Get to know our speakers:
Christina “Crissy” Burgstaler – Mom to Amalia (age 3 with PWS). Small business owner in Tucson, Arizona. LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) alumna and newest member of the PWSA Arizona chapter board.
Chelsee Loucks is the mother of Stanley Nelson who has PWS. He is now 8 years old and in 2nd grade. Stanley is the funniest little boy who enjoys ALL things boy. I have worked in the Veterinary Industry for 17 years and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician 13 years ago. We live in a small town called Payson, AZ. where I have been born and raised for 33 years. Stanley was born in my hometown also. I joined the PWS AZ Chapter board 7 years ago. I am now the new President and couldn't ask for a better group to work with. I plan to continue advocacy lifelong for PWS individuals statewide and Nationally.
Lisa Lamb is mom to Makenna, age 12 with PWS. She has a Degree in Child Development, with an emphasis in Special Needs. Her passions include nutrition analysis, health and fitness. Although predominantly a stay-at-home mom, Lisa helps with her family business, Zag Fundraising. She has been involved with PWSA Arizona since Makenna was a baby, became board Secretary in 2020 and is in her first year on the PWSA National Board. She lives in Arizona with her husband Brian, daughter Makenna and her younger sister Madison.
Tammie Penta is a retired police sergeant with over 27 years of experience. She is a recognized expert in elder and child abuse investigations having spent 10 years conducting criminal investigations from family crimes to organized crime. Additionally, she spent four years as a field training supervisor at the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy where she developed training to help officers address crisis situations with people with developmental or mental health issues. Specific to this training was how to address the issues with several adult Prader-Willi syndrome homes located in Southern Arizona. During her nine years on the PWSA | USA board, Tammie has been the committee chair for the Family and Medical Support and Leadership committees. She has also served on the Executive, Chapter Relations, and Advocacy committees. Additionally, Tammie has sat on the Arizona chapter for Prader-Willi syndrome since 1996 and was certified through the (WSEAT) Wyatt Special Education Advocacy Training in 2013. Tammie and her husband Phil have been married for 30 years. They have three children, Victor, who was diagnosed with PWS at the age of two, Nick, and Rockiel.
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.