The Board of Directors is pleased to welcome our two newest members. Each brings unique experience, perspective, and dedication to our community, and we are grateful for their willingness to serve.
Together, they strengthen our ability to share knowledge, inspire hope, raise awareness, and advance research. As our organization continues to grow, thoughtful leadership and diverse voices help ensure we remain responsive to families, clinicians, and researchers around the world.
Please join us in welcoming them to the Board of Directors. We look forward to the impact they will make in supporting the FOXP1 community.
Emmica Brits
Member at Large
Emmica, proudly from sunny South Africa, has experience across a variety of roles and industries, typically focused on analysis, research, business modelling, and strategy definition and planning.
Her diverse career stems from an incurably curious mind and an academic background that includes a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.
From their position as parents of a young boy with FOXP1, she and her husband are committed to living a full, joyful life alongside a rare syndrome rather than in the shadow of it, and she is passionate about equipping other families to do the same. As a parent of a special-needs child in an emerging economy, she is particularly committed to democratising information, making research practically usable, and leveraging affordable tools to extend care and knowledge to more than just the privileged few.
Lorenza Micheluzzi
Member at Large
Lorenza has over 15 years of professional experience as a project manager in the field of translation and language services. Originally from Italy, she has been living in Barcelona, Spain, for more than two decades, where she has also built a 10-year practice as a pregnancy yoga teacher, doula, and breastfeeding counsellor, supporting families during pregnancy, birth, and early parenting.
When her second child was born and later diagnosed with FOXP1 syndrome, Lorenza felt a strong need to connect Spanish-speaking families, raise awareness, and build supportive networks within the FOXP1 community. Together with two other FOXP1 mothers, she co-founded Asociación FOXP1 España, where she currently serves as Secretary.
Her involvement with the International FOXP1 Foundation began in 2024, when she joined Elena—President and co-founder of Asociación FOXP1 España and Spanish Ambassador—to expand and share the role, strengthening support for Spanish-speaking FOXP1 families.
