Our Team

The work of the Hereditary Disease Foundation is facilitated by our leadership team and guided by our Board of Directors and our Scientific Advisory Board.

Leadership Team

Meghan Donaldson

Meghan joined the HDF after a successful banking career with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., First Chicago Bank, N.A, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Macquarie Group. Meghan has had a life-long interest in Huntington’s disease and is passionate about finding a cure for HD and helping families affected by HD. At the HDF, Meghan focuses on general business management and fundraising. Meghan holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Mathematics from William Smith College.

Meghan Donaldson

Chief Executive Officer

Nancy S. Wexler, PhD

Nancy has devoted her career to finding treatments and cures for Huntington’s disease. She led the HDF’s history-making Venezuela Project, a 22-year international collaborative team, studying the world’s largest Huntington’s disease family in Venezuela, collecting tissue samples, and developing a family tree of over 18,000 individuals spanning 10 generations.

This work led to the discovery of the DNA marker for Huntington’s disease in 1983 and the HD gene itself in 1993. This same genetic material has assisted in the mapping of other disease genes, including those responsible for familial Alzheimer’s disease, kidney cancer, two kinds of neurofibromatosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), dwarfism and others. One important result of this work was developing a genetic test to determine if an individual carries the HD gene.

In 2020, the HDF established the Nancy S. Wexler Young Investigator Prize to be awarded annually to researchers whose work reflects the highest caliber of excellence, diligence and creative thinking. Dr. Wexler has received numerous awards and honors for her work including honorary doctorates from the University of Michigan, Bard College and Yale. She headed a landmark Congressional Commission on the Control and Consequences of Huntington’s Disease from 1976 to 1978. She chaired the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Working Group of the Human Genome Project.

Nancy S. Wexler, PhD

President

Tim Kelleher

Tim has combined public and private accounting experience specializing in supporting tax-exempt and non-profit organizations. Currently with Carey & Co. as CFO since 2015, Tim is acting CFO for HDF with Carey & Co. providing the bookkeeping services. He has worked with several clients, most recently serving the Author’s Guild, Girl Scouts of Greater New York, CFO and Controller at the American Lung Association, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, and Brick Church. Tim received his BS in Accounting from Holy Cross College and is a CPA.

Tim Kelleher

Chief Financial Officer

Julie Porter

Julie oversees the administration of the Hereditary Disease Foundation. She plays a key role in fundraising, advocacy, outreach, communications, event and Workshop coordination. Julie also played a unique role in the oversight of the data collected during the HDF’s Venezuelan Project. She has been with the HDF since 1996.

Julie Porter

Director of Administration

Sarah Hernandez, PhD

Dr. Sarah Hernandez oversees the Foundation’s scientific research portfolio by managing the grants program, acting as the scientific liaison, and coordinating scientific programming through webinars, workshops, and conferences. Sarah enthusiastically supports the mission of the HDF, working closely with its Scientific Advisory Board to identify the most promising research and accelerate treatments for Huntington’s disease.

Sarah learned at a young age that her family was affected by Huntington’s disease, motivating her to learn more and inspiring her to become a scientist. In 2015, she received a PhD in Biology and Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. For her postdoctoral studies, she joined the lab of renowned Huntington’s disease scientist Leslie Thompson, PhD, at the University of California, Irvine and Chair-Elect, HDF Scientific Advisory Board. There she worked on understanding the molecular consequences of Huntington’s disease to cells of the brain using stem cells and fruit flies. In 2021, she was honored as the recipient of the Hereditary Disease Foundation Nancy S. Wexler Young Investigator Prize, presented to a researcher whose work represents the highest caliber of excellence, diligence, and creative thinking. Additionally, Sarah is an editor for HDBuzz, writing articles about Huntington’s disease-related science and research news in plain language for the patient community.

Sarah Hernandez, PhD

Director of Research Programs

Erica Matisz

Erica oversees all fundraising and philanthropic efforts of the Foundation, working to strengthen relationships with donors, supporters, and partners while strategizing and executing initiatives to further the mission of the HDF. She joins the team with nearly twenty years of fundraising experience, and a proven track record in securing funds for impactful causes in the nonprofit sector. Erica is passionate about making a meaningful difference for all affected by Huntington’s disease and other neurological disorders and is committed to contributing to the HDF’s growth and success.

Erica Matisz

Director of Development

Debra Karrat

Debra supports the Hereditary Disease Foundation in marketing, communications, strategy and execution. Debra has extensive marketing, branding and strategy experience in both product and service industries leading well-known brands including Tumi, L’Oreal and Wella. She founded her marketing company in 2003 and worked for many clients as both a consultant, marketing director and CMO.

Debra Karrat

Fractional CMO

Mary Jane Goode

At the HDF, Mary Jane focuses on finance and human resources. Before entering the nonprofit sector, Mary Jane spent 20 years in banking with Banc of America Securities, Salomon Smith Barney and others. She holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BA in Economics from Davidson College.

Mary Jane Goode

Finance and HR

Karen Newman

Chair, Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Scientific Advisory Board