The Board of Trustees are a group of diverse professionals, some of whom have a family connection with Turner Syndrome. Their role of governance and fiscal responsibility are integral to the sustainability of programs developed to achieve and further the social impact of this women's health initiative.

Meet the Board of Trustees

Laura Fasciano
Helen Polise
Suzanne Bousquet, Ph.D
Danielle Moore, Ph.D.
Dawn Petr, M.Eng.
Rosemary Scales, RN, MSN
Doreen Sullivan

Director and Founding President

Laura Fasciano
Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee
Director and Founding President

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: lfasciano@tsfusa.org

Laura Fasciano is Director and Founding President of the Turner Syndrome Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded upon the principals of advancing communications, supporting research initiatives, and providing transformative resources to professionals.

Laura has corporate and entrepreneurial experience specializing in administration and business management in the information technology and construction sector. She earned a certificate at The Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School for nonprofit leaders.

Following a late diagnosis of her youngest child, she organized the Turner Syndrome NJ Chapter in 2008. In December 2009, the entity reorganized and incorporated as the Turner Syndrome Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, with a vision to mainstream this lifetime condition to improve quality care outcomes.

Her commitment and innovative approach have gained momentum and national support. She organized an esteemed medical advisory board and executive board of directors. Since the inception of this project in 2008, Laura has successfully facilitated information conferences, media coverage, monthly electronic newsletters, a website, blog and social networking arenas, exhibited at state and international conferences, established fundraising campaigns, and continues to support research and provide support to those affected by Turner Syndrome.

In 2010, Team TSF was organized as a national awareness campaign to reduce the age of diagnosis, and a community of support for Turner Syndrome through athletic events and exhibits.

In 2011, shortly after a request for increased activity from the medical advisory board, she trekked to Washington, D.C. declaring the needs of people with Turner Syndrome. She frequently visits, writes and speaks with legislatures and industry about issues to improve care and life outcomes of individuals and families affected by this disorder. In September, Laura was honored to present “An Advocates Perspective: Translation of Care Guidelines” as invited faculty at the Winthrop University Hospital International Symposium on Turner Syndrome.

In 2012, a professionally documented film entitled, "The Importance of Early Diagnosis of Turner Syndrome" was created through a fully funded grant from Genentech featuring Dr. Henry Anhalt, DO and a family diagnosed before birth.

In 2013 collaborated with AACE and Scherer Clinical Communications to create an online learning activity (CME) entitled, "Identifying and Managing Care of Girls with Turner Syndrome" that yielded over 27,000 learners on Medscape. This activity was fully funded by Novo Nordisk. Lead the charge to Declare the month of February as Turner Syndrome awareness month signed into law by NJ Gov. Chris Christie. Spoke on pediatric grand rounds at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Riverview Medical Center Meridian Hospital.

In 2014, she contributed to the Endocrine Society's Hormone Health Network, Transitions Task Force, and faculty at a national stakeholders conference for the proposed Turner Resource Network.

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Director of Marketing and Publicity

Helen Polise
Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee
Director of Marketing and Publicity

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: hpolise@tsfusa.org

Helen Polise is co-owner and managing partner of Funky Pumpkin, an advertising agency and TV production company founded in 2002, specializing in the youth market and creating TV commercials for several top-selling kids’ brands. With a BA in Music Business from NYU, Helen has been in the field of marketing/advertising at two different ad agencies prior to Funky Pumpkin. Helen brings her expertise in branding to the youth market and her film and video production knowledge to the Turner Syndrome Foundation, where she will use her skills to lead the foundation’s branding and marketing efforts and create relevant video content where needed.

Outside of work, Helen serves on her local community board managing email communications, volunteers her time as staging and music director for the annual high school fashion show, and has completed the NYC marathon as well as multiple sprint triathlons. She and her husband have 3 children, one of whom is mentally handicapped, so she fully understands the goals of the foundation and the need for support for those who face unexpected life challenges.

In 2010, Helen produced, filmed and edited the Turner Syndrome Diaries. Candid monologues of women, girls and their families speaking out about their life experience living with Turner Syndrome. These poignant documentary films are used at professional conferences, public engagements and on hospital grand rounds for informational and instructional purposes.

Helen holds many commercial projects to her credit, and the Turner Syndrome Diaries are justified as a social awakening for an underserved women’s health issue in need of public awareness.
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Director of Education and Professional Development

Suzanne Bousquet, Ph.D.
Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee, Secretary
Director of Education and Professional Development

Director of School of Psychology
Kean University
Union, New Jersey

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: sbousquet@tsfusa.org

Suzanne G. Bousquet received her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology at Rutgers University in 1982. In 1984, she joined the faculty at Kean University (then Kean College of New Jersey), where she is Acting Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. In addition to serving on the faculty, her previous roles include Chairperson and Executive Director of the School of Psychology. At Kean University, Suzanne has taught undergraduate courses in cognition (memory processes), perception (vision and audition), and statistics. At the graduate level, she has taught research methods. Suzanne has received university and state awards for her teaching and service. Suzanne’s [Text Box:] [Text Box:] published research includes studies of visual illusions and the perception of time, and she has collaborated on projects on the psychology of aesthetics and issues of academic integrity. In her early career at Kean, Suzanne served as the first faculty Director of Learning Assistance, and helped establish a variety of student academic services to support the academic success of students with diverse learning styles and needs.

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Gary Sullivan - In Memory

Gary Sullivan
Turner Syndrome Foundation Founding Trustee
'Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into tranquil joy.' - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

6/22/14 - We say farewell to a friend and champion for Turner Syndrome. Gary helped to realize a vision to improve lives. His memory lives on in the seeds of love and good will he shared with so many. His wife, Doreen, has been standing in since his passing.

Director of Scientific Affairs

Danielle Moore, Ph.D.
Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee
Director of Scientific Affairs

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: dmoore@tsfusa.org

Danielle Moore grew up in central New Jersey and graduated from Drew University in Madison New Jersey in 2004. She received her doctorate in biomedical science from the University of Connecticut in 2009, and she has extensive research experience in endocrinology, neurology, and psychiatry. She continued to pursue basic research through additional postdoctoral training at Duke University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and within the Neuroendocrine and Mouse Behavioral Core Facility. Most currently, she expanded her skills from basic research into regulated clinical research and is now certified as a clinical research associate by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Danielle has combined unique experiences with all stages of research: cells and tissues in petri dishes, animal physiology and behavior, and most recently Phase III clinical trials.

Danielle is deeply passionate about creating transparent communication between patients, doctors, and scientists, as well as improving science education. As a result, she is thrilled and excited to pour her scientific training and expertise to help create and encourage research opportunities within the Turner Syndrome Foundation.

Director of Information Technology

Dawn Petr, M.Eng.
Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee
Director of MIS and Program Management

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: dpetr@tsfusa.org

Dawn Petr earned a Master of Engineering in Computer Science from Cornell University and a B.S. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She worked in the telephony and software consulting industries for several years, architecting, developing and testing software for several years. Her positions required project management and leadership skills in addition to technical knowledge and the ability to write comprehendible detailed technical documents for proposals and as product references. Two patents were granted for collaborative efforts during her stint as an "in-house" consultant for Bell Communications Research.

After a break of many years to be "Mom", she began volunteering part time for the Turner Syndrome Foundation. Dawn now devotes a substantial amount of time implementing technical systems to facilitate the operations of TSF. Since she began volunteering two years ago, she has done the following:

Introduced and administered additional organizational and cooperative methods using solutions such as Huddle
Designed a data model and configured Salesforce to track and manage the foundation's contacts
Cleaned, standardized and imported existing data from several sources
Assisted in operational process definition with an eye to automating as much as possible.
Integrated apps such as Click & Pledge and Campaign Monitor with Salesforce to perform auxiliary functions.
Served on the Executive Board as Treasurer, attending board meetings, a biobanking bootcamp at Genetic Alliance and the 2014 Turner Resource Network Symposium.
Dawn resides in NJ with her husband of 20 years and their two teenage sons.

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Director of Patient Care

Rosemary Scales, MS, RN
Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee, Vice President
Director of Patient Care

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: rscales@tsfusa.org

Rosemary Scales, RN, MSN
After graduating with a BSN from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, Rosemary has worked in several areas of the pediatric subspecialty in IA, LA, CO, MT, UT and WA. At the University of Utah, she earned her MS in nursing administration but shortly after that began her endocrine career where she developed a special interest in the Turner Syndrome girls. After teaching their families, writing a PENS manual chapter and speaking to multiple primary care offices about early detection, the interest continued. After moving to WA in late 2009, she worked in pediatric endocrinology in Tacoma where she started a Turner Syndrome Support group for the area families before retiring from clinical practice. She currently does home teaching for patients for their growth hormone devices as well as presenting around the western US on growth hormone devices.

Treasurer

Doreen Sullivan

Turner Syndrome Foundation Trustee, Treasurer

Contact:
PO Box 726, Holmdel, NJ 07733
Tel: 800-594-4585
Fax: 800-594-3862
Email: dsullivan@tsfusa.org

My late husband, Gary, was a founding board trustee of the Turner Syndrome Foundation. Over the years I actively volunteered by his side and have since filled his position as trustee upon his passing. As a volunteer, I have co-chaired special events, including the Annual Holiday Party, participated in Team TSF events, attending numerous programs and helped other families in support of this mission.

Currently, I am pursuing a career in Real Estate. I Graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Business Degree and held a ten year career as a children’s wear buyer for a large retail chain. I owned my own consignment shop when I met my dear husband Gary. We were blessed with two incredible children. I then was a stay at home mom and caretaker to my husband when he became ill. I am sure He is incredibly proud of our children Paul, and Olivia, a 14 year old with TS. We believe these females are so incredibly special. Gary would be very proud of all that the Foundation has accomplished.

Thank you for this Honor.

Susan Wesoly, RPA-C

Senior Physician Assistant Clinical Coordinator

Children's Hospital at Montefiore

Division of Pediatric Endocrinology

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