Skip to main content
Williams Syndrome Association logo.
Donate
  • Join
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Español
  • Forums
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Structure & Administration
      • Board of Trustees
      • Medical Advisors
      • Executive Director & Team
      • Consultants & Partners
    • Position Statements
    • Programs
    • Newsletters
    • Media & Press Center
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Getting Started in School
    • Creating an IEP
    • Education Strategies
    • Testing & Evaluation Strategies
    • Therapeutic Strategies for Education
    • Transition Strategies - High School to Adult Life
    • Life Skills & Post Secondary Programs
    • Featured Education Resources
    • Virtual Education Resources
    • Convention
    • Resources
  • Medical
    • Overview
    • Diagnosing Williams Syndrome
    • Healthcare Guidelines
    • Anesthesia Concerns
    • Cardiovascular Concerns
      • Cardiac and Sudden Death information
    • Gastrointestinal Concerns
    • Neurodevelopment & Behavioral Health
      • WS and Sexuality
    • Williams Syndrome Clinics
    • Collaborative Registry for WS (CReWS)
    • renovascular hypertension collaborative
    • Resources
    • Research
      • Overview
      • Current Studies
      • Grant Opportunities
      • Renovascular Hypertension Collaborative
  • Life with WS
    • Overview
    • What is Williams syndrome?
      • Overview
      • General Information
      • Diagnosing WS
      • New Diagnosis: First Steps
      • Therapeutic Interventions
      • Talking to Children about WS
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Family Support
      • Overview
      • Family Support Network
      • Support Groups
      • Connect with Others
      • Available Aid and Assistance
      • Financial Planning
      • Internet Safety and Assistive Technology Resources
      • Grandparents
      • Siblings
      • Resource Organizations
      • International Organizations
    • WSA Media and Entertainment
      • The Starry-Eyed Podcast
      • WS Audio, Video, and Text
      • News Items
      • Blog
    • Adult Life
      • Overview
      • Transition Strategies - High School to Adult Life
      • Life Skills & Post Secondary Programs
      • Housing
      • Employment
      • Adventure Seekers
      • Voting Resources
      • Wellness Wednesdays and Mindfulness Mondays with Nick
    • Programs
      • Become a Member
      • Convention
      • Adventure Seekers
      • Camps
      • Financial Aid & Scholarships
      • Grant Opportunities
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Attend an Event
    • Convention
    • In Loving Memory
    • Resources
  • Get Involved
    • Overview
    • Walks for Williams
    • Awareness Month
      • Awareness Month Toolkit!
    • Become a Member
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
    • Volunteer
    • Event Calendar
    • Host a Social/Connection Event
    • Vendor Network
    • Share Your Story
    • Your Contributions at Work
    • Shop our Merch
    • Contact the WSA

You are here

Home » Make Connections » Connect with your Local Community

Pennsylvania

The Williams Syndrome Association is organized into 19 regions across the United States. Pennsylvania is part of the Tri-State Region. Each region works to provide resource information and social and educational opportunities to its members. Volunteers are standing by in each state within the regions (parents and grandparents who can provide resources and information) to speak with new families or any families needing support. They are joined by many other volunteers who work hard to facilitate gatherings such as picnics, conferences, and fundraisers. 

Below you will find the name(s) and contact email addresses of your state's Family Support Network volunteer(s).

Family Support Volunteer:
Jenny Knox of Villanova, Pennsylvania
Email

Area of focus: new diagnosis, children, WSA camp

Local Facebook Group:
Jocelyn Krebs, PhD
Blog author, Family Support Volunteer:
Jocelyn Krebs, PhD of Philadephia, PA
Email

Jocelyn Krebs, PhD is the Executive Director of The Armellino Center of Excellence for Williams Syndrome at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that position, she was a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the WWAMI School of Medicine at the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Her research in the field of epigenetics led her to study one of the genes deleted in WS, and several years later she had a child with WS and thus brings both a mother’s and a scientist’s perspective to the board.  She has a passion for supporting high-impact research and for helping make complex science understandable and is a frequent convention speaker on the genetics of Williams syndrome.  She lives in Philadelphia, PA, with her wife Susannah and her sons Rhys (born 2009, WS) and Frey (born 2012).

Local Facebook Group:
Melissa Murphy
Blog author, Family Support Volunteer:
Melissa Murphy of Villanova, Pennsylvania
Email

Melissa Murphy is a career federal government attorney, handling a range of complex appellate cases, regulatory matters, and policy issues. Melissa is active within the disability community, particularly around issues concerning family engagement and inclusion practices. A graduate of Temple University Institute on Disabilities’ Partners in Policymaking program, she helped revise the Early Learning Program Partnership Standards in Pennsylvania, served as Parent Co-Chair of the Montgomery County Interagency Coordinating Council, worked on the planning team for the annual statewide Family Engagement Summit in Pennsylvania, and has been nominated to the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Committee. Melissa has served on the Board of Trustees for the WSA in other terms and is a past Board President. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband Ben, a pediatrician, and their young children: Rose (WS), Charlie, Hope, and Gabriel.

Local Facebook Group:
Family Support Volunteer:
Carol Severino of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Email

Area of focus: adults, but happy to connect with any age

Local Facebook Group:
Family Support Volunteer:
Aine Smalley of Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
Email

Family Support Area of focus: school-age children, teens

Local Facebook Group:
Family Support Volunteer:
Christie Yamron of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Email

Areas of focus: new diagnosis, young children, therapy

Local Facebook Group:

Resources for PA

Resources (Search by State)

Clinics in PA

Armellino Center of Excellence (ACE) for Williams Syndrome at CHOP and Penn

3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Director: Jocelyn Krebs, PhD
Program Coordinator: Cindy Tsikalas 888-722-3497
Website
aceforws@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Upcoming Events in PA

FSN - Navigating Transition from High School Support

Tue, 10/14/2025 - 8:00 pm EDT

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Children (Under 18) with WS and Anxiety Meeting

Wed, 10/15/2025 - 8:00 pm EDT

FSN - Grief Support for Parents/Caregivers who have lost someone with WS

Thu, 10/16/2025 - 8:00 pm EDT

Trick or Treat for Williams-Pittsburgh, PA

Sat, 10/18/2025 - 9:00 am EDT to 10/18/2025 - 12:00 pm

Adventure Seekers Jamboree - Tuesday Shenanigans!

Tue, 10/21/2025 - 4:00 pm EDT

Applying with Confidence: Your SSI and SSDI Roadmap

Thu, 10/23/2025 - 11:00 am EDT

Adventure Seekers Jamboree - Thursday Hullabaloo!

Thu, 10/23/2025 - 7:00 pm EDT

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Individuals with WS-Autism Dual Diagnosis

Thu, 10/23/2025 - 8:00 pm EDT

FSN - Craft & Convo for Parents/Caregivers

Mon, 10/27/2025 - 8:00 pm EDT

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Adults with WS and Anxiety Meeting

Thu, 10/30/2025 - 8:00 pm EDT

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Children 4 and under with WS

Tue, 11/04/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

NEW! FSN - Parents/Caregivers Open Discussion Group

Wed, 11/05/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

FSN - Grandparent Family Support Group

Thu, 11/06/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

FSN - Complex Communicators and Feeding Challenges Group for Parents/Caregivers

Mon, 11/10/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

FSN - Navigating Transition from High School Support

Tue, 11/11/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

Wellness Wednesday Live! with Nick Doris

Wed, 11/12/2025 - 1:00 pm EST

FSN - Grief Support for Parents/Caregivers who have lost someone with WS

Thu, 11/13/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Adults with WS and Anxiety Meeting

Thu, 11/13/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

FSN - Adult Siblings of Individuals with WS

Sun, 11/16/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

Adventure Seekers Jamboree - Tuesday Shenanigans!

Tue, 11/18/2025 - 4:00 pm EST

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Children (Under 18) with WS and Anxiety Meeting

Wed, 11/19/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

Adventure Seekers Jamboree - Thursday Hullabaloo!

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 7:00 pm EST

FSN - Parents/Caregivers of Individuals with WS-Autism Dual Diagnosis

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

FSN - Craft & Convo for Parents/Caregivers

Mon, 11/24/2025 - 8:00 pm EST

Wellness Wednesday Live! with Nick Doris

Wed, 12/10/2025 - 1:00 pm EST

Adventure Seekers Jamboree - Tuesday Shenanigans!

Tue, 12/16/2025 - 4:00 pm EST

Adventure Seekers Jamboree - Thursday Hullabaloo!

Thu, 12/18/2025 - 7:00 pm EST

Dream Team Saturdays - For Adventure Seekers 38+

Sat, 12/27/2025 - 2:00 pm EST

Wellness Wednesday Live! with Nick Doris

Wed, 01/14/2026 - 1:00 pm EST

Wellness Wednesday Live! with Nick Doris

Wed, 02/11/2026 - 1:00 pm EST

Wellness Wednesday Live! with Nick Doris

Wed, 03/11/2026 - 1:00 pm EDT

Contact us

243 Broadway Unit 9188
Newark, NJ 07104

info@williams-syndrome.org

248.244.2229
800.806.1871
248.244.2230 fax

Follow us

Position on Inclusion

The WSA upholds the following positions on inclusion. We believe that: 

  • everyone benefits when individuals with WS are meaningfully included in educational, work, and community settings 
  • individuals with WS should receive all necessary supports and services to fully participate in their family lives, communities, and society as a whole
  • high expectations should be the norm, and individuals with WS and their families should decide how they best learn, work, and enjoy social settings
  • “inclusion” is not one-size-fits-all, and will look different for each family based on each individual’s desires and needs
  • inclusion creates a sense of belonging in society, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to achieve dreams

Funding priorities

Funding priorities pie chart.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Non-discrimination statement
  • dei statement
  • media & press center
  • 501(c)(3) organization
Copyright © 2025 Williams Syndrome Association | Web design