Board of Directors

Jenny Wood, Esq

Founding Member – Director of Legal Affairs

Los Angeles, CA – Jenny directs the legal affairs and is the chair of the arts advisory committee. She received her B.F.A. from The Theatre Schoold at DePaul University, Chicago, IL, her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, CA, and her Master’s of Business Administration from University of California, Irvine. In law, her focus has been and remains Family Law, including Dissolution, Custody, and Domestic Violence issues. She has worked with the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, LA County District Attorney prior to entering private practice. In addition to her legal expertise, Jenny brings a lifetime of experience in the performing arts and arts administration.

Lee Tran, Ph.D, MAT, MBA

Founding Member – Director of Research

San Francisco, CA – Lee heads research and development at the foundation and serves as the Interim Chairman of the Board. He received his B.A. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Baylor University, where he also earned a Ph.D. from the Insitute of Biomedical Studies. His graduate research focused on mood and anxiety, which was expanded to include psychosomatic disorders during his first postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and metabolic disorders during his second fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Throughout his career, Lee has also been involved in community education and served on the Board of Directors for the Sci-Tech Center in Dallas-Ft.Worth area while concurrently earning a Masters in Teaching from the University of Texas. Lee recently completed a Masters in Business Administration at Arizona State University and is currently finishing his clinical training in the Bay Area.

Heather Smith, MD, Ph.D.

Founding Member – Director of Medical Affairs

Chicago, IL – Heather guides the medical and public health related affairs and is the the current Chair of the Institutional Review Board, which oversees the human research at the foundation. She received her B.S. from the University of Texas and continued on to earn a dual M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch. Heather’s research focused on how aging affects the physiology of neuronal synapses. Heather is currently a resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center and is working towards specialization in neurosurgery.

Rachel Nichols

Treasurer – Director of Finances

Casey Rogers

Secretary – Director of Internal Affairs

Raleigh, NC. Casey is currently a technical writer in the field of Abnormal Psychology and pursuing a degree in Behavioral Science. She has a personal interest in the workings of the human mind, particularly those that are considered different. This is in partly due to her experiences with mental illness in her extended family, but also because of her passion to understand how psychology overlaps the criminal justice system. In her free time, Casey enjoys cuddling up with her two dogs, spending time with loved ones, and traveling while discovering good eats.

“I am delighted to do be involved with the Holeigh J Skyler Foundation to use my passions to help fuel change for others.”