Meet our Leadership Team
We are grateful for our board members, who come from diverse sociocultural and racial backgrounds and bring professional expertise as IDD family members and professionals in special education, medicine, statewide legislative advocacy, social work, and more.
Program Founder
Dr. Jonathan Pierce, Ph.D
University of Texas at Austin Neuroscience Associate Professor, General Secretary of T21 Research Society, Longhorn Best Buddies Co-Faculty Advisor, Principal Investigator of Neuroscience Research Lab, father of adult with Down syndrome
Executive Director
Kaelin Nguyen Rubenzer
University of Texas at Austin autism and Fragile X researcher, Autism Consortium of Texas LEND Fellow, Longhorn Best Buddies Co-Faculty Advisor, community attendant for families with IDDs, Lifelong Learning with Friends Instructor, sister and daughter of people with autism
Board Director
Suzanne Shepherd, J.D.
Former Director of Legal Services for the Seton Family of Hospitals, Board Member and Co-Chair of the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas Healthcare Committee, mother of adult with Down syndrome
Board Member
Emily Morris Pickens, MBA, MT-BC
Director of Programs for Women in Neuroscience, Neurologic Music Therapist
Board Member
Robert Joe Tate
Program Manager at E4 Texas, Lifelong Learning with Friends Instructor
Board Member
Cynda Green
Co-Director for Texas Parent to Parent, Program Director of Pathways to Adulthood, Texas Partners in Policy graduate, mother to adult with epilepsy, autism and intellectual disability.
Board Member
Audrey Brumback, M.D. Ph.D.
Board-Certified Pediatric Neurologist at University of Texas Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children's Hospital, Assistant Professor in Neurology and Pediatrics at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Founding Member of Autism Consortium of Central Texas, Member of Child Neurology Society
Board Member
Denise Holliday
Co-founder and Educational Consultant at National Educators for Restorative Practices, Co-Author of Classroom Circles: A Toolkit for Building Relationships and Strengthening School Community
Board Member
Nina Zuna, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Texas Center for Disability Studies, Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Board Member
Molly Colleen Hale
Multi-media artist at Imagine Art, long-time student at Lifelong Learning with Friends,
Board Member
Brooke Pfeiffer, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Executive Director and Founder at Bluebird Behavioral Solutions and Migration by Bluebird
Board Member
Akhil Jonnalagadda
Vice President of Quantitative Finance Analyst at Bank of America, Adjunct Professor of Economics and Data Science at St. Edwards University, Officer in Best Buddies Texas, Former Summer Camp Counselor at Children's Association for Maximum Potential, Former Lifelong Learning with Friends Instructor