Board Members

Sandy McMerty

President

Sandy is currently serving as the Designer Genes Board President, and was brought to the organization through the birth of her son, Cristian. Sandy has played many roles in the organization from board member and marketer to cheerleader and advocate for individuals with Down syndrome. She currently serves the Deputy Secretary of State for the State of North Dakota, and she and her husband, Matt, own The Gifted Bean Coffee House, which works to hire and inspire individuals with unique abilities.​

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Andrea Stewart

Vice President

 

Deb Clarys

Treasurer

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Karissa Kautzman

Secretary

Karissa's connection to Down Syndrome is Terren, a red-headed, feisty, boy with a very strong personality. He was born in May 2018 and  had a prenatal diagnosis. She lives in Bismarck with her husband, Shane and their 10-year-old, son, Tracen (who also has red hair but is much calmer than Terren). Karissa has been working as a licensed addiction counselor since 2014 and will be graduated with her masters in counseling in May 2022.​

Heather Lundeen

Member-at-Large

Heather is an associate professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Mary. She earned her DPT in 2005 from the University of North Dakota. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy. Heather began teaching in 2008 at UMary and has an extensive pediatric physical therapy clinical background.  Through her teaching, she is able to share her passion for physical therapy, children of all abilities and their families.  She is married to her husband Chris and has three children Conner, Olivia, and Chloe.  In her free time she enjoys volunteering, running, reading, outdoor adventures, and being a spectator of her children’s activities.​

Rachel Keegan

Member-at-Large

 

Staff

Michelle Ragan

Member-at-Large

 

Roxane Romanick

Executive Director

While Roxane Romanick has worked the majority of her social work career in the field of developmental disabilities and special education supporting children and families with disabilities, her true education began almost 24 years ago, when she became the mom to her daughter who lives with Down syndrome. She worked in ND’s Early Intervention system as a parent mentor and a consultant to the state Part C Coordinator for 15 years. She served on the State Interagency Coordinating Council as a member, chair, and then staff.  In both her personal and professional capacities, Roxane has had experience with direct parent support, program and policy development, advisory involvement, and advocacy at the local, state, and federal level.  Roxane is currently on the DEC Family Committee and works as the Executive Director for North Dakota’s Down syndrome association, Designer Genes of ND. 
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Roxane Romanick has been the Executive Director for Designer Genes of North Dakota, Inc., which is a non-profit that supports individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and professionals that support them for the past 7 years.  Prior to that she served as the board president since 2010.  She has a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Dakota and is licensed as a Licensed Certified Social Worker in ND.

Tiana Staudinger

Project Coordinator

Tiana is a recent graduate from the University of North Dakota, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Psychology. She is planning to attend medical school in the Fall of 2023 to continue her education. Tiana has volunteered with Designer Genes for the past decade and is continuing to serve Designer Genes as the Project Coordinator. Tiana also advocates for and supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the community as a Direct Support Professional at HIT Inc.