ACD requires 100% board giving from all current board members. We are proud to share that each of our board members meets or exceeds this expectation through both personal contributions and gifts from their extended families, businesses, and personal networks. All board member positions are volunteer. Board members are not compensated for their board duties.
Dan has experience from the private sector, managing companies in the building technology industry for the past 15 years. Working with clients in biotech, pharmaceutical and technology sectors provided knowledge in research grants and clinical trials. Coller also has significant experience with financial control and oversight with heavily regulated contracts with the US Navy, State of California, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and dozens of federal and state programs. Coller obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, and lives in San Diego, California, with his wife Erin Coller, their nine-year-old son Cadman who was diagnosed with Creatine Transporter Deficiency in 2017, and their six-year-old daughter Emma.
Randy has nearly 20 years of experience as a sales and business development leader in the healthcare industry. From medical devices to medtech, Randy has always been attracted to sectors that are in need of new technologies to solve old problems. A native of Ohio and graduate from Ohio University, he now lives in Northern California with his wife Jennifer, their 9-year-old son Jack, and their 7-year-old son Lucas, who was diagnosed with Creatine Transporter Deficiency in 2019.
Kim is a Co-Founder of the Association for Creatine Deficiencies (ACD) and currently serves as the Director of Advocacy. Her passion for these rare diseases comes from both of her own children being diagnosed with GAMT. Kim is a graduate of San Diego State University with a B.A. in Communications and has over 25 years of sales management and recruiting experience. She has taken her passion for helping children with Creatine Deficiencies to the state and national level, in advocating for Newborn Screening. Kim resides in Carlsbad, California with her husband Grant, and two children, Ty and Paige.
Celeste has a background in special education with an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Child and Family Development and a master’s degree from Western Carolina University in Special Education. Celeste is passionate about education—within and outside of the CCDS community and empowering parents. While serving as an ACD Ambassador, she attended multiple events representing the CCDS community in different capacities. She has also advocated at the local, state, and federal levels for rare disease legislation. Celeste has worked in a variety of settings with children with disabilities in public schools and currently works with an advocacy nonprofit, helping link families to resources. Celeste lives outside of Charlotte, NC with her husband (Phil). They have four children, Gabriel (1), Blaine (3), Paisley (10) and Levi (12). Levi was diagnosed with CTD at 5 years old.
Erin has nearly 20 years of experience in public relations and corporate communications with expertise in areas including media relations, corporate communications, social media and crisis communication. She has held in-house and public relations agency management roles in industries including energy and utilities, real estate, non-profits, banking, technology and entertainment. A graduate of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, Coller earned a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in public relations and communication. She lives in San Diego with her husband Dan, their eight-year-old son, Cadman, who was diagnosed with Creatine Transporter Deficiency in 2017, five-year-old daughter, Emma, and terrier mix Nelson. Erin is passionate about advocacy and research efforts on behalf of CCDS and is hopeful for the future of everyone affected by CCDS because of the work ACD and its research partners are doing.
Mikelle has over 20 years of experience in technology sales and currently leads a sales organization for a software company. Outside of her day job, she leads a volunteer team that advocates for, educates, and supports women and diverse candidates in technology. She received her BA in European Studies with a minor in French from Brigham Young University. She and her husband Leif reside in Idaho with their three children–Max, Mason, and Sadie. Her son Max was diagnosed with GAMT in 2010, and she is passionate about helping patients and families affected by creatine disorders.
Dr. Jenny Lin is a pediatrician who has been caring for children and their families for over 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California, Berkeley and went on to obtain her medical degree from the University of Rochester. After completing her residency training in pediatrics at Stanford University, she has been practicing general pediatrics in the community ever since. Dr. Lin has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by families dealing with complex medical issues due to her own personal experience. Her daughter was diagnosed with AGAT deficiency as an infant, which inspired Dr. Lin to become an advocate for children with rare diseases. She is excited to serve as a medical advisor to the ACD Board and use her expertise and personal experiences to improve the lives of children with creatine deficiencies.
James has over 15 years experience at the intersection of finance and technology, leading teams to deliver transformative solutions for investment banking and fundraising in both public and private markets. Working in some of the world’s biggest financial institutions, serving clients from startups to global corporations, James applies innovative, customer-led thinking to problem solving, and delivers meticulously planned and executed initiatives. James resides in London, United Kingdom with his wife Annabelle, their sons Freddie, 7, and Oscar, 4. Freddie was diagnosed with Creatine Transporter Deficiency aged 2.
Seung has nearly 15 years of drug development experience in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on rare diseases, mainly initiating clinical trials and soliciting regulators’ feedback on drug development plans. She received her BS in biology from the University of California, San Diego, spending most of her undergraduate days at a neurodegenerative diseases research laboratory. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband (Chris) and their son, Asher (4), diagnosed with CTD at two years old in 2022.
Heidi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Prior to working for ACD Heidi worked in the Utah Newborn Screening Informatics program. She serves as a member of the Utah Newborn Screening Advisory Committee, Mountain States Regional Genetics Network Utah team, ClinGen DAPC Working Group, and ClinGen CCDS Variant Curation Expert Panel. Heidi’s vision for the future is that all creatine deficiencies will be screened for at birth and that each disorder will have a safe and effective treatment. Heidi lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, Trey, and their four children. Samantha (21) was diagnosed with GAMT deficiency at 5-1/2 years of age and Louis (12) was diagnosed with GAMT deficiency and began treatment shortly after birth.
Dr. Sangeetha Iyer received her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh and went on to complete her postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin. She has over ten years of experience in model/assay development and drug screening for human disorders. She has worked extensively in the drug discovery space including work across multiple therapeutic modalities such as gene therapy and large molecule, and small molecule drug candidates. Dr. Iyer brings her expertise in working with rare disease patient groups, clinical KOL’s and scientific discovery processes to her role with the ACD.
Emily has almost 15 years of research experience, with particular emphasis in pre-clinical and translational neuroscience research. Through her love of science, she has grown passionate about using data to improve the lives of people within her community. Emily is a graduate of Kansas State University, earning both her BS and MS in Psychology with a focus in Behavioral Neuroscience. She currently lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her husband, Andrew.
Kelsie is a Penn State University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biobehavioral Health and minors in Biology and Psychology. She has spent the last 3 years working for the County of San Diego Department of Public Health and managing public health policy and communications as a consultant for one of the largest school districts in San Diego County. She has a background in brand management and marketing, so she is excited to combine her love of public health and love for brand marketing in this role with ACD. Kelsie is passionate about bringing visibility and funding to this rare disease and advocating for those with CCDS!
Katie received her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on ferritin protein expression, purification, and analysis. She has over five years of experience working in biopharma and diagnostics, mostly in late-stage development and operations with antibody-based products. Her nephew was diagnosed with GAMT in 2020, and she is excited to use her scientific background to more directly contribute to the CCDS community. Katie lives in Arizona with her husband, two children, and French bulldog.
