Steve Wadsworth

Steve Wadsworth was elected Executive Director of the Children's PSC Foundation after the passing of his wife, Lora Wadsworth, who had been Executive Director of the Children's PSC Foundation for over 15 years.  Steve brings to the Children's PSC Foundation a passion for helping PSC patients and for honoring the incredible legacy of his amazing wife, Lora.  Steve has had a career as a business executive, including roles as president of Disney's interactive media division for over a decade and CEO of a mobile app technology business, Tapjoy, for over 6 years.  Steve is retired from full time business roles, and his primary focus is on patient advocacy and supporting research to treat and cure primary sclerosing cholangitis through the Children's PSC Foundation.

Steve has a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from UCLA.  He lives in Northern California.

Traci Peterson brings to this foundation a passion for people living with PSC.

Traci Peterson´s daughter was diagnosed with PSC and Ulcerative Colitis and is now a patient in the Oral Vancomycin trial. She brings to this foundation a passion for people living with PSC.

Traci battled cancer herself while watching her child battle PSC. Those experiences helped shape a “victor, not victim” attitude as well as a belief that all things can work for good–even illness.

She believes the battle is won in action. Joining the foundation provides the perfect opportunity to take action against PSC and turn challenging circumstances into a positive outcome. She is dedicated to working on behalf of her daughter and the other children who suffer with this disease in pursuit of the cure.

Prior to joining the foundation, Traci obtained her Bachelor´s degree from California State University Sacramento as well as a California Teaching Credential. She embraced teaching at the elementary level for 10 years.

Traci lives in Northern California enjoying life with her husband and children.

Wylie Tollette

Wylie Tollette is involved with the foundation because he is interested in finding a cure for PSC. His first exposure and interest in the disease was through Traci’s daughter who has successfully been fighting the symptoms for several years.

Mr. Tollette is an executive vice president and head of client investment solutions for Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions. He manages a team of over 65 people located in San Mateo, Rancho Cordova, Fort Lauderdale, New York, Boston, London, Frankfurt, Edinburgh, Mumbai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He joined the Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions group in 2018. From 2014 to 2018, Mr. Tollette was Chief Operating Investment Officer at CalPERS, the public pension plan for California's public sector. From 1995 to 2014, Mr. Tollette worked at Franklin Templeton in a variety of investment and accounting related roles, including serving as the Senior Vice President for the Portfolio Analysis and Investment Risk group.

Prior to working at Franklin Templeton, Mr. Tollette was an auditor/consultant at Klynveld, Peat, Marwick and Goerdeler (KPMG) from 1989 to 1991, and vice president of finance at American Savings Bank, where he was responsible for cash and mortgage-backed securities investment management, asset liability management, and financial accounting functions.

Mr. Tollette earned his B.S. in managerial economics from the University of California at Davis in 1988 and a Masters in Finance from the University of London, Center for Financial and Managerial Studies in 2013.

Mr. Tollette is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA - Inactive) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. He is a member of the CFA Institute, San Francisco and the Sacramento Securities Analysts Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts, the Cal Aggie Alumni Association, and the Sutter Club.

Wylie lives with his wife Terri and children, Garrett and Hannah, in Folsom, California. He enjoys spending time with them cycling, skiing and working in the garden.

Kathy Spence

Kathy and Rod Spence’s daughter was very ill and diagnosed with PSC and Ulcerative Colitis at age 16, and their family was grateful to find Dr. Kenneth Cox’s pediatric-onset trial at Stanford Children’s for her treatment.  Their daughter’s PSC progression was halted by medication and treatment discovered at Stanford Children's Hospital, with research funded by the Children's PSC Foundation.  She was able to get her health and vitality back, successfully complete high school, then attend and graduate college and a study abroad program as a healthy and active student.  She is now a thriving young professional.  Kathy and her family were able to help the Children’s PSC Foundation with advocacy and development efforts, and Kathy joined the board at the Children’s PSC Foundation in 2020.  

Kathy and Rod owe so much to the Children's PSC foundation for getting their girl's vitality and future back, and want to support the research that will help ensure that treatment is available for other young people like their daughter.

Kathy is one of founders and Vice Presidents of Banister Homes, Incorporated, a small family construction firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is also a LEED Accredited Professional. Prior to her work with Banister Homes, Kathy had a career in corporate sales for an IT manufacturer. Kathy has a Bachelors in Business Administration and International Business from the University of Georgia and a Masters in Business Administration from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her previous non-profit experience include Board of Director positions at the Charlotte Chapter of the US Green Building Council and two terms on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region. 

In Memory of Lora Wadsworth 

Lora Wadsworth led the Children's PSC Foundation as Executive Director for over 15 years.  Lora played a pivotal role in identifying oral vancomycin as a viable treatment for PSC when her son was diagnosed with PSC in 2002 at the age of 2.  Lora applied her brilliant mind to researching and understanding everything she could about PSC, and through her exhaustive research she found the 1993 case study of Dr. Ken Cox's experience prescribing OV to a PSC patient with a C. Difficile infection.  Lora refused steroidal immunosupressant drugs recommended by her son's GI specialist in Los Angeles, took her son to see Dr. Cox and requested he be prescribed OV.  Within two weeks of starting OV, her son's blood serum levels all normalized, and his liver fibrosis cleared.  That was 20 years ago.  OV has been his only treatment for PSC every since, and he has led a normal, healthy, athletic life ever since.  Since then, Lora dedicated herself to finding a cure for PSC and to providing information and resources to families struggling to find treatment. Over many years, Lora fielded inquiries from around the world from newly diagnosed families seeking treatment and advice.  And for many of those people the result was "Lora saved my child's life."  

Sadly, Lora passed away from cancer in October of 2021, and the PSC community lost an invaluable resource.  Lora had a brilliant mind and a kind heart, and she used her incredible talent to help others.  

The Children's PSC Foundation remains dedicated to doing everything we can to help PSC patients.  Lora remains in our hearts and minds as we continue the fight to end this disease.

Children’s PSC Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt entity pursuant to Section 501(c)3 Federal Tax ID # 26-4814733