Katie Bator is a sixth-grade teacher in Spring Lake, Michigan, and the proud mother of Benjamin, who was diagnosed with KAT6A at age three. She lives and teaches in Western Michigan, where Benjamin attends school in the same district. For several years, Katie has co-chaired the KATwalk alongside Aimee Reitzen, raising awareness and funding for individuals and families living with KAT6. Katie is a passionate advocate for inclusion in her community and has been featured on numerous podcasts, where she shares her personal experience navigating a rare diagnosis as a parent. Outside of teaching and advocacy, she enjoys reading and spending time in Northern Michigan, where she loves trout fishing.

Lindsey Blanch became involved with the KAT6 community after her youngest child, Audrey, was diagnosed with a KAT6 disorder at five months old in 2022 - a life-changing moment that sparked both apprehension as well as determination to seek answers and connection. Drawing on her background in Finance within the Oil & Gas and Semiconductor industries, Lindsey now serves as Co-Director of Grants for the Foundation. She is deeply committed to building a strong, supportive KAT6 community and advancing research — not just for Audrey, but for every family navigating the unknowns of this rare diagnosis. Lindsey lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Colin, and their three children—Everett, Fletcher, and Audrey.

Jeanie Glass became involved with the KAT6 Foundation after her youngest daughter, Lily, was diagnosed with KAT6A at just 3 months old. After finding the resources of the foundation and the support groups to be incredibly helpful following Lily’s diagnosis, she knew she wanted to become involved in this remarkable community. Jeanie has an extensive background in digital advertising and marketing, and hopes to help continue creating awareness of KAT6, amplifying the work of the foundation, and advancing research to support this community. Jeanie and her husband, Thayer, reside just outside of Atlanta, GA with their two daughters - Sophie & Lily.

Thayer Glass is the father of Lily who was diagnosed with Kat6 in 2025. Lily has a loving older sister that is almost 5 and a wife, Jeanie, who loves her family more than anything. Thayer brings an extensive background in software technology sales and the development of growing agile startups. He plans to leverage this expertise to reshape and enhance the foundation's technology strategy, incorporating modern solutions, including Artificial Intelligence, to advance family support, research initiatives, fundraising, and community outreach.

Typhaine Lejeune is a veterinarian and board certified toxicologic pathologist. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry in Canada for the past 15 years in preclinical drug development. Her experience in helping companies go into clinical trial makes her a huge asset to our board. Additionally, Typhaine is a parent of a child with a KAT6B gene variant and offers great support to families living with KAT6. She has presented her scientific expertise to the KAT6 community and is an integral part of the fundraising events hosted by the KAT6 Foundation internationally.

Melanie Maas is the proud mom of Gianna (KAT6A) and Garritt. She has attended KAT6 Conferences since the very beginning and has seen firsthand the incredible power of connection within the community. These experiences inspired her passion for helping other families connect, share their journeys, and support one another through the Foundation. Melanie is dedicated to fostering meaningful connections that bring hope, understanding, encouragement, and fun to KAT6 families. She has also been an active participant in many fundraising and awareness events, including the annual KATwalk. Alongside her husband, Rick, she enjoys cheering on their kids at soccer games and spending time outdoors as a family.

Aimee Reitzen was a founding member of the KAT6 Foundation’s Board of Directors, serving from 2017 to 2022. After her son was diagnosed with KAT6 in 2016, Aimee became passionate about helping families in the KAT6 community. During her Board tenure, she launched the Foundation’s website and created the Empowered Grant Program, which provides ongoing financial assistance for therapeutic equipment and services. Today, she continues to support the organization as Marketing and Communications Director. Aimee has also led numerous fundraising and awareness initiatives, including the annual KATwalk, which she co-chairs with Katie Bator. In addition, she is a strong advocate for the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in schools and communities.

Megan Stetts joined the KAT6 Foundation in 2022 as Social Media Coordinator and has since expanded her role to include administrative support to the fundraising and marketing team. Megan lives in Spring Lake, MI with her husband Aaron and daughter Olivia. Through her work with the Foundation, Megan has become deeply passionate about raising awareness for KAT6 syndrome and supporting KAT6 families. She has been close friends for more than 20 years with Katie Bator, the mother of a child diagnosed with KAT6 syndrome, and is a longtime supporter of Team Benjamin.

Jessica Wiemann is a happy mother raising three wonderful kids on the central coast of California with her husband, Jesse. Their middle child, Jack, was diagnosed with KAT6 in 2020. Jessica was previously an administrator for assisted living facilities, and is now passionately working on changing their local special education department to be more accessible and inclusive for all, even getting an inclusive playground built at Jack's school! Jessica has been serving the Foundation as a volunteer for the past two years by helping many families get approved for therapies and assistive equipment through the Empowered Grant program.

Jeff Worden is the proud father of Moira, who was diagnosed with KAT6B syndrome, and his family’s journey has inspired his ongoing work with the KAT6 Foundation. As the foundation’s videographer, Jeff helps capture and share the stories of families, researchers, and advocates working toward greater understanding of KAT6. A film producer and finance strategist by profession, Jeff brings years of experience in independent production and media investment to his storytelling work, combining cinematic craft with a deep personal commitment to awareness, inclusion, and hope for the KAT6 community. He and his wife, Rachel, raise Moira in Austin, TX, and love a good art museum or camping trip whenever they find the time.

Susan Hartung is a retired special education teacher and currently works as a Provider Relations Specialist for Medical Management and Rehabilitation Services. In this role, she networks with more than 100 service providers supporting individuals with developmental disabilities in the state of Maryland. Susan holds a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation and an M.A.Ed. in Special Education. Susan is the mother of a 37-year-old son with KAT6 and a 33-year-old daughter with autism. She has been a dedicated advocate for disability services for more than 30 years. Susan is a founding Board member of K.E.E.N. – a national recreation program for children with developmental disabilities – and has chaired multiple developmental disability organizations at both the county and state levels. She firmly believes that effective advocacy empowers parents to improve the quality of life not only for their own children, but for all individuals with disabilities.

Sue Carpenter spent 40 years as a public school teacher, advancing from general education to special day classes and serving as a Special Education Resource Specialist. Since retiring, she tutors students with special needs. During her career, she served on her school’s Student Study Team and taught a before-school literacy academy for at-risk students. She is the mother of fraternal twins, one of whom has KAT6A and the rare autoimmune disease juvenile dermatomyositis, experiences that inspire her advocacy. Sue enjoys raising, showing, and breeding Golden Retrievers with her family, and she is also a dedicated quilter, donating many of her creations, including to the KAT6 Foundation. She serves on the Foundation’s advocacy team and can assist families with educational advocacy questions.

Beth Woodbury is the mother of Sam, a 35-year-old man diagnosed with KAT6A at age 26. For much of his life, Beth has dedicated herself to advocating for medical, educational, and community services for Sam and others with disabilities in her home state of Maine. She is now an active member of the KAT6 Foundation, helping to advance scientific research and raise awareness about KAT6 disorders. Beth serves on the Foundation’s Advocacy Committee. Beth lives in the North Maine woods with her husband, David, and their son Sam. Together, they enjoy outdoor activities with their four adult children and their families.

Amy Young is the proud mom of Jack, who was diagnosed with KAT6A in 2016. Shortly after his diagnosis, Amy and her husband, Kevin, became involved with the KAT6 Foundation. In 2017, Amy helped develop the KAT6 Patient Registry with NORD and attended NORD conferences in 2018 and 2019, which helped guide the Foundation in educating families about the importance of registry participation. Amy is currently a member of the KAT6 Advocacy Committee. Throughout her teaching career, Amy taught students with a variety of disabilities, developed IEPs, and conducted evaluations. Through both her professional experience and her personal journey with Jack, she has developed a strong understanding of the challenges facing families of children with special learning needs and now shares her knowledge through special education advocacy.