, equipping families to support their child’s unique learning profile. Marisol brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work with DSDN. She and her husband, Christian, are the proud parents of two children — a caring and gifted daughter and a joyful son who proudly rocks an extra chromosome.
Sarah Mesa-Haas
Sarah has 8 years experience as a speech clinician. She has worked with individuals ages 3 to 23 years old with speech impairments and delays in clinical and educational settings. The good Lord knew this experience would open her heart to her rockin' 5-year old with Down Syndrome. Aside from being a speechie, she spends her time advocating for her children (ages 12, 11 and 5). You can find her at a PTO board meeting at her oldest child's middle school, at a Rainbow Parents meeting for families of LGBTQIA+ children, or dancing at her Polynesian Dance studio. She lives with her husband and 3 children in Southern California.
Tony Nowicki
Tony is a New Product Introduction Project Manager at 3M. He brings over 12 years experience in project management, research and development, and manufacturing to the DSDN Board. He has received a 3M Circle of Technical Excellence and Innovation award, is a Certified Scrum Product Owner and Certified Scrum Advanced Scrum Master, and has been awarded 2 patents from the USPTO. Tony resides in Woodbury, MN with his wife and two children. His youngest son, Philip, also rocks an extra chromosome.
Michael Pascual
Michael has over 24 years of experience working for various government agencies in Southern California in finance, budgeting, risk management, accounting, human resources and procurement and contracting. Currently, Michael is the Vice President of Administrative Services with the Los Angeles Community College District/East Los Angeles College. Michael's connection to DSDN is through his niece and goddaughter who has Down Syndrome. He serves on the Governance & Nominating Committee.
Brecken Price
Brecken is a business executive with more than 15 years of experience leading strategy, operations, and financial performance in agriculture and specialty products. She is Vice President & General Manager of Professional Turf Products at The Andersons, Inc., where she has driven significant earnings growth, expanded market share through acquisition, and led multi-site teams across sales, operations, and finance. Her career spans senior leadership roles in eCommerce, innovation, and food ingredients, as well as financial and audit positions with Ernst & Young. Brecken holds an MBA from Bowling Green State University and a B.S. in Accounting from Hillsdale College, and she has served on the board of Junior Achievement of Northwest Ohio.
Tereze Sinno
Tereze is a disability and absence consultant at American Benefits Consulting with over 14 years of experience working with employer benefits. As a proud mom to Maya (3), who has Down syndrome, Tereze has become fully immersed in the greater Philadelphia Down syndrome community, particularly Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)’s Trisomy 21 program and the CHOP-Penn Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) Community Advisory Board. Her family is binational, bicultural, and trilingual speaking both Arabic, Armenian, and English. She lives with her husband and 2 children in the greater Philadelphia area.
Allen Thomas
Allen was born in India and immigrated to the United States at age 8. He currently serves as Lead Pastor in San Antonio, TX, and is a passionate advocate for individuals with special needs, inspired in part by his son, Ezra, who has Down syndrome. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, Allen is part of the Telos Mosaic Program, a learning community for leaders committed to peacemaking and justice. He is deeply committed to helping marginalized and overlooked communities find a place of belonging.
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