MEET THE TEAM
Jill Culver
I live in Bellingham, WA with my husband of 20+ years and our 16yr old daughter. I was diagnosed with YOPD at the age of 42 in early 2022. Prior to my diagnosis, I had never even met someone with Parkinson’s Disease. I’ve been a corporate event planner for many years but have scaled back a bit since my diagnosis in order to reduce stress. I currently work part time as a consultant to the Gates Foundation planning philanthropic events. I love dance, musical theatre, cake, travel, and spending time in the summer boating with my family. I have a virtual YOPD community that I love, but if you live near Bellingham, please introduce yourself to me – I’d love to meet more young people with Parkinsons in my area!
Brian Harris
I was diagnosed in Jan of 2017 at 48. When I disclosed my diagnosis to my grandmother she looked at me and said “This is what life has handed you. What are you going to do about it?” I took those words to heart and in January of 2018 I formed SEAYOPD, Seattle’s YOPD Social Activity group who meet at least monthly to do stuff together. Then January of 2019 I wanted to do more so I joined the board of directors for the APDA NW chapter. Besides being heavily involved in these 2 Parkinson non-profits, I love to travel, hike and I am an avid numismatist. I live in Auburn, WA with my husband Damion and our dog Tyson and I really try and live by my grandmother’s words of wisdom.
Laura Hitchens
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost 10 years ago when I was 51. I am motivated to bring people with Parkinson’s together to create connection and friendships. This is my second time working on the YOPD-CON committee. The most important thing to me, is to let others with PD know they are not alone and that they have a support system
Veronica Kaipainen
“I will mop floors, wash tables, whatever you need!”
This is how I landed on this committee….with a grateful heart. My husband, Jason, was diagnosed over a decade ago, in 2014, at the age of 37 years old. We spent the first 8.5 years trying to learn and do as much as possible with amazing support of family and friends, but rather independent of the Parkinson’s Community, as we didn’t know how to establish and build those connections. We saw the ad for the first YOPD-CON and realized what an amazing opportunity this would be for us to learn more….which turned out to be a huge understatement.
We gained so much from the first YOPD-CON….. we grew in our knowledge, switched our medical team, and probably most importantly, we became part of the YOPD community. It was quite literally the first time we had met anyone else with Young Onset Parkinson’s and from this event, we now have a community of friends in our YOPD Family. Rather than seeing Parkinson’s as this thing that is happening to us, we are active and feel more in control of living our best lives with this disease.
And so it is with a deeply grateful heart, I sit alongside these team members, hoping to give back to the event that gave so much to us – and hopefully to help others experience the same type of life-changing event that we were so fortunate to have.
Jeremy Likness
I am a full-time employed software developer based in Newport, Oregon. I am also a professional astrophotographer who creates fine art metal and acrylic prints of deep space objects and nighttime landscapes. I was diagnosed with PD in the year 2020 at the age of 45. After my diagnosis, I immediately began fundraising, advocating, and campaigning for PD research and awareness. With my wife of almost 30 years, I launched the You, Me and PD podcast to share our candid thoughts about living with and caregiving for PD. To raise awareness, I have done everything from broadcast thousands of burpees to producing rap lyrics, songs, and videos about PD. I have taken leadership roles in my employer’s employee resource group for disabled employees, provided subject matter expertise and feedback to improve the accessibility of software and adaptive hardware, served on the board of directors for the Young Onset Parkinson’s Network for over four years until their acquisition by the PMD Alliance, lobbied to congress to help pass Parkinson’s-focused legislation and participated in many trials. This is my second year serving on the committee and I had the pleasure of emceeing last year’s event.
Amy Lavallee
I am a wife and mother of three who was diagnosed with YOPD at the age of 34 – 9 years ago. I have become an active member of the PD community through volunteering and advocacy, and have worked with the Brian Grant Foundation for the past three years. I am a member of the Portland Movers and Shakers, a Parkinson’s walking team training for the 2025 Portland to Coast which is 130 mile relay race.
Dr. Kimmy Su
Hi YOPD community! My name is Dr. Kimmy Su, and I am a Parkinson’s disease specialist at the University of Washington and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Healthcare System. Over the years, I have struggled to find resources such as meetings that are specifically geared for my YOPD patients. APDA, recognizing this gap in resources, was able to gather an amazing committee of YOPD patients and provide them with the platform to develop the first ever YOPD-CON in 2023. The 2023 event was a wonderful experience to partake in, especially seeing my patients empower themselves with knowledge and connect with the YOPD community. I am so excited about what is in store for YOPD-CON 2025! Please do not hesitate to say hi and ask me any questions you may have about Parkinson’s disease, or even to chat about my loves (baking, making ice cream, crafting, Jane Austen dramas, my family, including my two boys)!