Meet Our Board

Who We Are

Mary Lorusso DiBara

President and co-founder-Mary Lorusso-DiBara

Mary Lorusso DiBara has spent her entire professional career in non-profit management. Now retired, she founded and was president of a company specializing in fund raising and grant writing. She has served on numerous nonprofit Boards, most recently serving as the president of the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester; and was a founding board member of the Central Mass. Lyme Foundation. She has co-facilitated a Lyme support group in the Newport RI area, and is a patient advocate working primarily in Rhode Island.

She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Counseling Psychology.

Mary is passionate about helping individuals and families who are affected by Lyme disease and other vector-borne illnesses. She has chronic Lyme and several co-infections. But even before she was diagnosed, Mary sought help for her younger sister Darlene who, like so many other Lyme patients, was misdiagnosed for years. Who could have imagined when she finally found a Lyme-literate doctor to help her sister that she, too, would be diagnosed. And who could have imagined that several other family members . . . brother, nieces, and nephews . . . would also be diagnosed. One brother has severe cognitive impairment resulting from Lyme and co-infections.

In her role as a founder and President of the NELAD Resource Foundation, she has dedicated her “retirement years” to being a vital resource for those struggling with Lyme and Associated Diseases.

Darlene DiBara O'Connor

Executive Director and co-founder-Darlene DiBara O'Connor

Darlene was a Wraparound Coordinator for Worcester Public Schools until 2025. A former Wellness Coordinator and Education Coordinator for Mass Audubon in Worcester, MA , she is also a certified, Massachusetts Educator with 30+ years of experience. Darlene was a volunteer, Conference Committee Member, Speaker Coordinator, and speaker for the Central Mass Lyme Foundation for several years. She has passionately given interviews for the local media, podcasts, and Netflix- for a documentary about chronic illnesses. Darlene has delivered numerous talks about Lyme and its associated diseases for schools, support and church groups, nurses, and other health care professionals.

In 2016, along with other advocates, she testified at the Massachusetts State House in Boston to assist in passing a law to ensure that Lyme patients would receive necessary antibiotic treatment coverage beyond 30 days. Most recently, as an Advocacy Associate with the Center for Lyme Action, she shared her family’s story and mission, with local congressional leaders and offices in the 2026, Center for Lyme Action Advocacy Day.

Compelled to assist individuals and families who are afflicted with these insidious diseases, she and her siblings have proudly launched this northeast, regional, 501c3 foundation, which educates and supports Lyme+ families- emotionally and financially. Unfortunately, their brother, Matthew, is not able to join their mission, because his life was cut short in March, 2024, at the age of 63, due to years of misdiagnosed and untreated, Vector-borne illnesses. Even though Darlene is a chronic Lyme+ survivor herself, she passionately and gratefully continues to assist and support her numerous family members, including her 2 sons, on their path to wellness and prosperity.

Michael DiBara

Vice President and co-founder-Michael DiBara

Michael DiBara grew up in a small Central Massachusetts town where his appreciation for the outdoors began. As a teenager, he enjoyed riding mini-bikes on trails

around the Wachusett Reservoir and searching for edible mushrooms

in the serene woods with his father and brother.

These Massachusetts’ experiences led him to get a BS in Business Administration at Worcester State University.

As an environmental professional, he earned his master’s degree in public administration as a 2002 recipient of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Fellowship for Excellence in Public Administration at Suffolk University in Boston.

He enjoys spending quality time with his family, hiking, gardening and beekeeping.

Sheila Statlender

Board Member-Sheila Statlender

Sheila M. Statlender, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in-practice for more than 25 years in Newton, Massachusetts. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Massachusetts Psychological Association and the

National Register of Health Providers in Psychology.

Dr. Statlender specializes in the impact of chronic illness, including academic, vocational and personal adjustment issues. She provides supportive counseling and assistance with healthcare advocacy to many patients

diagnosed with tickborne diseases and their families.

She is the co-author of “Lyme and tick-borne diseases: A primer for mental health practitioners,” published in a refereed journal of the American Psychological Association (https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000163).

Dr. Statlenderis a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), an organization comprised of healthcare professionals committed to the comprehensive understanding, study and treatment of Lyme and other tick borne diseases, and has presented at a number of professional conferences. She helped to develop a training program sponsored by the Lyme Connection and the Leir Retreat Center in Ridgefield, Connecticut, designed to educate mental health professionals regarding the impact of Lyme and other tick borne diseases.

Dr. Statlender has been very involved in legislative efforts in Massachusetts. She represented ILADS as a governor-appointed member of the Commission to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Incidence and Impacts of Lyme Disease in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which issued its report in 2013. As a member of the Massachusetts Lyme Legislative Task Force, she worked closely with the legislature to enact physician protection legislation in 2010. In July, 2016, she was actively involved in the successful passage of a Lyme disease treatment coverage bill.

Dr. Statlender also has been active on the federal level. She served as a member of the Access to Care Services and Support to Patients Subcommittee of the Health and Human Services Tickborne Diseases Working Group (2018-2019), and again as a sub-committee member of the secondHealth and Human Services Tickborne Diseases Working Group in 2019-2020. She participated as a Consumer Reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Department of Defense Tick-Borne Disease Research Program - FY18.

On a personal note, Dr. Statlender and her husband, an orthopedic surgeon, reside in Framingham, Massachusetts. They are the parents of three adults who were treated for disseminated Lyme disease as children.

Michelle Scavone

Board Member-Michelle Scavone

Michelle Scavone is a director of NELAD, Northeast Lyme and Associated Diseases Resource Foundation. She has been self-employed as a PA Accountant/IRS tax agent for over 30 years and has owned additional businesses with her late husband, such as a utility contracting construction company for 10+ years, and a shirt design business. Her specialty is working with small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Michelle is a director of Timothy Scavone Jr. Memorial Foundation Inc. and is a secretary and director of Kids Club Inc., which are also non-profit 501C3 organizations.

She is also a proud co-founder and treasurer for 'Be Love Ministries Inc.', an additional nonprofit, which is a Christian Ministry, 2022.

She and her husband were both diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Her husband passed away in 2020, after suffering for a very long time from chronic Lyme and Babesia. After educating herself, she devoted her time to finding out what her husband was ill from, while she began researching and studying as much accurate info as she could find out about Lyme and its associated diseases. During this process, she discovered that her husband’s illnesses could be traced back to a tick bite from 2014.

It was also revealed that Michelle also has Lyme disease but continues to become better with several treatments prescribed and monitored by her Lyme practitioner. She has helped several people get a proper diagnosis of Lyme and its associated diseases and has now dedicated her life to helping others who suffer from these diseases. She is a devout Christian and is fulfilling God’s will in helping others.

She is currently working on a documentary for Lyme and its associated diseases.

Jessica Snajder

Board Member-Jessica Snajder

Jessica Snajder is the founder of Partner in Lyme, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that served the state of Connecticut from 2020 to 2026. Partner in Lyme was created out of both personal experience and purpose, born from the frustration surrounding her daughter’s Lyme disease diagnosis and a deep desire to

transform that hardship into hope for others.

Under Jessica’s leadership, Partner in Lyme provided direct financial assistance to more than 50 individuals suffering from tick-borne illnesses across Connecticut. The organization also expanded awareness and community support through movie screenings, statewide in-person meet ups, and the distribution of hundreds of handwritten greeting cards to patients throughout North America during

Lyme Awareness Month.

In addition to her advocacy work, Jessica is a multidisciplinary artist who repurposes vintage and antique silver cutlery into meaningful, wearable jewelry. She also works as a language arts tutor, an art teacher, and an active leader within her church community. Jessica is deeply honored to serve on the Board of Directors for NELAD,

continuing her commitment to advocacy, education,

and support for those impacted by Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

Michele Miller

Board Member-Michele Miller

For more than 13 years, Michele Miller has dedicated herself to raising awareness and advocating for individuals and families affected by Lyme disease. As the founder and leader of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization the Central Mass Lyme Foundation, Michele along with her husband, Ken have worked tirelessly to educate the public, connect people with valuable resources, and bring greater attention to the challenges surrounding Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment.

During that time, she organized and hosted four conferences in Central Mass along with many of her loyal volunteers with a focus on Lyme disease and other vector borne diseases, bringing together patients, advocates, and experts to share information and promote greater understanding.

Her commitment to this cause is deeply personal. In 2013, Michele lost her mother to Lyme disease, an experience that profoundly changed her life and strengthened her determination to help others. Her mother’s experience through finding many journals, opened Michele's eyes to the devastating impact Lyme disease can have on individuals and families, particularly when patients struggle to receive timely and

appropriate testing and treatment.

Since then, Michele has remained passionate about helping others navigate the complexities of Lyme disease. She is committed to advocating for proper testing, accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and greater awareness within the broader community. Through her years of advocacy and education, she has worked to ensure that patients and their families have access to information, resources, and support as they navigate their Lyme disease journeys.

Michele is honored to now serve as a board member of NELAD, the Northeast Lyme and Associated Diseases Resource Foundation, where she continues the work that has been such an important part of her life. She brings more than a decade of nonprofit leadership and Lyme disease advocacy, along with a deeply personal understanding of the challenges faced by patients and families. Through her service, she hopes to honor her mother’s memory while helping others find answers, support, and hope.

On a personal note, Michele has been happily married to her husband, Ken who battled with Lyme disease himself and has 2 adult children.

Michele has been a full-time REALTOR® since 2005 and in her spare time, enjoys camping and Amateur Radio with her husband, Ken.

Ron Gangemi

Board Member-Ron Gangemi

For nearly two decades, Ron Gangemi has been a Lyme and Tick-borne disease advocate and educator. His involvement is, as he says, “very personal” as he set out to find treatment for a sick family member. That journey led him to start Lyme Awareness of Cape Cod, in 2007, a non-profit located in Mashpee, Massachusetts.

Its mission is to reduce the incidences of Lyme and tick-borne diseases on Cape Cod through education on prevention, early detection and treatment.

For six years, he ran the organization out of the basement in is home. He realized early on that so many of the people who sought his help were struggling to find doctors and therapies that were effective – and within their geographic and financial reach. His solution? He purchased land in Mashpee, and opened the Wellness Center, in 2015.It was one of the first non-profit comprehensive Lyme Centers in the country. The services at this center included – free of charge – care by a 'Lyme-literate' physician, chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapist, nutritionist, or psychologist. Infrared saunas and other equipment were also available at the Center.

Now retired from the organization, and his contracting business, he still remains on the board of Lyme Awareness of Cape Cod.

Welcome to NELAD Resource Foundation!