Mary Beth Guckian graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Prior to having children, Mary Beth worked as a financial analyst in the not-for-profit sector, including New York City Housing Development Corporation and Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop).

Mary Beth and her husband, Kevin, both natives of New Jersey, have two grown children. As a family, they spent a number of years relocating domestically and internationally for Kevin’s job. They now live in Chatham, New Jersey.

In the spring of 2010, their daughter, Elizabeth, then eleven years old, started experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy. Within months, she was diagnosed with Narcolepsy Type 1, and so began the journey of learning to live and cope with this condition.

It was upon searching for more information online about Narcolepsy that Mary Beth became aware of Wake Up Narcolepsy. She and her husband became involved with the organization and have worked to raise funds for research.

In May 2014, Mary Beth chaired the “New York, New York” Wake Up Narcolepsy event, featuring guest speaker and PWN Ginger Zee of Good Morning America. The following year, Mary Beth partnered with Vineyard Vines to host an in-store fundraising event from which a portion of the sale’s proceeds was donated to Wake Up Narcolepsy.

Through her work with Wake Up Narcolepsy, Mary Beth hopes to promote awareness of this deeply misunderstood sleep disorder and to help fund research for a cure.

Kimberly Cassidy is a dedicated volunteer who lives in Lakeland, Florida. She has been married for over 22 years to Curt, a Double Board-Certified Psychiatrist, and they have 2 children, Jackson and KatieGrace. For 18 years, Kimberly has played a pivotal role in her husband’s private practice, Cassidy Psychiatry, drawing from her extensive experience as a Human Resource Executive in corporate America.

When life changed overnight for their 10-year-old son Jackson in 2015, it was Curt’s medical expertise that facilitated the prompt diagnosis of Jackson’s Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. Finding the right treatment and dosage was extremely challenging. But that journey led them to the best specialists in the country, and they found hope with Wake Up Narcolepsy (WUN).

Navigating the misunderstood world of Narcolepsy with Cataplexy led Kimberly to become a passionate advocate for academic accommodations, particularly for students with hidden disabilities. Studying local, state and federal laws, she relentlessly challenged the College Board and ACT to secure the necessary accommodations for Jackson. These experiences led her to continue to help others’ find their voice and achieve academic success.

Kimberly currently serves as the Council Chair of the Florida Southern College Parent Council Board, where Jackson attends-Go Mocs! She also volunteers at her daughter’s performing arts school, contributing to the musical theatre program and the philanthropy committee. Her most fulfilling role, however, is serving on the WUN Board, where she is part of a community that works towards advancing research and finding a cure for Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. Kimberly’s involvement with WUN fuels her hope and determination to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by this condition.

David Gow is the Chief Financial Officer at Dynasty Equity. Prior to this role, he was a Financial Service Office Partner at Ernst & Young, a multinational professional services firm, spending more than 30 years at the firm. David focused on serving private equity and venture capital clients, serving its most complex diversified asset managers globally. David and his wife, Monica, became motivated to bring further awareness and education to the Narcolepsy community when their son was diagnosed in 2008. David has experience serving on the board of directors of other nonprofit organizations.

Kelsey Biddle graduated from Dartmouth College in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. After college, she began working as a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham & Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals. Here, Kelsey performs cognitive assessments for the Harvard Aging Brain Study, and investigates the neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease with Dr. Nancy Donovan, a geriatric psychiatrist. Kelsey was diagnosed with Narcolepsy Type 1 (Narcolepsy with Cataplexy) in January of 2018 at the age of 22 after six weeks of symptoms.  As a neuroscience major and daughter of an immunotherapy-focused physician-scientist, she was in the “right place at the right time” to be the first human subject in a novel immunotherapy intervention trial for new onset Narcolepsy.  Kelsey decided to share her personal story to raise awareness about this misunderstood autoimmune neurologic disorder, and prove to herself and others that one can overcome adversity and setbacks and adapt in a positive way. She aspires to a career in neuropsychiatry & healthcare and hopes to contribute to the advance of knowledge and innovative treatments in the field of neuropsychiatry. As a board member, she hopes to foster research and research funding on Narcolepsy to help develop better treatments and to use her personal experience and background in neuroscience to help other PWNs and their loved ones develop their own coping skills to help get them through the tough times and foster a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Todd Grisco is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience in the biotech industry, specializing in US and global market access strategies. Currently, he serves as Vice President of US Field Access at Bristol Myers Squibb, overseeing key relationships with Payer, GPO and Channel business partners. Todd’s career includes senior leadership roles at Walgreens, Merck, Schering-Plough and Sage Therapeutics.

His personal connection to Wake Up Narcolepsy (WUN) began after his daughter, Mia, was diagnosed with Narcolepsy in 2022. Todd and his wife, Lynn, have since become involved in WUN’s efforts, including co-chairing the Shadows to Light Gala. Todd is deeply committed to supporting WUN’s mission to increase awareness and drive research advancements for Narcolepsy.

Todd lives in Naples, Florida, with Lynn. They have two children: Mia, a freshman at Syracuse University, and a son who is pursuing his education at Penn State University.

Nicole Jeray of Chicago, Illinois, is an LPGA tour Veteran and long-time advocate for Narcolepsy awareness. Since graduating from Northern Illinois University, she has played professional golf worldwide for almost 30 years. Nicole was diagnosed with Narcolepsy at age 25 during her 2nd year on the LPGA tour. After suffering for several years, she realized how misunderstood Narcolepsy was and became determined to educate the world. Nicole started “Swinging for Sleep,” a campaign that raises awareness and funds for Narcolepsy while she competed on the LPGA and other golf tours. Nicole now teaches golf full-time at Mistwood GC, coaches high school girls’ golf at her alma mater, Nazareth Academy, and still plays professional tournaments on the Legends of the LPGA.

Prasanna leads a global organization in the security division at Microsoft. His organization advises and enables fortune 500 and large strategic enterprises, governmental organizations and educational institutes to adopt security technologies developed at Microsoft. His organization’s mission also includes advising product engineering team on customer needs and requirements to shape security/identity products. Prasanna has built a career in the IT sector at Microsoft over the past 31+ years. He has worked on and led efforts across multiple product lines including developer tools, Microsoft Office, Healthcare, Windows and Business Solutions prior to his current role in the security division at Microsoft. He hails from Sri Lanka. He has traveled in over 50 countries and has lived in China and Sri Lanka. He holds degrees in physics and computer science from Southern Oregon University. He lives with his wife, Anne, in the Seattle area. His two sons, Tyler and Kyle, live and attend universities in Washington DC, and Los Angeles, respectively.

Gordon Gow of Toronto has extensive experience in large corporate environments as well as with smaller and start-up enterprises at both the board and operational management levels. He has a solid background in raising capital in venture markets and in public markets with a unique understanding of the most senior levels of international, federal and provincial governments. With a track record of success in launching companies and building and coaching strong management teams, Gordon has strong administrative and “people management” skills. He is an enthusiastic and aggressive self-starter, and is highly motivated by challenge and opportunity.

Tammy Anderson has dedicated much of her adult life to building and supporting organizations that strengthen individuals and families, helping them reach their full potential. Her passion for human development, particularly in the context of family life and relationships, has been a lifelong pursuit. Tammy’s journey began with her studies at Brigham Young University, where she earned a degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development, along with licensure as a Family Life Educator.

Tammy’s commitment to family advocacy took on a deeply personal dimension when her daughter was diagnosed with Narcolepsy at age 10. Faced with the challenge of navigating a complex and often misunderstood condition, Tammy and her husband—who is a director of product management for a nonprofit organization—dedicated themselves to finding answers, treatments and opportunities that would allow their daughter to live a fulfilling life.

Before joining the Wake Up Narcolepsy (WUN) team in January 2022, Tammy held leadership roles in nonprofit organizations, including serving as a development director. In these roles, she worked to build programs that supported children, families and underserved communities. She also worked as a student advocate in public, private and home education settings, driven by her belief that every child deserves an education that is tailored to their unique needs and designed to help them succeed.

Since joining WUN, Tammy has been instrumental in supporting and growing the Narcolepsy community. She is passionate about empowering families and individuals affected by Narcolepsy, providing them with resources, and a sense of connection. Through her work at WUN, Tammy continues to make a difference in the lives of those facing the challenges of this rare and often misunderstood condition.

Living in the foothills of Northern Utah, Tammy and her family enjoy hiking and exploring the mountains near their home. Her family remains her greatest work and accomplishment.

Emmanuel Mignot MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Center for Narcolepsy at the Stanford University School of Medicine

Dr. Mignot is internationally recognized as having discovered the cause of narcolepsy. He is also known for his discovery of a polymorphism of the “clock” gene that appears to alter individuals’ internal biorhythms, and for finding a gene variant that predisposes a person to sleep apnea. Dr. Mignot is a former student of the Ecole Normale Superieure (Ulm, Paris, France) and received his MD and PhD from Paris V and VI University in France. He practiced medicine in France for several years before serving as a visiting scholar at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center and later as a visiting assistant professor at Stanford. Dr. Mignot joined the Stanford faculty as acting assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and was named director of the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy in 1993. He was named Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 2001.

Dr. Mignot has received numerous research grants and honors, including National Sleep Foundation and National Institute of Health Research Awards, the Drs. C. and F. Demuth 11th Award for Young Investigators in the Neurosciences, the W.C. Dement Academic Achievement Award in sleep disorders medicine, the CINP and ACNP awards in neuropharmacology, and the Jacobaeus prize.

He is co-author of more than 100 original scientific publications, and he serves on the editorial board of scientific journals in the field of sleep-disorders research. Dr. Mignot is an active member of several professional and governmental organizations. Visit Stanford Center for Narcolepsy.

Thomas E. Scammell, MD, Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Scammell’s lab focuses on the neurobiology of sleep and the neural basis of narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is caused by an extensive and selective loss of the hypothalamic neurons that produce the orexin neuropeptides (also known as hypocretins). This cell loss generally occurs in the teens or young adulthood and results in lifelong sleepiness and cataplexy, brief episodes of muscle weakness that are similar to the paralysis that occurs during REM sleep. Much of Dr. Scammell’s current research focuses on mouse models of narcolepsy, as mice lacking orexins also experience sleepiness and frequent episodes of cataplexy. Dr. Scammell’s lab hypothesizes that orexins normally stabilize the activity of wake-promoting brain regions, but absence of orexins produces rapid transitions from wakefulness into sleep, and intrusions into wakefulness of REM sleep elements, such as cataplexy or hallucinations. Additional research focuses on how positive emotions trigger cataplexy, and the changes in human brains when narcolepsy develops.

The major goals of Dr. Scammell’s lab are to identify the neural mechanisms through which the orexin system controls sleep and wakefulness and to determine how loss of the orexin peptides results in sleepiness and cataplexy. Learn more at Dr. Thomas Scammell’s Laboratory website.

Indra Narang, MD, is the Director of Sleep Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. She undertook her fellowship training between London (UK) and Toronto, Canada. She then went on to complete her sleep training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia under Dr. Carole Marcus. Dr. Narang completed her doctoral thesis at the University of London (UK).

Her current clinical and research interests are focused on obesity associated obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular risk, control of breathing during sleep, and narcolepsy in children.

Dr. Maski completed her pediatric neurology and sleep medicine training at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and is currently runs the Sleep Neurology Clinics at BCH. She has a clinical interest in disorders of hypersomnia and sees many children and adolescents with narcolepsy in her busy clinical practice. Her research interests include understanding the physiology of narcolepsy and the relationship between hypocretin (the hormone reduced in patients with narcolepsy) and cognition and mood. In addition, Dr. Maski is a physician advocate for patients with narcolepsy and is working with Wake Up Narcolepsy, Inc. and the American Sleep Medicine Foundation, Inc. to create educational tools to help school based professionals have a better understanding about narcolepsy and optimize patients’ academic success.