Steve Handel
Secretary of the Board of Directors, CLOVES Syndrome Community
Steve joined CLOVES Syndrome Community in February of 2022. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Caring.com, a mission-driven company helping Seniors and their caregivers find long-term care. Steve has extensive leadership and management experience leading operations, strategy, sales, and marketing teams across a wide range of industries. He is passionate about helping the CLOVES Syndrome Community find ways to magnify their critical impact on our community.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance and entrepreneurship from the University of Dayton and a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on corporate strategy from The Ohio State University. He lives in Fort Mill, SC with his wife, April, and two boys, Noah (6) and Finn (4).
Megan Pelsinski
Board Member, CLOVES Syndrome Community
Megan Pelsinski joined the CLOVES Syndrome Community Board of Directors in 2025. Her involvement with the organization is inspired by her youngest son, Stetson, who was diagnosed with CLOVES Syndrome in 2023. Megan and her husband are the proud parents of three children—Waylon (5), Holton (4), and Stetson (2). As a registered nurse, Megan brings both personal experience and professional expertise to the Board of Directors, combining her medical knowledge with her passion for enhancing awareness, furthering research, and supporting families on their own CLOVES Syndrome journeys.
Irina Pivneva
Board Member, CLOVES Syndrome Community
Irina joined the CLOVES Syndrome Community (CSC) board in February 2022. She holds a degree in Psychology and Neuroscience and hopes that her experience in healthcare research would be helpful to the CSC. Although originally from Turkmenistan, Irina currently lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with her partner and two daughters, one of whom has CLOVES. CSC has provided the much needed access to information and support for Irina and her family.
Sara Robertson
Chair of the Board of Directors, CLOVES Syndrome Community
Sara is from Austin, TX and joined the CSC board in October 2019. The CLOVES community has played a crucial role in her family’s lives ever since they were told “I think your son has CLOVES, the good news is there’s a very strong community.” Sara’s hope is that everyone with a rare disease can find strength and support in a community for them. Sara is Chief Operating Officer at Austin PBS and an active member of her community. Her most cherished role is as partner to husband Jeremy and mom to their children Sebastian and Ryder.