Board of Directors

Officers & Board of Directors

Please check the MFOFC Calendar for scheduled board meetings.

Officers

Co-Chair:
O.Sophia Johansson

Photo: O. Sophia Johannson, MFOFC coordinator

Read bio on Staff page

Co-Chair:
Sandra Kinney

Bio

I live in Fairhaven and am the proud mother of three grown children. Craig is 28 years old and was born with Down syndrome, Christina is 27 and Kathryn is 21. I have lived in Massachusetts for the past 29 years I am originally from Connecticut. I lived in Marion, MA and my children grew up and attended school in the Old Rochester Regional School District. All my children were fully included in our school system and were able to experience and grow up in a small town that valued and accepted everyone. I have also had the great experience of working for Nemasket Group Inc. located in Fairhaven for the last 23 years. I currently am the Associate Executive Director of Nemasket and am proud to say, the Director of Family Connections, the family support agency in the Greater New Bedford Area. I became involved with MFOFC 20 years ago, first as a parent that attended the Southeastern Family Leadership Series and then around 10 years ago became a Board member with MFOFC. Currently I am a board member and serve on the board development committee on this grass roots family organization.

Treasurer
Sandy Lebon

Bio

I live in Dorchester and I am the proud mother of two young children who both are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I first connected with MFOFC in 2018 when I participated in the Advocacy Bootcamp Series. After sharing my experience with my husband, Jimmy, we both decided to sign up and participate in the Family Leadership series in early 2019, followed by the Advanced Family Leadership in June of 2019. My involvement with MFOFC has been extremely informative and I have met amazing caregivers at various stages in their children’s journeys that I continue to learn from.

In addition to being the treasurer for MFOFC, I am also the secretary of Boston’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpEdPAC). I am also involved with BPS Community Engagement Advisory Council and with my children’s School Parent Councils.

Clerk:
Ann Berube

Bio

My parenting journey began 31 years ago. I was a work-at-home wife, and mother of three very unique children. In 2004 I participated in Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change (MFOFC) Family Leadership Series (FLS) and my family was forever changed – we began to imagine a better life. The FLS connected me with families who were supporting children that had various diagnoses, and a network of individuals and organizations that could help each other. I wanted to give back, so for several years, I volunteered to learn from and help mentor other FLS families. With others, I chaired our school district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council while my children were in school. My current position as Prevention Specialist at Y.O.U. Inc.’s Family Support Center in Gardner, allows me to offer bi-weekly support groups, and help families find tools and resources to navigate systems and advocate for their family’s needs. I volunteer on the Board of Directors for MFOFC, the North County Site Advisory Board for the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) North Central Citizen’s Advisory Board, and Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Advocates in Motion Advisory Council. I do all this while supporting my daughter’s DDS Agency with Choice Adult Service Program and her local, regional & statewide self-advocacy efforts. I hope to continue to learn from my children, and the ever growing community of support and inspiration we receive from those we have met along our journey.

Board Members

Kathleen Amaral

Read bio on Staff page

Sue Crosby

Read bio on Staff page

Kathy Healy Norton

Bio

Coming soon

Rania Kelly

Bio

Rania Kelly is an architect/designer by day, a mother 24/7, and an advocate all the times in between for children that are neurodivergent, medically complex, and/or disabled. She is an active member in SEPAC, does pro-bono design work for non-profits, runs fundraisers, and enjoys grant writing.

Inspired by the impact picture books have had on her son, she is writing and illustrating picture books for children that require emotional, physical, or medical support to access a world that was not designed for them. She is passionate about inclusion and accessibility for everyone.

Rania is a first generation Arab American and has seen first-hand the struggles immigrant families face with language and cultural barriers. She hopes to use her experience and bi-lingual skills to help families that face similar struggles.

MFOFC has given her and her son valuable support, and she is honored for the opportunity to give back by serving as a board member.

Lauri Medeiros

Photo: Laurie Madeiros, MFOFC coordinator

Read bio on Staff page

Emily Nisenbaum

Bio

Emily is the mother of two children; Josh, who is married to Tina and Amy, who has what she calls “Up” syndrome. She is the widow of Louis Nisenbaum, the founding Executive Director of the Nemasket Group and a visionary in the disability field.

Emily is a founding member of Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change. She was its Chairperson for 13 years and remains active on the board. Emily was instrumental in the development of the SE MA Family Leadership Series and has coordinated and facilitated the Series in the SE for over 25 years.

The foundation for Emily’s work has been a deep love and respect for her daughter and other individuals and families who are on the same journey. Her goal is to create and/or find opportunities for individuals and families within their communities so that individuals and families can, as much as possible, live “ordinary” lives. Emily has had the privilege of traveling in the US and abroad to work with families and has delivered keynote addresses and presentations at conferences throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. She is the very humble recipient of the 2005 Gunnar Dybwad Award presented by the Department of Developmental Disabilities.

Kendra Steucek

Bio

Coming soon

Brian Sullivan

Bio

Coming soon