We are excited to announce the Keynote Speaker for PWSA | USA's 2023 National Convention, Cristol Barrett O’Loughlin who is is the Founder and CEO of A ANGEL AID CARES (Nonprofit Group Enriching Lives, Inc.) You won't want to miss her motivational and inspirational message! Cristol's Keynote speech title is Caring for the Caregivers: From brokenhearted to belonging using the Raregivers™ Emotional Journey Map.
About Cristol Barrett O'Loughlin
Cristol Barrett O’Loughlin is a seasoned executive and storyteller. As Founder & CEO of ANGEL AID CARES (A Nonprofit Group Enriching Lives, Inc.), Cristol is fiercely passionate about providing social, emotional, physical and financial relief to Raregivers™ ~ caregivers, patients and professionals who hold both hope and grief in the same human heart. A former UCLA instructor, she co-founded the advertising firm, The Craftsman Agency, and is humbled to advise global brands: NBA, Disney, Fox, Cisco Systems and Google. During her tenure at IBM Life Sciences, she helped accelerate advancements in cheminformatics and biotechnology. Watch her TEDx talk ‘Caring for the Caregivers: 3 Tools for Self-Care’ at https://www.angelaidcares.org/tedx.
About the 2023 National Convention
PWSA | USA’s 37th National Convention will take place on June 21 – June 24, 2023, in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace! Parents, grandparents, siblings, and individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) will come together to experience this transformational conference of HOPE. Throughout the convention, attendees will hear from physicians, educators, professional care providers, and scientific researchers, who will share the latest information and advances in the care and support of individuals with PWS. While caregivers are attending conference sessions, children and adults with PWS and their siblings will participate in two fun-filled days of activities and building relationships with peers.
Registration for the 37th National Convention will be available soon. In the meantime, you are able to book your stay in our hotel room block by clicking the button below. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@pwsausa.org.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.