We are so excited to welcome Celena Lozano and Kris Magill to our Board in 2025! Kris has filled the vacant role of Secretary of the Board of Directors.
Celena Lozano
Celena is a 4th year Neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of California, Davis. She received her B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from UC Davis. She began graduate school studying the role of immune molecules in neurodevelopment and how their dysregulation contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders. After learning of her son’s PURA Syndrome diagnosis, she transitioned to a lab focused on developing gene therapies for rare genetic disorders. Celena is passionate about improving the lives of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities by strengthening science communication, education, and advocacy.
Kris Magill
Kris retired in January 2025 after a 15-year career as Registrar at Drake University Law School. Before joining Drake, she served for 25 years as an official court reporter for the State of Iowa. Kris and her husband, Shaun, live in rural Iowa and feel incredibly fortunate to be just 5 miles away from all three of their adult children and their growing families. In the spring of 2024, their granddaughter Hattie — then 18 months old — was diagnosed with PURA Syndrome. This life-changing moment inspired Kris to become actively involved with the PURA Syndrome Foundation. Retirement has provided her with the flexibility to support Hattie and her family in meaningful ways — including accompanying Hattie to her weekly physical and occupational therapy sessions. Kris recently launched GrandPOPS — a new group for grandparents of Perfectly PURA grandchildren. When she’s not spending cherished time with one (or more!) of her seven — soon to be eight — grandchildren, Kris enjoys cooking for her family, gardening, playing pickleball, swimming, and volunteering at her local Catholic church.