Kathy Leavens
Senior Director of Programs
Kathy Leavens serves as Senior Director of Programs for the LGS Foundation and is a Certified Grief Educator. She was awarded the Leaders in LGS Award in 2016. During her tenure, Kathy founded the Bereavement Program and played a key role in expanding the Ambassador Program, both of which have deepened the Foundation’s support for families living with LGS.
Kathy is also an active member of the Child Neurology Foundation, where she participates in the Grief Support Program and the Willow and Wind Podcast, bringing her expertise and lived experience to support families navigating loss. She previously served as a Peer Support Specialist for the Family Support and Empowerment Program since its inception in 2016. Kathy is also a Reiki Master Practitioner. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Albright College.
In addition to these roles, she is a mom of four sons. All of her children have overcome their own personal trials ranging from paraplegia and rare bone cancer to experiencing profound tragedy after losing their 18-year-old brother with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), their 20-year-old brother to a car accident, and their 21-year-old brother to Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2019. Kathy honors the lives of her sons Matthew, Eric, and Jacob by continuing to serve families at the LGS Foundation.