FND Hope International is excited to announce a new FND Hope US Board of Directors!
As FND Hope US prepares to launch a new nonprofit organization in the United States, we are delighted to announce the formation of a Board of Directors. While our international board and nonprofit activities are thriving in the US and globally, this dedicated team will specifically address the unique challenges and opportunities of our local operations. This strategic move aims to make our decision-making more efficient and sharpen our focus on US initiatives. Our global mission of promoting awareness, supporting affected individuals, and advancing research for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of FND is still at the core of what we do.
The new FND Hope US Board of Directors includes: Meagan Watson, Michele Price, Kim Kamen, Jilani Zeribi, Dr. Shilpa Chitnis, Ilene Engle, and Angela McKellip.
“We are thrilled to welcome such an accomplished and diverse group of leaders that will make up the FND Hope US Board of Directors,” said Amanda Hopper, Executive Director of FND Hope US. “The Board is comprised of industry professionals, healthcare providers, and patient advocates that are dedicated and passionate about supporting the future of FND Hope and empowering patients to better health.”
Each member of the FND Hope US brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will be instrumental in advancing our mission to create positive change and provide hope to those who need it most. We look forward to achieving even greater outcomes under the leadership of this distinguished Board of Directors.
Meagan Watson – President
Meagan is the Program Manager of the University of Colorado, Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic. She holds a Master’s in Public Health, in Population Mental Health & Wellbeing. She is currently an Executive MBA in Health Administration candidate at the CU Business School. Meagan serves as President of the FND Hope US Board, is the founder and Chair for the Functional Neurological Disorders Society – Pediatric FND Special Interest Group and Owner/CEO of FND Integration Services, LLC where she consults with healthcare organizations across the nation to help them develop FND clinics. Meagan regularly contributes to the academic literature, specializing in the finance and business of FND clinic development. She also co-authored Reset & Rewire, The FND Workbook for Kids & Teens, available on Amazon to assist youth and young adults through the transition from FND diagnosis to treatment. In her spare time, Meagan enjoys all things Colorado, including hiking and running with her pup, Mickey!
Michele Price – Vice President
Michele is a licensed clinical social worker, she brings extensive expertise to the organization, specializing in psychotherapeutic treatment for individuals living with Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) and its diverse subtypes. In the community, Michele is a dedicated advocate and is deeply passionate about her work in the field. As an integral part of FND program development in the Southeast, she played a key role in establishing and guiding one of the regions few treatment programs. With a wealth of knowledge in various psychotherapeutic interventions, Michele excels in providing comprehensive services such as assessments, intakes, neuropsychological testing, consultations, individual and family therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, and case management. Beyond her clinical role, Michele actively contributes to community education by facilitating workshops that raise awareness about FNDand mental health. Her dedication and diverse experience contribute significantly to furthering FND Hope’s mission.
Kim Kamen – Secretary
Kim serves as the COO of the American Middle East Press Association. She recently served as AJC’s Associate Director of the Department of Regional Offices, providing on-going supervision to AJC’s 24 Regional Offices throughout the U.S. Prior to assuming this national role, Kim was AJC’s Dallas Regional Director, building strategic relationships with key elected officials, diplomats, religious, civic, and business leaders while advocating on a variety of AJC’s priority issues. Kim received multiple accolades, including the national Szabad Award for programming excellence and a Humanitarian Award from LULAC for advancing human and civil rights in North Texas. Before joining AJC, Kim served as the President and CEO of a non-profit consulting firm, the Executive Director of Frisco Family Services Center, Program Director with AmeriCorps, a Bilingual and ESL teacher and department head, and she also co-wrote a published middle-school curriculum being utilized by numerous Holocaust Museums throughout the U.S. Most recently, Kim contributed to Scouting BSA’s newest Eagle-required Merit Badge, which focuses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; this has a direct impact on nearly 2 million youth and 1 million adult volunteers and growing. Kim holds a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Education, both from the University of Virginia. She lives in Texas with her husband, two teenagers, and one very energetic dog.
Jilani Zeribi – Treasurer
Jilani has over 25 years of technology product and business management experience, contributing to a diverse range of products including Xbox, Fulfillment by Amazon, Alexa, e-commerce risk management, and, most recently, leading global product management for Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment service. Passionate about improving global access to health services, Jilani has served as an advisor to Baobab Health Trust while living in Lilongwe, Malawi, and as an advisor to Shift Results, an organization committed to enacting systems-level improvements in social service environments like health care and education.
His personal connection to Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and seeing the challenges patients face in getting support – both medically and in their day-to-day lives – drives his passion for working with FND Hope. Jilani lives in England with his wife, son and rambunctious boxer, and has a daughter attending college in the US.
Dr. Shilpa Chitnis – Member
Dr. Chitnis is a Professor and incoming Chief of Neurology at UT Health, East Texas in Tyler, Texas. She is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders. She was associate program director for the Neurology Residency program and fellowship director for the Movement Disorders Fellowship program at UT Southwestern for 10 and 15 years respectively. She is intricately involved in education and teaching and has developed many original courses including one called TEAMS for national movement disorders fellowship education online during the pandemic. She is the co-chair of the San Francisco match committee overseeing the national movement disorders fellowships. She developed the neuromodulation program at UT Southwestern to streamline surgical evaluation and management of patients with movement disorders undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) or other advanced therapies. She was the director of the faculty mentoring program for the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern. At the national and international level, she serves on numerous committees for the American Academy of Neurology and International Movement Disorders Society. She is the fellowship champion for the AAN graduate education subcommittee. She is part of the education and CME committees for MDS. She serves as the Chair of the MDS-LEAP program, which is the flagship leadership development program for MDS. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers, edited two books, is an ad-hoc reviewer for prominent journals and serves as the associate editor for neuromodulation for the Tremor and other Hyperkinetic Movement (TOHM) journal. Dr. Chitnis enjoys spending time with her family, reading, cooking, traveling, movies, music, and working out.
Ilene Engel – Member
Ilene grew up in Jasper, Alabama, and spent her career in the Broadcast News industry. Following her last position as Corporate News Director, she became a full-time community volunteer. Ilene currently serves as National Chair of Leadership Development for the American Jewish Committee. She is a Past President of American Jewish Committee Atlanta/ Southeast Regional Office and serves on the National AJC Board of Governors.
Ilene is a proud Founder of the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta and Founding Chair. And a past Board Chair of The Atlanta Women’s Foundation. Ilene is an alumni of Leadership Atlanta. She is a former board member of The Temple; AIPAC; ADL and Genesis Shelter (now Our House).
Ilene earned her B.S. at the University of Texas, lived in many cities during her career, and is very grateful to call Atlanta home for the last 25 years.
Angela McKellip – Member
Angela is a patient with FND with functional seizures, and brings to the board a patient’s perspective. She currently resides in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana, but grew up in Golden, Colorado. She spent her career working in an office either supporting sales representatives, or on the phone supporting customers directly. It is good to find what makes you happy in life, even if it is the little things. Enjoying nature, doing puzzles, or creating art through AI she finds ways to keep busy while managing her FND.