Chelsea’s Hope Welcomes 2025-2026 Board of Directors
Chelsea’s Hope is pleased to announce the 2025-2026 Board of Directors: Jenifer Merriam (President), Dr. Katrina Voe Cotton (Vice President), Sheila Barter (Treasurer), Meredith Williams (Secretary), Niki Markou (At-Large Member), Roderick Howard (At-Large Member), and Nadia Ismail (At-Large Member).
New to Chelsea’s Hope are Vice President Katrina Voe Cotton, MD, PhD, and At-Large Board Member Roderick Howard.
Dr. Katrina Voe Cotton, Vice President
Dr. Cotton shared, “I feel incredibly fortunate to have joined the Lafora community at such an exciting time. With the safety study now underway at UT Southwestern, we are on the brink of a new era for Lafora patients. I’m eager to leverage my experience and knowledge to help navigate this exciting journey ahead.”
Roderick Howard, At-Large Member
Roderick, a longtime nonprofit leader, also said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve an organization that aligns with my interests in public health and children’s support.”
Dr. Cotton and Roderick bring a wealth of management and development skills along with a passion for making a difference in the Lafora community. We look forward to their guidance and expertise in advancing the mission of Chelsea’s Hope. You can read more about the Board of Directors on our Leadership Team page.
Finally, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Frank Harris for his leadership as the previous President of the Board of Directors. He had a talent for making newly diagnosed families feel supported and devoted a decade to serving the Lafora community with Chelsea’s Hope. Many of our current board members credit Frank for welcoming them to the organization and encouraging them to join. While he stepped down from the board, he remains a steadfast member of our community.
We are deeply saddened by the loss on January 1st, 2025, of Professor Dr. Joan Guinovart — founder, former director, former researcher, and professor of IRB Barcelona, an international research center devoted to curing cancer and other diseases linked to aging. He was a brilliant scientist and a wonderful human being. Dr. Guinovart’s research was primarily concerned with glycogen, starting with a study of the effects of insulin on glycogen synthase and eventually leading to the study of Lafora disease, a debilitating disease characterized by the accumulation of abnormal glycogen. His research was instrumental in identifying a therapeutic target to treat patients with Lafora disease.
Chelsea’s Hope c/o Dr. Donohue