About Us

Brittney Miller

Brittney Tillman Miller has both a professional and personal passion for her role on the board. She has ten years of teaching experience and currently serves as an Early Service Coordinator for the Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA). Brittney just got married and together they have four boys. Their youngest son has Fragile X and Autism. A dedicated advocate at both the local and national levels, Brittney is passionate about connecting families, increasing awareness, and expanding access to resources for those impacted by Fragile X.

Allison Taylor

Allison is a Physician Associate at Duke University in the Department of Child and Family in Psychiatry. She presently works with children and adolescents providing mental and behavioral health care – primarily – medication management. She has been at Duke for 30 years. She has also worked in Adult Psychiatry as well as Chronic Pain Management.

Outside of work, besides being a Board member of the NC Fragile X Foundation, she is also a member of the Durham Civitan Club. She has been a member there for the past 15 years and has been President three times, a member of the District Chair for the Child Development and Behavioral Health Center and in that capacity she raised monies for the Fragile X clinic at Duke. She continues to be involved in other community activities. Her free time is spent with friends and family, watching college and professional sports and playing with her dogs. One is a retired therapy dog and the other is still working as a therapy dog.

Diane Upshaw

Diane is a Budget Analyst for the State of NC serving at the Administrative Office of the Courts. She has worked with the state for over 15 years with DHHS and OSBM. She enjoys volunteering in the community and has been with the Cary Jaycees for over 20 years and is a NC Jaycee Senator, as well as Treasurer for the NCSU Public Administration Alumni Society. She has volunteered with the NC Food Bank, First Baptist Church in Raleigh and the NC Natural Science Center. She enjoys reading, hiking and traveling.

Renée Duffee Clark

Renée worked in the field of developmental disabilities research for 33 years and retired in 2024 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Early in her career, she worked on a longitudinal study of development in boys with fragile X syndrome with Dr. Don Bailey. She was able to meet many children with fragile X and their families and teachers. Later, she co-directed the Research Participant Registries at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities which support research studies on autism, Fragile X, and other developmental syndromes and conditions. Renée enjoys outdoor activities, watching sports, and collecting children’s books.

Kate Gregory, M.D.

Kate Gregory, MD has been active in the Fragile X community since 2006 when her family received its first Fragile X diagnosis. As a medical doctor and parent of two adult children with Fragile X, she has attended each of the NFXF International Conferences since the family’s first diagnosis and participated in Virtual Advocacy Day. In the greater Asheville area, she has been involved in education and support for some of the medical providers and families who have both young and adult children with Fragile X.

Dr. Gregory is a board certified adult psychiatrist and has worked in community mental health, private practice and non-profit settings for 19 years. She completed her undergraduate work at Duke University, attended medical school at Vanderbilt University and did her residency training at Harvard Longwood in Boston.

Ave Lachiewicz, MD

Ave M. Lachiewicz, MD, is a board certified developmental-behavioral pediatrician and has worked at Duke University Medical Center for 34 years. She trained at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, at Albert Einstein Affiliated Programs in New York City, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Dr. Lachiewicz works with children with intellectual disabilities and learning disorders and children with behavior problems, who may require medication to manage their behaviors. She has participated in numerous projects involving individuals with fragile X syndrome. She is the medical director of the Duke Fragile X Clinic. Dr. Lachiewicz and her husband have 5 children and 11 grandchildren. Her favorite activities are visiting her relatives, visiting Colorado, and participating in activities that are faith based or try to build a better world.

Juan Pablo Mollinedo

Juan is the parent of young teenage daughter diagnosed with FXS at the age of 5, is Spanish speaking and connected with the national FX community. He serves on his HOA committee and works for The Nielsen Company, a global leader in audience measurement. He is willing to participate in activities of the board. He has a strong passion for community involvement with individuals with FXS, and Fragile X awareness.

Alexis Poss

Alexis brings extensive professional experience as a genetic counselor, a strong understanding of rare disease communities and the importance of family-led organizations. Throughout her career, she has seen how grassroots groups help families find connection, trusted information, and support as they navigate a diagnosis and plan for the future. We are excited to have Alexis join the board and look forward to the knowledge, creativity, and dedication she will bring to our work.

Steve Strom

Steve Strom has been part of the NC Fragile X Foundation board since 2017. He and his wife, Teresa, are parents to an adult son with Fragile X Syndrome. He works for NC Medicaid as director for the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Project (MFP). For the past 15 years, he has been working in nonprofit and government sectors in leadership roles for services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In his spare time, Steve enjoys training with 600 of his friends in his running club, The Raleigh Galloway Group.