Board of Directors

Suzy Lindeberg, Co-Chair

Suzy has a diverse background as an entrepreneur, educator and corporate executive, and is an advocate for individuals with disabilities with a specific focus on the current state of transition programming, lack of post-secondary opportunities and the need for meaningful employment. She is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking and has served on several nonprofit boards and task forces. Suzy is the mom to three including a son, John, who has Down syndrome.

Dr. Anastasia Ketko, Vice Chair

Anastasia is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist with MN Neonatal Physicians and is the medical director of the MN Neonatal Physicians Follow-Up Program, which provides neurodevelopmental support for at-risk infants and toddlers. Dr. Ketko and her medical team are strong advocates for individuals with Down syndrome, and she strives to heighten awareness of needed medical care and optimization of neurodevelopmental services to support healthy living for all. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.

Brandon Kanz, Treasurer

Billy has had a long career as a financial professional and currently serves as a Managing Director at Invesco US. He and his wife, Heidi, live in Plymouth with their three children including their son, Wes, who has Down syndrome.

Teddy Spencer, Co-Chair

Teddy was born and raised in Minnesota and proudly graduated from Orono High School in 2009, where he was a manager for the football, hockey and baseball teams. He enjoys living in his own home with his roommate of six years in Wayzata along with his house parents, and his jobs at General Mills and Life Time Fitness. During his free time, Teddy is found singing and dancing to his favorite music, cheering for his favorite Minnesota sports teams, or playing flag football and basketball with Special Olympics, in addition to tennis and snowboarding.

Cora Holland-Koller, Secretary

Cora Holland-Koller recently relocated back to Minnesota after living in St. Louis, Missouri for almost eight years where she and her husband, Damien Holler, were active with the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis. Cora is the Loan Agency Transaction Team Manager at SRS Acquiom, a financial services firm. She has two children; her youngest has Down syndrome.

Heather Bradley

Heather is the co-founder and current board member of the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, a national nonprofit that supports families with a Down syndrome diagnosis. As an advocate, Heather was integral in the passing of the Prenatal Trisomy Awareness Act which requires physicians to provide accurate information following a Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 21 diagnosis. She is the controller for a publishing company and is mom to three girls; her youngest, Izzy, has Down syndrome.

Christine Hendrickson

Christine is the founder of On Track MN and Potty Train MN, specialty consulting firms that provide consultation and training to individuals of all ages and their families. Offering more than twenty year of experience in behavior intervention and disability services, Christine has extensive training in Behavior Analysis and has worked in a variety of settings with a wide range of individuals including Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome. For the last six years, she and her husband have been live-in caretakers for two adults with Down Syndrome.

Nicole Kapps

Nicole is a Special Education - Setting III teacher at Maple Grove Middle School and has worked in the Osseo School District for 14 years. Nicole has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Masters in Special Education with licensures to teach students with developmental cognitive disabilities, emotional/behavioral disabilities and coordinator of work-based learning. She lives in Maple Grove with her husband Mike and kids Ava (8) and Kellan (4); her brother Kenny (44) has Down syndrome and is the driving force behind the work she does with DSAMN.

Toni Malone

Toni is married and has one son, Matthew, who has Down syndrome and is the light of her life. Since Matthew’s birth, she has been passionate about advocating for those with special needs, volunteering on committees such as school district's Special Education Advisory Council, the Gillette Specialty Healthcare Clinic’s Family Advisory Council and Family Voices of MN Parent to Parent program, plus is active in the Disability Public Policy initiatives.

Laura Plys

Laura is a former board member, Duluth Buddy Walk coordinator, and most recently DSAMn’s Regional Coordinator for Northern Minnesota. In addition to her involvement with DSAMn, Laura is an accomplished photographer and is the founder of Project Joy, a nonprofit addressing childhood hunger in her community. Laura is from Duluth and is the mother to Jonah, young man with Down syndrome.

Gina Schmittdiel

Gina has a diverse background as an advocate, community leader, and personal trainer. She is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking and is passionate about speaking to the opportunities and challenges that outdated laws present for individuals with disabilities. Gina is the mom to three; her middle child, Gunnar, has Down syndrome.

Kari Schmitz

Kari has been an avid DSAMn volunteer for the last several years. In addition to her involvement with DSAMn, Kari is very involved with Special Olympics and is the Lakeville Baseball Association’s Miracle League Director. Dani retired in 2018 after a 30 year career with the Minneapolis Police Department. Kari is from Elko New Market and is the mother to Dani, a young woman with Down syndrome.

Heidi Berry Sturman

Heidi Berry Sturman is a mother of three active girls; her eldest is a young adult with Down syndrome. Employed in finance by a biomedical device company, she is a passionate fan of Wayzata‘s Lakers, Blues Top Soccer, the MN Vortex Fastpitch and Wayzata Fastpitch Softball teams.

Christopher Wolf

Christopher is a Logistics Manager with General Mills. He and his wife, Brittany, are parents to Weston, age 1, who has Down syndrome. In the summer, you'll find him and his family up at their cabin or on the lakes of Minnesota.