STAFF

Amy Leitman is the President of NTM Info & Research, a nonprofit advocacy group for patients with pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease. The daughter of a patient with NTM lung disease, she has spent the last decade championing the voice of the patient.

In her role, Amy represents the interests and perspectives of patients, healthcare providers, researchers, industry, and other interested stakeholders, serves as a liaison to legislators, regulators, and independent organizations seeking patient input, and speaks at multi-stakeholder meetings. She has presented original patient preference research and is a co-author of several papers on NTM lung disease. As NTMir’s representative to the NTM Research Consortium, Amy has collaborated on patient-centered and epidemiologic research.

Prior to joining NTM Info & Research, Amy spent many years working in communications and marketing, including for an NBA team where she oversaw the revision and relaunch of their website as well as the development of gameday collateral materials, and a major community nonprofit organization that mobilized human and financial resources to strengthen local and international community social safety nets.

Amy is a member of the American Thoracic Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), the American Society for Microbiology, the European Respiratory Society, and the Drug Information Association.

A native of Montreal, Canada, Amy grew up in Toronto before moving to Miami, Florida where she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from the University of Miami.

Nancy L. Berry, RN joins the team to lead the development of educational materials on NTM lung disease, bronchiectasis, extrapulmonary NTM infection, and related illnesses. She will also be working with our professional education team. Nancy has been a practicing registered nurse having spent 20 years in the operating room followed by 22 years as a school nurse.

Patricia started at NTMir as the office administrator before moving into the role of Community Engagement Director. She came on board after many years at the corporate executive office of a Miami-based international travel and leisure company, bringing more than 35 years of experience as a manager and legal assistant with a proven record of success in providing clear communication and customer service skills, and the empathy and compassion to interact with diverse populations.

Patricia moved to South Florida from Virginia in the mid-70s when her father was stationed at Homestead Airforce Base, and currently resides in Pinecrest with her two rescue dogs, Miso and Sweetpea.

Helga joins the team with over 20 years of non-profit public relations and event development experience. She has developed and led many successful fundraising strategies for a major rare disease organization. She has been awarded the Excel Award for Public Relations Professionals of Puerto Rico for Best Public Relations Program. She has learned about strength and perseverance by working with people with challenges due to a rare disease. With NTM Info & Research, she hopes to be able to continue to provide support and hope for patients with NTM lung disease and bronchiectasis.

Laura Layton has helped manage NTM Connect since November 2021. As a Senior Advisor with Higher Logic, Laura specializes in working with associations, marketing automation, growing online communities, and integrating marketing and community programs. She loves seeing the connections made in NTM’s community and enjoys helping patients and caregivers. Prior to joining Higher Logic, Laura worked in marketing and membership services. She lives with her family in upstate New York.

As a talented and skilled IT Business Operations Executive, John has many years of progressive and extensive experience in the IT industry overseeing the development of systems, directing operations, building teams, and advancing organizations to meet business development objectives. He is passionate about promoting continuous professional development through effective leadership and training and is adept at coordinating IT management projects to provide the needed technologies for companies to continue to grow.

Katelyn joins the teams with years of non-profit development and programmatic experience. Prior to entering the non-profit world, Katelyn was an educator with the Miami-Dade County Public School system. Katelyn has earned a Master’s in Applied Sociology, and a Master’s in Education and Social Change. When not dedicated to work, Katelyn enjoys reading and spending time with her senior dachshund.