DSAIA Board & Staff

Our board represents a cross-section of our community and has a passion for our organization and those we serve. The board and staff work hard to ensure long-term sustainability of the organization and oversee that our organization continues to deliver quality benefits to our members.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Lauren Camp, President
Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Delaware
Middletown, DE

Lauren Camp is the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware. She began working for this organization as their Program Director and has been with them for five years. Lauren also works for the National Down Syndrome Congress as a Policy Associate and the convention Kids' Camp Director. Lauren graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy with a minor in Disabilities Studies. Her Master’s degree is in Public Administration with a specialization in Nonprofit Management.    

Erin Suelmann, Vice President
Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Erin is the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis (DSAGSL). Prior to her role as ED, she served for three years as the Director of Programs and Services. She has a MA in both Public Health and Anthropology, and gained most of her passion and experience from her brother, who happens to have Down syndrome. She has served in the nonprofit sector for over ten years and brings a great dedication and commitment to building more inclusive, equitable and healthy communities.

Kari Jones, Secretary
President & CEO
Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio
Columbus, OH

Kari Jones, President & CEO, joined the DSACO team in January 2014. Prior to her start with DSACO, she served as Executive Director for Embracing Autism and Director of Supported Living at Goodwill Columbus. As President & CEO, Kari is charged with providing strategic direction, development, and ensuring membership needs are satisfied. Kari volunteers with her local Alzheimer’s Association, Franklin County Special Olympics, the Columbus Civic Theater, and Mended Little Hearts. She resides in Clintonville with her husband (Scott), daughter (Evelyn) and dog (Ray). Kari has been connected to DSACO in some capacity since 1985, when her brother, Alex, was born with Down syndrome.

Chris Steiner, Treasurer
Office Administrator
Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association
Dayton, OH

 Chris Steiner has worked for the MVDSA since November 2015 as the Office Administrator. This is her first position in the non-profit sector and it has been both, rewarding and eye opening. Chris served twenty years in the Ohio Air National Guard and has over ten years experience in the Financial Services industry. She has an Associate degree in both Communication and American Sign Language Interpretation. Chris has been with her wife for almost 30 years and has 3 children and 10 grandchildren.

Lindsay Radford

Member at Large
Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association
Denver, CO

Lindsay is the executive director for Adam's Camp that provides specialized support for children with special needs and their families in a camp environment, serving those throughout all of Colorado. She also is the parent of four children, including a son with Down syndrome.

Jennifer and her husband Brian have been married 28 years, and have two children Sarah and Joshua. Joshua, born with Down syndrome in 1996, is active in Community Theater, and Special Olympics Basketball and Football. He is a member of CADSA Club21Plus, enjoys CADSA Music Therapy Classes-Buckets of Fun and Karate.  Professionally she holds a degree in Human Resource Management, Special Education Professional Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education, with K-12 Specific Learning Disability endorsement. She also earned a Masters in Special Education in Cognitive Impairments. She is the former CADSA Executive Director.

Debbie is the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville. As a native to Jacksonville, Florida, she is one of the founding members of DSAJ and has been actively involved since its establishment in 1989. Debbie has served on numerous boards and committees representing the Down syndrome community both locally and nationally. She is passionate and enthusiastic about serving individuals with Down syndrome.  Debbie has always received inspiration and hope from her family and her son Nick, who has Down syndrome. Debbie looks forward to the continued progress and achievements for all individuals with Down syndrome and to growing the acceptance and inclusion of these individuals within the community.

Willie is a management and leadership professional experienced in growing an organization from inception to a fully functioning corporate entity. He has spent the last 15 years in non-profit executive leadership. He is accomplished in oral and written communications, and the facilitation of employee training. He has earned degrees in Organizational Leadership, Communication, and Management. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University.

Mac is the Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association in Denver. Mac has made a career working in the non-profit sector. Having begun his career teaching at Cherry Creek High school, he then moved on to The Nature Conservancy (Colorado Field Office) where he was a Major Gift fundraiser. Responsible for raising gifts of over $50,000, his time at TNC was spent building relationships within Colorado, and also nationally. After the birth of Guion, his first son, Mac and his wife Rebecca learned that Guion had Down syndrome. Mac decided to leave TNC due to a heavy travelling schedule to concentrate on learning more about his new son and the world of Down syndrome. Mac began volunteering for Special Olympics Colorado which eventually led to a paid position as the Director of Development for that organization. Having been a part of the RMDSA family he was aware that the organization was in the process of searching for a new Executive Director, so Mac made it known that he had an interest in the position and formally joined RMDSA as the second Executive Director in February of 2009. Mac has his Bachelor of Science from Pfeiffer University in North Carolina and his Masters of Education from Vanderbilt University: Peabody College. Mac and his wife Rebecca have three children; Guion, Hoke, and Rae. 

Michelle is the Director of Family Programming for LuMind IDSC Foundation. She was the Executive Director of the International Down Syndrome Community (IDSC) before the organization merged with LuMind RDS in 2019.  Michelle lives in northern California with her husband and 2 sons. Her younger son, Cody, has Down syndrome and was her inspiration for her journey into the Down syndrome non-profit community. Her background is computer programming and software training. In addition to her role at LuMind IDSC Foundation, she is also a professional photographer specializing in photographing children with special needs.

Brandy Snow
Woodstock, GA

Originally from England, Sophie moved to the States in 2006. She has a wealth of experience with business management, recruitment and works now in the Financial and Insurance services. She devotes much of her time helping families with special care needs, connecting them to the resources, and planning they need now and in the future. She has two sons Ethan and Joel and a puppy called Teddy who is training to be a therapy dog.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Sarah Soell is the Executive Director for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma. She has been a member of DSACO since 2006 when her daughter, Kerstin was born. As a parent of a child with Down syndrome, she has volunteered with the organization in numerous activities, having served on the Festival and 5K Committee, serving as co-chaired for two years. Prior to accepting the role as executive director, she was president of the board for DSACO. Before joining DSACO as the new executive director, she worked for the University of Oklahoma as the associate vice president for Public Affairs for 17 years, where she coordinated numerous events and projects, advertising and various other media related activities. She and her husband, Preston, along with their three children, Adliene, Kerstin and Koen, reside in Norman, Oklahoma where they are members of the First Christian Church. 

Laura joined the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas (DSACT) team in April 2017. Laura is a Licensed Master Social Worker and holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State University and a master's degree from The University of Texas at Austin. She previously coordinated grants, volunteers, and community relations with a children's mental health organization and was a case manager for children with special health care needs. Laura currently overseas DSACT's New Parent Program, medical and community outreach, and operations.   Laura has been the chair of DSAIA's Online Training committee since 2019 and was elected to the board in 2020.