Meet the Board and Staff
Dr. Janelle Love, M.D.
Board Member
Founder, President, & Medical Advisor
Dr. Love is a board certified family physician who practices functional & integrative medicine. Her passion became autism when her son was diagnosed with autism years ago. She felt the traditional medical establishment had nothing to offer her son except the standard speech therapy, occupational therapy, and prescription drugs. After discovering functional and integrative medical approaches, she watched her son dramatically change into a much more functional child. Her entire outlook on the practice of medicine changed.
She currently has a solo private practice in which she treats many autistic children nationwide. Dr. Love has watched many of these children develop language, become social, and lose the devastating sensory issues. She has also given numerous lectures over the years and is a speaker for the Great Plains Autism Outreach Seminars.
In the past she was involved with several research projects located at centers such as Emory University, Tulane University, LSU Medical School, and NIH.
Kathleen Stewart
Board Member
Treasurer
Katie Stewart brings to the board 25 years of bank management, construction lending, finance management, and customer relations experience. She has been actively involved in the finance and construction industry. She has been the Chief Financial Officer of Lucente Enterprises, Inc. and Chesapeake Custom Homes, LLC since 1999 and is an experienced property manager.
Ms. Stewart has assisted friends who have autistic children with daily care, doctor’s visits, IEP’s, and respite care. She has been assisting in this area for 18 years and is very interested in finding new ways to help autistic children and their families cope with the daily challenges.
Debbie Carter
Board Member
Secretary
Debbie Carter had been a certified elementary school teacher for many years until she took the role as consultant and started her own company. She understands the disabilities of autistic patients and the complicated IEP process. She is familiar with the frustrations of both parents and teachers who do not have the resources available to help these children become functional adults.
Dionne Pells
Virginia Coordinator
Dionne Pells is a teacher with nearly two decades of experience in public, private and home education. Currently a homeschooling mother of two boys, Dionne’s years as an elementary teacher in Fairfax County Public schools included two spent working in an autism inclusion program. This experience spurred her interest in autism spectrum disorders. Since leaving public education, Dionne has continued to read and research the subject as a growing number of her friends and acquaintances have had their children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Volunteering to help with fundraising in Virginia for the Autism Relief Foundation provides a tangible way for her to help make a difference in the lives of so many of those affected by autism. Dionne is a graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in elementary education. She has completed Masters-level course work in special education at George Mason University, and has taught in private schools in Hershey, Pennsylvania and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dionne, her husband Michael, and their two boys, ages 8 and 4, currently live in Northern Virginia.