Michelle LeeMichelle lives in League City, Texas with her husband Kerry and her two sons Dalton (SMS) and Xander. She is a former educator who stays home and homeschools her boys and balances her time between normal homeschooling lessons, martial arts classes, church and other social activities.
She found PRISMS shortly after Dalton was diagnosed at age 8 in 2011 and attended her first conference. She has worked on a few small projects for PRISMS and is also an admin to a small SMS awareness Facebook page her sister started shortly after Dalton was diagnosed.
When not homeschooling the boys, She is training at a local martial arts school and volunteering as an assistant at their black belt graduation programs. She is also hosts their annual 5K as the race director.
Jason MichaudJason joined the PRISMS Board of Directors in January, 2022 as an at-large member. Jason’s goal is to be a part of the work that brings resources and support to SMS families. PRISMS has been the greatest gift to his family on their SMS journey and his desire to give back in order to help others on their journey is what inspired him to join the board. Jason and his wife Charlene reside in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada with their two sons Ryan (13), Nikolas (11) and their daughter Jillian (9). Jillian was diagnosed at the age of 3.5 years with SMS. Jason is proud to be the first Canadian board member for PRISMS and in his spare time he enjoys coaching and playing ice hockey in the winter and camping in the summer.
Margaret MillerMargaret Miller is the Founding President of PRISMS. She began PRISMS along with her husband Scott Miller, Ann Smith and Brenda Finucane. She was inspired to help develop this organization after receiving the diagnosis of SMS for her infant daughter. There were no SMS organizations at that time and very little information on the syndrome. She has served on the PRISMS Board as President, Past-President, Vice President, (currently), and Board Member and has helped to chair and plan nine international conferences and nine research symposiums. She has been an invited speaker on SMS at educational conferences, college seminars, and the National Institutes of Health. Maggie is passionate about working closely with researchers and professionals and believes that we can only make greater strides in our mission when we work together. Maggie lives in a suburb of Washington DC, with her husband, daughter and son.
Rachel Franciskovich, MS, CGCRachel Franciskovich is a board certified genetic counselor in the department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. She is involved in the care of individuals and families in the general genetics outpatient clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital, primarily in The Woodlands. Additionally, she assists with the management and care of individuals in the Smith-Magenis Syndrome specialty clinic. Primary clinical duties include: clinical evaluations, genetic testing coordination and selection, disclosure of results and information, and management of clinic flow and coordination.
Nancy Raitano, PhDNancy Raitano Lee, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and associate professor of Psychology at Drexel University who specializes in developmental neuropsychology. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University and her doctorate in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Denver. Her research aims to augment knowledge about the causes and correlates of neurodevelopmental disorders through the use of innovative neuropsychological and neuroimaging technologies. While most of Dr. Lee’s research to date has focused on youth with other neurogenetic syndromes, she is currently collaborating with PRISMS professional advisory board member, Ann Smith, on a project in which they are examining the occurrence of autistic traits in youth with SMS and other neurogenetic syndromes. Dr. Lee is enthusiastic about doing more research focused on SMS and is looking forward to contributing to the PRISMS professional advisory board and getting to know the PRISMS community in the coming years.
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