MissionThe Mission of the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh is to enrich the lives of individuals with Down syndrome, their families and communities in which they live. We accomplish this through communication, education, advocacy, fellowship and support for our community members’ well-being through our longstanding alliance with the Pediatric and Adult Down Syndrome Centers of Western PA.
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VisionOur Vision is a community in which all of its citizens appreciate and benefit from the diversity of the people who live there, including those with Down syndrome. A place where we are all accepted and valued for our unique abilities and contributions and are guaranteed the opportunity and choice to create our own pathways to our definition of a successful life.
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You asked for transparency. We heard you.
The Board of Directors has developed a strategic plan. Click here for the full plan.
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MEREDITH PETERSON, MAExecutive Director
As a visionary leader in the Down syndrome community, Meredith comes to us from the Down Syndrome Center of Western PA (DSC) where she has been serving as the Program Coordinator. She has been part of our board for several years as the chair of the education committee. Meredith has led our parent support groups, volunteered at events, and championed our vision. As Meredith has also been supporting our families in her role at the DSC, she will continue to do so as our new ED. Meredith is also a parent of a teenage daughter with Down syndrome and therefore understands the authentic needs that our organization strives to fulfill.
Meredith also holds a MA in Counseling from Liberty University and BS in Human Resource Management from Messiah College. A portion of her professional career has been as a HR Manager, Recruiter, and HR Consultant. Meredith lives in the South Hills with her husband Mike and two children Macee (13) and Maxton (11). Our favorite activities revolve around baseball with Macee playing for the Angels in Miracle League and Maxton playing local and travel baseball. |
Our Board
Executive Committee
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NICOLE COSTANTINOPresident
Nicole Costantino, HCI/UPMC sHRBP is a Senior Human Resources Director at UPMC. With over 13 years of working in the health care field, Nicole has led many human resources teams and supported the efforts of hospitals and other health care entities. Nicole has also had experience as an Account Manager building relationships with clients and business partners.
Nicole holds a BSBA in Human Resources from Robert Morris University. Nicole and her husband Dan live in the Robinson area with their two daughters Bella and Stephanie. |
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MATT MCGRATHVice President
Matt McGrath is a Senior Account Executive for Travelers Insurance Company. He has spent 11 years in the property and casualty insurance industry working in both Chicago and Pittsburgh. In his current role, Matt partners with mid to large sized businesses to structure, manage and service casualty insurance programs.
A native Pittsburgher, Matt attended Penn State University where he earned his BS in Finance. After starting his career in Chicago, he moved back to Pittsburgh where he currently resides in Ben Avon with his wife, Dana, and their daughter, Eliza (1). In his spare time, Matt enjoys woodworking, cooking, and skiing. |
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TRACY SHEASLEYTreasurer
Tracy Sheasley has been a retail industry professional for over 30 years. For the past 15 of those years, Tracy has been with American Eagle Outfitters. In her current role as Merchandise Planning Manager, Tracy leads a team that is responsible for developing and executing financial strategies for sales, margin and inventory for the intimates and swim business lines for American Eagle’s “Aerie” brand.
In her personal life, Tracy has a passion for volunteering and giving back to the community. She volunteers with Wesley Family Services and she has been a member of the Transitional Services, Inc. Board of Directors since 2019. Tracy resides in Cranberry Township with her husband, Aaron. |
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SHANNON STRINERSecretary
Shannon Striner was born in Philadelphia and moved to Pittsburgh in 2006. She attended Bryant University where she earned her BSBA in Marketing & Communication. She has over 10 years experience in advertising sales. Most recently, she worked for Root Sports selling sponsorships during Penguins and Pirates games. Shannon left her position to become a full time stay at home Mom in 2013. She has two daughters, Haley (7) and Sienna (3). She writes about their adventures and advocates for Sienna through her blog, ThisLifeWeGot.com. Her work has been published by ScaryMommy and the Today Show. Shannon is passionate about advocacy. Most recently, she completed the C2P2 training through Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities. She enjoys working with other parents in the different abilities community.
Shannon and her husband, Jason, are in the process of opening a TruFusion franchise in the Strip District. They anticipate the gym opening in 2021. Their family resides in the Highland Park area. |
Board of Directors
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ANGELA CALDWELLAngela Caldwell is an occupational therapist and assistant professor within the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh. In her current role, she is focused on research and has recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health to learn about the barriers and facilitators of healthy habits for children with Down syndrome within the first five years of life. This information will be used to develop and test an obesity prevention intervention tailored to meet the unique needs of children with Down syndrome and their families. Angela has been collaborating with individuals with Down syndrome clinically for over a decade and is eager to serve this amazing community by joining this inspiring group of leaders. She is passionate about promoting optimal health for children with Down syndrome and believes that working closely with parents and caregivers is best way to achieve this goal.
Angela received her BS in Psychology from Bethany College, her MSOT in Occupational Therapy from Boston University and her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her other passions include hiking, reading, and traveling to new places. Angela lives in Washington, PA with her partner, Christian, and their two children, Isaac (6) and Magnolia (4). |
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BETSY GILBERTBetsy Gilbert is a speech-language pathologist and the owner and director of Therapy Works LLC. Betsy developed Therapy Works due to her dedication to providing quality speech and occupational therapy services to both children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Betsy has a passion for working with children and adults with Down Syndrome. She has been a featured speaker at the National Down Syndrome Congress.
Betsy holds a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Betsy resides in Peters Township with her husband, Scott, and daughter Caris (6). When not working, Betsy enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and hiking. |
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DAVID HASSEYDavid Hassey is a Strategic Account Executive for Aerotek's Financial Services Vertical. In this role, he is responsible for executing national strategies to win, retain, saturate and diversity Aerotek's Presidential Key Accounts specific to the Banking Segment. Throughout his 20+ year career with Aerotek, he has been recognized with numerous awards for his leadership, development of others, and exceptional results.
David graduated with a B.A. degree from Mount Union College in 2000. He and his wife, Casi reside in Bethel Park, Pa with their 3 children, Kylar, Kamri, and Kaejay. He enjoys coaching/volunteering for all his children's sports and activities as well as serving his community & church. As a proud parent of a daughter with Down syndrome (Kamri), David is extremely passionate on believing through advocacy, respecting and celebrating the differences that make individuals w/Down syndrome so special, we can build an inclusive community where everyone is accepted and valued. |
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MINDI HILBORNMindi Hilborn is a certified athletic trainer with over 10 years of providing medical services to youth through collegiate athletes at various levels of competition throughout the country, including Special Olympics and the Pittsburgh Marathon. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Health Science at Chatham University teaching within the Master of Athletic Training Program. Mindi holds a Doctor of Athletic Training from Temple University, a MA in Kinesiology and Health Studies from Southeastern Louisiana, and a BS in Athletic Training from California University.
She has previously been involved with DSAP as a member of the executive planning committee for the Buddy Walk and volunteered at several other events. Recently, she served on the California University of PA Alumni Association Board of Directors where she was a member of the student engagement and young alumni, student recruitment, and alumni events and chapter development committees. A Pittsburgh native, she currently resides in Jefferson Hills with her husband Ben, their son, Keagan and daughter, Mikayla. |
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MEGAN LOFTISMegan Loftis is the Owner and Attorney at the Loftis Law Firm. She has been working in the area of Estate Planning, Trusts, Special Needs Planning and Estate Administration for 10 years and has managed her own practice for the last 3 years. She worked for an Attorney for 5 years who focused in these areas before acquiring his practice upon his retirement. While her office is located in the Beechview neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh, Attorney Loftis’ practice includes most of Western Pennsylvania.
Attorney Loftis holds two bachelor’s degrees from Washington and Jefferson College in Political Science and Business Administration. Additionally, Attorney Loftis pursued her law degree from Duquesne University. She has been involved with many volunteer organizations in the past including Special Olympics, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children), and Mentor to college students at her Alma Mater. She has been helping families with special needs for the last 6 years to navigate the difficult decisions in planning for their family’s future. She currently resides in West View with her boyfriend, Patrick. They enjoy traveling, golfing, and spending time with friends and family. |
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MICHAEL MATHIASMike Mathias is a retail executive with over 20 years of experience with Pittsburgh based companies, including American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), General Nutrition Centers, and Kaufmann’s Department Stores. Over the course of his career, Mike has held leadership roles in Finance, Operations, and Strategic Planning. In his current role as Executive VP/Chief Financial Officer for AEO, he is responsible for the company’s budgeting, forecasting, reporting and business analysis processes. Mike has also been involved in some small business and restaurant ventures locally.
A life-long Pittsburgher, Mike received his BS in Business from Carnegie Mellon University, and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business. In his spare time he enjoys coaching youth sports and has served on several youth athletic association and booster organization boards. Mike resides in Bethel Park, PA with his wife, Kim, and their four children, Megan (18), Macy (16), Molly (14) and Michael (14). |
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NICOLE SCOTTNicole Scott is a stay at home mom, a journalist , an Usborne book lady and an active member of her community. In December of 2007, Nicole graduated from Edinboro University with high honors in Print Journalism. She was a respected contributing writer for the Collegen newspaper for the University where she wrote anything from editorial pieces, to one-on-one with athletes, to event coverage. She furthered her writing career with the Times Express as a staff writer and with St. Bernadette Catholic Church as the creator and co editor of the church quarterly newsletter.
In 2016, Skylar was born with Down syndrome and Nicole immediately became an active community member of the DSA of Pittsburgh. She attended the past four walks with a team, went to the zoo and to Idlewild. She continues to strive to build the community and have relationships with other families. Community support is a vital aspect of social and emotional health of families throughout this journey. Nicole spends most of her time with her husband Julius and 3 girls, Nya (6), Skylar (4) and Ava (1) in Monroeville, PA where she runs a very active moms group. |
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KELLY SENGKelly Seng is an owner of Munchkin University Child Care Center, LLC in the south hills, where she has worked for the past 21 years. During this time, Kelly has earned her Associates degree in Family & Child Studies and continues taking ongoing training within the Early Childhood Education and Development field.
Throughout her entire life and years at Munchkin University Kelly has been passionate about advocating for children and people with special needs. One of her greatest strengths as an Early Childhood Educator has been promoting inclusion and training her staff how to create a learning environment that helps every child thrive. Kelly believes that in order for a child to meet their highest potential they need a team of advocates behind them, and it is an educators job to create a classroom where every child feels loved, accepted, patience, and that someone is proud of them. Kelly is excited about becoming a bigger part of the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh’s Community so that she can help other families advocate for their own children. She lives in Mt. Lebanon with her husband Art and three children, Tessa (11), Gavin (5), and Brody (4). |
Interested in learning more about becoming a future board member, reach out to Meredith at info@dsapgh.org.
Currently recruiting for 2022 Board Seats.
Currently recruiting for 2022 Board Seats.