Staff

Jerry Walter retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army where his last assignment was managing a multi-million dollar nationwide environmental management program. Since 2005 he first worked part-time for the NFDF while he was still in the military and now works full-time since his retirement from the Army in 2011. He has over 40 years of management experience with 27 years of active duty military service. His management experience is supported by a strong background in financial management and strategic planning. One of Jerry's many assignments was as a strategic planner in the Pentagon during the tragic events of 9/11. Jerry has a Bachelor's degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy from Michigan State University, a Master's degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a certificate from Duke University in non-profit management. He is one of several family members with Fabry disease. Jerry has two sons and nine grandchildren. He currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife Angela and two dogs, Malone a mini-beagle and Annah a Golden retriever.

Casey McKenna graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine with a MS in Genetic Counseling in 2013. She started her career at the University of Virginia as a pediatric genetic counselor and coordinator for the lysosomal storage disorder program. She then spent six years at InformedDNA as a senior genetic counselor within the ocular, rare disease, and cancer genetics teams practicing telemedicine across multiple states. Casey is passionate about patient education, outreach and advocacy and is excited to be joining the National Fabry Disease Foundation!

Casey has a strong history of volunteerism and working with families affected by rare disease. She was able to attend the Fabry family conference and volunteer at the Victory Junction camp during her time at UVA. As a graduate student, she volunteered at Camp Sunshine’s Fanconi Anemia family camp and conference. In college, she both worked and volunteered at Double H Ranch, a sister (seriousfun network) camp for children with severe health conditions. She is a longtime volunteer with the Virginia Association of Genetic Counselors; she currently serves as treasurer, and has previously held positions of secretary and board of directors.

Hannah Prince Sawyers - Born in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, Hannah spent most of her youth exploring the natural world on her family’s farm and deepening her love for nature and animals. She moved to North Carolina to attend school at Salem College, a Women’s College located in Winston-Salem. After completing her four years at Salem pursuing a Bachelor’s of Music, Vocal Performance degree, she decided that North Carolina was the place she wanted to call home. Post college, Hannah sang professionally in Winston-Salem and also worked with the local Children’s Chorus’, community theatre, and early education music groups.

After some time, she transitioned her career to a Service and Hospitality Management focus, working with several local bars to develop and expand their brands and social media accounts and began moving across North Carolina, eventually settling in Chapel Hill. A farm girl at heart, Hannah realized that her first loves, farm life, nature, and horses, were missing, and she decided to seek another career change. She worked as the Barn and Equine health Manager/Volunteer Coordinator for ClearWind Farm, an Equine Psychotherapy Barn, where she discovered that her passion for helping people and horses heal and grow were a big part of her heart. While at ClearWind, Hannah was fortunate to become connected with the NFDF at an event the barn hosted for those with Fabry Disease.

Knowing that she wanted to continue her career in a way that was centered around helping others. When the time came to transition away from the physical demands of farm work, the NFDF seemed like the perfect place! Bringing with her a strong sense of organization and outreach, especially with her social media expertise and experience, Hannah is excited to help the foundation continue to bring education and awareness about Fabry Disease. (And she is VERY excited about camp, as a former camp counselor herself!) In her free time, you can find Hannah making some sort of music, in nature, or spending time with her family and adorable Toy Poodle puppy, Teddy