Board of Directors Member: Jeffrey Covington
Years on the Board: Four
Q: What do you find most meaningful about serving on the Board, and what excites you most about the work ahead?
A: I find it meaningful to still have a connection with the PWS community. I spent a great deal of my professional career in the field, and it satisfies me to stay connected. Areas of focus or young adults, diversity and all the pharmaceutical breakthroughs excite me. Making a difference to individuals with PWS and their families.
Q: Please share a bit about your professional background and how it supports your role on the Board.
A: I spent over 20 years providing support and services to individuals with PWS. Today, I work for an Electronic Health Record that specializes in individuals with Developmental Disabilities.
Q: Outside of your Board work, how do you enjoy spending your free time?
A: Traveling, reading, cooking and attending sporting events.
Q: Where do you currently live, and what do you enjoy most about your community?
A: Loudonville in upstate New York. Proximity and location.
Q: Please tell us a little about your family or the people who are most important in your life.
A: I have been married since 2004 to Lisa. I have an adult daughter who is married and an adult son who is a senior in college. I am also a grandfather to Arthur who was born prematurely and spent six months in the NICU.
Q: What inspires or motivates you – personally or professionally?
A: The successes – both big and small.
Q: Share one fun or unexpected fact about yourself.
A: My son and I have visited all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.
Q: What is your hope for the future of PWSA | USA and the PWS community?
A: That we continue to see progress towards a cure and anyone who needs assistance gets it, regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status, immigration status or sexual identity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.