About #MEACTION
BOARD & ADVISORS
Elizabeth Weaver
Liz is the Associate Director for Georgia State University’s largest Area of Focus, The Brains & Behavior Program. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Neuroscience Institute and affiliate faculty in The Center for Leadership & Disability. She works at the intersection of neuroscience and society, leading grant and fellowship programs and overseeing 14 departments with the Focus’ Interdisciplinary Committee. Liz has recently worked with authors, scientists, and policy leaders to expand the health equity of people with neurological diseases and co-founded the Atlanta Chapter of the international neuroscience writing organization NeuWrite. Specifically, Liz was the researcher and co-writer for The Long Haul, a book about Long Covid and the patient revolution shaping public policy. In 2023 and 2024, Liz sat on the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ME/CFS Research Roadmap Working Group of Council (WGC) as a patient advocate and lived experience expert. Liz is an Executive Leadership Academy for Women graduate, GSU Alumni 40 Under 40 Awardee, and a National Association of Science Writers Professional Member. She also sits on the Neuroscience Institute’s Belonging & Inclusion Committee.
Liz has had ME/CFS for 13 years. She works to blend her professional, personal, and volunteer endeavors in the name of progress for those living with ME/CFS and other neurological disabilities. She lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her partner and three rescue dogs.
Jennifer England
Jennifer is Senior Director of Partnerships at Food Rescue Hero, a tech for good nonprofit that supports food recovery organizations across North America. Food Rescue Hero is the fastest growing food rescue network in the world. Her work at FRH grew out of the successful startup 412 Food Rescue, based in Pittsburgh, PA. Before her work in food recovery she ran Pink Coat Communications, a media consultancy working with advocacy groups, unions, and nonprofits helping them tell their stories to the media on a local and national stage. Jennifer has also dedicated herself to justice and the community through board service for a number of amazing organizations, including the League of Young Voters, Best Buddies Foundation, Grow Pittsburgh, New Leaders Council, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council and several board committees for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. She also co-founded the project On the Spot to supply feminine hygiene products for girls in local schools who struggle to meet this need.
Kehsi Iman Wilson
Kehsi Iman Wilson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of New Disabled South and New Disabled South Rising (C4), the nation’s first regional disability justice organization. Kehsi Iman brings over a decade of experience building and scaling mission driven orgs. She started her first company, Ntoso Nexus, a non-profit created to connect minorities pursuing post-secondary educational opportunities to mentors, in 2009. She had a first career working at the intersection of social justice, educational equity and access at a range of colleges and universities for almost a decade. She left higher ed in 2016 after starting the Office of Inclusion Initiatives and Cultural Competence (now the Student Center for Social Justice and Identity) at Vanderbilt University. An evangelist for remote work due to its impact on accessibility and equity since the early 2000s, she shifted her focus to business operations and strategy for fully remote orgs and runs a consulting company (kehsiiman.com) where she helps individuals and organizations define and align their operations and values and helps orgs build equity-centered HR policy. She has a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Florida, a Masters of Education from the University of South Florida, a certificate to Teach English as a Foreign Language from International TEFL Academy, and is a certified Professional of Human Resources
Kehsi Iman began her health journey in earnest in 2012 after living with formally undiagnosed ME/CFS for many years. She lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband and 4-year old son.
Niranjan Shekar
Niranjan Shekar has worked at the intersection of science, products and business for over two decades. His background is in genetics and making the most of science through the process of commercializing discoveries. He has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the United States. Currently, he works at Invitae, a genetic testing company; his focus is on insurance coverage of rare diseases. He has previously worked at Spiral Genetics, a Y Combinator company as the lead product manager and later, as CEO. He spends some of his time coaching leaders in the carbon capture space. The rest, he spends with his wife. He is committed to making a difference in the field of disease – to ensure that everyone has an equal chance at a full life of their own. LinkedIn.
Omar Wasow
Omar Wasow is an Assistant Professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science. His research focuses on race, politics and statistical methods. His paper on the political consequences of the 1960s civil rights movement was published in the American Political Science Review. His co-authored work on estimating causal effects of race was published in the Annual Review of Political Science. Previously, Omar co-founded BlackPlanet.com, an early leading social network, and was a regular technology analyst on radio and television. He received a PhD in African American Studies, an MA in Government and an MA in Statistics from Harvard University.
Robert M. Sklans
Rob Sklans is a senior Human Resources executive with an extensive track record of transforming and building HR functions globally. A trusted adviser and coach to CEO’s, Boards and executive teams of global companies in the consumer product, life science and specialty chemical industries. Rob has also served as an HR leader for multiple PE-backed start-ups. Rob is an experienced change agent with a strong execution and delivery focus.
As Head of HR – North America for Biocon Biologics, Rob created a scalable HR function in US and Canada as a part of integration of $3B global acquisition of Viatris Biosimilars business. As Global Head of HR for Innocoll Biotherapeutics, Rob built a global HR function to prepare the company for commercialization which included hiring 61 medical device reps across the US in 2.5 months. Rob co-led the design of a new Mission, Vision, Values, Culture Road Map, and Essential Behaviors. Previously, Rob served as Interim CHRO for Melinta Therapeutics as they emerged from bankruptcy after being acquired by Deerfield. Previously, as CHRO at Elementis, he led the global HR function and served as a Supervisory Board Member for Elementis Specialties, Netherlands BV. Before joining Elementis, Rob served in a variety of leadership roles for Royal DSM North America, Evonik Industries and worked for 8.5 years for Johnson & Johnson.
He earned an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from Connecticut College. Rob has two family members who have been impacted by the disease and he serves as a strong ally and advocate for proper recognition and medical care for patients globally.
Shaquile Coonce
Shaquile is a nonprofit expert with almost ten years of consulting experience working with over 150 organizations on strategic and business planning, merger negotiations, organizational culture, and executive search, executive coaching, leadership structure, team building, and change management. Shaquile is currently a consultant at DRG and Chief Financial and Operations Officer at the start-up, Euforeia Golf.
Shaquile experienced the sudden onset of ME in 2017 but was fortunate to be diagnosed within eight months of falling ill. The challenges she experienced during her first four years of having ME and the incredible resources she found through #MEAction as well as the millions being diagnosed with Long COVID spurred her to join #MEAction.
Shaquile holds a B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS
Beth Mazur
Beth was a technologist with extensive experience working to grow startup companies and non-profit organizations. She was interested in how to best use technology to empower people with ME and achieve health equality. Before developing ME and POTS, Beth worked as a developer and technical product manager for a wide range of organizations including HealClick, Grameen Foundation, and Jaspersoft. She was a member of the Voting Systems Task Force for the city of San Francisco which advised the city in the selection and development of a secure, transparent voting system. Beth co-founded #MEAction and earned her Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT. @rndNumGen
Jennifer Brea
Jennifer Brea is an independent filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She has an AB from Princeton University and was a PhD student at Harvard until sudden illness left her bedridden. In the aftermath, she rediscovered her first love, film. Her Sundance award-winning, Emmy-nominated feature documentary, Unrest, has screened in over 30 countries and had its US national broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens. She is also co-creator of Unrest VR, winner of the Sheffield Doc/Fest Alternate Realities Award. An activist for people with disabilities and chronic illness, she is a co-founder of #MEAction and served as Executive Director until 2021.