Meet the CMT Research Foundation Staff
Meet the people committed to ending CMT
Laura M. MacNeill
Chief Executive Officer
Laura MacNeill has more than 15 years of experience as a senior nonprofit executive responsible for strategic planning, innovative marketing, fundraising and raising public awareness. She comes to CMTRF from the Global Lyme Alliance, where she served as their Chief Executive Officer.
Prior to her role at Global Lyme Alliance, MacNeill was at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where she served as executive director of New England Region and was responsible for raising $5-7 million annually. Under her leadership, the New England Region grew an average of 7% each year. MacNeill also worked as the executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter, campaign director as well as manager roles at Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
MacNeill received her Master of Business Administration from Purdue Global (formerly Kaplan University) and her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University. She and her husband, Adam, have two children and live outside of Harrisburg, PA.
Erich M. Fasnacht
Chief Operations Officer
Before becoming the CMTRF’s first COO, Erich Fasnacht worked for 25 years in the corporate and non-profit communities, most recently in leadership roles with the ALS Association and the Multiple Sclerosis Association. He established a successful track record of building communities, raising funds and directing financial and donor stewardship as well as advocacy, marketing and donor campaigns.
Having graduated from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, Fasnacht worked with the Coca-Cola Company’s Sprite brand, before launching a career in non-profit fundraising and management. He helped lead the brand execution of the I am Powerful brand for CARE-USA, and developed the digital presence for the 100,000 Strong in the Americas program for the White House.
Fasnacht joined the CMTRF because of the opportunity to bring all of his knowledge around operations and fundraising in the neuro non-profit space to an organization that is fostering an explosion of new research activity.
He is based in the Philadelphia area.
Kate Andersh
Scientific Portfolio Manager
Dr. Kate Andersh supports the foundation’s research initiatives and scientific programs within the research team. Her day-to-day responsibilities include managing all active research projects, working closely with key internal and external stakeholders, communicating project progress with the foundation and its scientific advisors, and optimizing the performance of ongoing research activities.
Dr. Andersh comes to CMTRF from the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias within the National Institutes of Health. As scientific project manager, she managed 22 active projects, including internal research initiatives as well as external collaborations as part of the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program.
Dr. Andersh received her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Rochester, with a focus on glaucoma and neurodegeneration, and received her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and cognitive science from the University of Arizona.
Anna Combes
Vice President of Philanthropy
Responsible for fundraising and development activities, including outreach to individual donors and institutions such as foundations, corporations and community funds, Anna Combes came to CMTRF from the Ochsner Cancer Institute (Ochsner Health), where she was Director of Development for nearly a decade.
At Ochsner, Combes closed six and seven figure gifts annually, totaling over $40 million; increased philanthropic activity for the cancer service line from $1 million to $3-5 million year over year. Before that, she held several positions of increasing responsibility and scope in Ochsner Corporate Relations and Special Events.
Combes received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Salsibury University.
Edritz Javelosa
Scientific Research Manager
Dr. Edritz Javelosa (Hav-a-low-sa) is responsible for all scientific aspects of the organization’s mission. Working with CMTRF’s Scientific Advisory Board, she oversees funded research as well as scientific programming for the Global CMT Research Convention. Further, she provides direction and research priorities for CMTRF’s investment program and leads scientific communications.
Dr. Javelosa came to CMTRF from Muscular Dystrophy Association where, as research portfolio director, she led strategic alliances with external foundations to co-fund projects, managed 22 diseases under her portfolio, 34 active grants in 2023, and 19 active post-doctoral development grants.
Dr. Javelosa received her PhD in neuroscience from Stanford University and her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of Arizona.
Susan Ruediger
Co-founder & Chief Mission Officer
Susan Ruediger has CMT1A that she can trace back five generations in her mother’s family. Since 2007, she has been deeply engaged with the patient and research communities, building connections to fund efficient and effective research leading toward drug delivery.
From its launch in 2018, she was the Foundation’s CEO. In January 2022, she became the organization’s first Chief Mission Officer continuing to serve on the Board of Directors, helping support CMTRF’s rapid financial growth and serving as the primary spokesperson for the Foundation. Before that, she held a number of executive positions with CMTA.
As a member of the BIO Patient Advocacy Committee, Ruediger built a robust network of experts in drug delivery and patient advocacy and continues to be sought after by peers in patient-led drug discovery and as an expert in CMT. She has spoken on CMT at Georgia Tech, Emory University, Hanger, Inc., The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association and BIO.
Ruediger received her Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University.
Vanessa Sanchez
Donor Acquisition and Operations Manager
Vanessa Sanchez came to the CMTRF from Our House, Inc. where she was a Development Coordinator. Before that, she was a Special Events Coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Sanchez is a U.S. Army veteran.
Sanchez received her Master of Business Administration and her Bachelor of Arts from Georgia State University.
Kayleena Speakman
Communications Manager
Kayleena Speakman comes to CMTRF with nearly a decade of experience, working primarily in the non-profit sector. Early in her career, she worked as a public relations and communications specialist at a local Better Business Bureau where she led the media aspect of an investigation into a business that garnered worldwide attention and received an award for best investigation. Before that, she was a marketing manager for a brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation program, a communications manager for an agricultural non-profit, a campaign manager, and a television reporter.
Speakman received her bachelor’s degree in mass communication and journalism from California State University, Fresno.
Chelsea Layton
Community Engagement Manager
Chelsea Layton volunteered her time and efforts to networking within the CMT community before joining CMTRF in December 2021. She also previously worked with at-risk youths and children with developmental disorders, as well as serving on the board for the Dayton Autism Society.
Layton was diagnosed with CMT1A from a young age, which can be traced back extensively through generations on her father’s side of the family. She became interested in knowing more about her condition during her early young adulthood after enduring years of medical interventions to alleviate her symptoms of CMT. She resides in North Carolina.
Layton received her Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University.
CMTRF Advisor
Kim Hunter-Schaedle, Ph.D.
Scientific Consultant
Kim Hunter-Schaedle is a neurobiologist and non-profit research administrator. She trained as a laboratory neurobiologist, earning her Ph.D. at King’s College London, then worked as a research scientist at St. Georges Hospital in London, The Rockefeller University in New York City, and Ontogeny, Inc. she then moved into non-profit research administration. At the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, she headed the diabetes complications grant portfolio. As well as overseeing funding in neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy and vascular disease, she managed a glucose sensors research collaboration with the Department of the Army and a retinopathy telemedicine initiative with the National Eye Institute.
After a short stint in technology transfer with Columbia University Science & Technology Ventures, Hunter-Schaedle served as the first Chief Scientific Officer of the Children’s Tumor Foundation, designing and launching a transformative research program portfolio to advance therapeutic development for the rare disease neurofibromatosis. She then joined the Austen Riggs Center, a private residential psychiatric hospital serving as Chief of Staff, then as IRB Administrator.
Hunter-Schaedle has provided expert research operations guidance and services to the Melanoma Research Alliance, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes (formerly JDRF), the Avon Foundation, the William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation, the Neurofibromatosis Network and the Lupus Research Alliance.