Board of Directors

Dr. Neena Nizar serves as Founder and Executive Director of the Jansen's Foundation. Nizar is an English professor, TEDx speaker, blogger, and a disability and inclusion advocate.

She is a WebMD Healthcare Hero for 2023, serves on the Mayor's Commission for Disability, and was recently featured in People Magazine and the New York Times for her work in rare disease drug development and patient advocacy.

In her day job, she works as the Director of Patient Advocacy Strategy in the Center for Rare Diseases at ICON Plc, a global CRO. In this role she ensures patients are centered in the drug development process.

Penni Romero, MS, PT graduated from the University of Illinois Medical Center with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy and has 44 years of experience in Pediatric PT. She has a Master's degree in Human Development and the Family, Child Development emphasis from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is NDT Certified in Pediatrics, and is an Advanced Credentialed Clinical Instructor through the APTA Association. Penni has presented and published on several research topics nationally.

She has worked in school settings, pediatric therapy clinics, and private practice during her career. She is now semi-retired as a pediatric PT and is no longer accepting new patients.

Penni has been the Treasurer for The Jansens Foundation since its inception and recently accepted the role as Administrative Official with the foundation. Penni keeps busy helping to care for her 3 grandchildren, including twins born in 2025.

Dr. Maegan Wallace graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training, earned her medical degree from The University of Nebraska Medical Center, and completed her orthopedic surgery residency at Saint Louis University.

She completed her pediatric orthopedic fellowship at AI DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE.

Dr. Wallace is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon specializing in osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). She previously practiced at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, NE, and now serves as Surgical Director of the Metabolic Bone and OI Program at Phoenix Children's Hospital, aiming to expand comprehensive bone care across the Southwest.

Megan Raiser graduated from Otterbein College with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations, English and Music. She later earned her Master's in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business. Megan has experience in non-profit, the arts, education and engineering industries, as well as having served in management positions at both the international children's publisher Highlights for Children, Inc., and LexisNexis, the leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics.

Since having her first son 10 years ago, she's been a stay-at-home mom who has remained active through freelance work and volunteering in the community.

Clarissa graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.S. in Journalism, a sequence in Public Relations and Advertising with a minor in Communication Studies.

When Clarissa isn't capturing magical moments with her Cannon EOS, she engages in creating brands for businesses, carefully crafting insight and turning them into workable ideas.

Clarissa has over 100 pairs of shoes and her friends say she always brings way too many clothes on a weekend get away.

Malay Bhakta serves as the IT Manager for The Jansen's Foundation, overseeing the foundation's digital infrastructure, website platforms, and technical operations.

With a strong background in software engineering and systems architecture, Malay focuses on building reliable, secure, and scalable solutions that support the foundation's mission of education, research advancement, and family outreach.

He works closely with leadership to ensure technology remains an enabler for transparency, accessibility, and long-term sustainability across all foundation initiatives.

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