President: Chrissy Spears, MS, CGC
Chrissy is a licensed and board-certified Genetic Counselor and Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Northern Kentucky University and a Masters in Genetic Counseling from OSU. Her clinical time is devoted to seeing patients in the The High-Risk Breast Clinic as well as surgical decision-making patients with breast cancer.
Outside of clinic she is involved in teaching Foundations in Genetic Counseling I to first-year genetic counseling graduate students, serves as a member on the admissions committee, and is involved in research including the Know Your Risk research study at OSU and the international BRCA-P Clinic Trial. Her community outreach involves multiple guest speaking, webinars, and a podcast with a breast cancer support group called SHARE, as well as a support group for individuals with a hereditary cancer predisposition called FORCE.
Immediate Past President: Elianna Breetz, MS, CGC
Elianna is a licensed and board certified genetic counselor who earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and molecular genetics, as well as her Master’s in Genetic Counseling (class of 2022) from the Ohio State University. Since graduation, she joined the team at the Center for Human Genetics at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio as a prenatal/preconception genetic counselor. Her position has allowed her to expand genetic services into the reproductive endocrinology and infertility space helping patient who are going through the in-vitro fertilization process, which is fulfilling a longstanding desire.
When she is not in clinic, she is passionate about supporting future genetic counselors, and providers who may encounter individuals with genetic disease risk; this has been possible through guest lecturing, meeting with learners one-on-one, and supervising genetic counseling students, residents, and fellows. She also serves on the Cleveland Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership Division board, fostering relationship building and leadership development outside of work.
President-Elect: Jenna Ward, MS, CGC
Jenna M. Ward, MS, CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where she specializes in prenatal and preconception counseling. She provides comprehensive pre-test and post-test counseling for a wide range of indications, including IVF with PGT, expanded carrier screening, abnormal serum and ultrasound findings, family history assessments, recurrent pregnancy loss, and prenatal whole exome sequencing. In her role, Jenna actively contributes to multidisciplinary fetal care teams, creates educational resources for both patients and providers, and works to provide compassionate care to patients.
Jenna earned her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from Case Western Reserve University, where she was recognized with the Anne Matthews Award in Academic Excellence, and her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Bowling Green State University. She is licensed in Ohio and holds certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling.
Beyond her clinical work, Jenna is dedicated to professional development and mentorship. She serves as a mentor in the Cleveland Clinic’s Genetic Counseling Assistant Mentorship Program, co-chairs the Colleague Support & Celebrations Committee, and is an active member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Ohio Association of Genetic Counselors. She has also contributed to the United Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency Foundation as a committee member since 2022.
Jenna has been invited to present at professional conferences, including the 23rd Annual Perinatal Conference at MetroHealth, where she spoke on aneuploidy screening and diagnostic testing in pregnancy. Her professional interests include advancing access to genetic counseling, supporting and advocating for the genetic counseling community, and fostering professional networks among genetics stakeholders.
Committee Director: Julianne Hartmann, MS, CGC
Julianne Hartmann is a licensed and board-certified genetic counselor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She received her Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI in 2007 and graduated from the Genetic Counseling Program at The University of Minnesota in 2009. She has worked in many different areas of specialization throughout her career, including prenatal, cancer and a variety of pediatric specialties.
She has spent the past 9 years specializing in cystic fibrosis and is currently the coordinator of the CF newborn screening follow up program at Cincinnati Children’s. She also serves as the lead for Genetic Counseling-Only clinics and has a special interest in enabling genetic counselors to practice at the top of their scope both through institutional support and insurance reimbursement.
Secretary/Treasurer: Allison Milicia, MS, CGC
Allison Milicia is a licensed and board-certified genetic counselor at the Cleveland Clinic, specializing in general genetics for both adults and children. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Purdue University in 2023 and her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2025. During her time at Icahn, she worked as a clinical research assistant in the Clinical Trials Office and served as a student council representative for her cohort, where she organized events and managed the program’s allocated budget.
Allison’s clinical interests include metabolic and lysosomal storage disorders, as well as ophthalmic genetics. Outside of work, Allison is passionate about supporting the next generation of students and has experience tutoring high school and college students in science and math.
Communications Director: George Kyle, MS, CGC
George Kyle is a licensed and board certified genetic counselor who completed both his undergraduate degree in molecular genetics and his graduate degree in genetic counseling at The Ohio State University. He currently works at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Institute for Genomic Medicine Clinical Laboratory as a laboratory genetic counselor.
He serves as a resource for internal and external health care providers regarding genetic testing, including the appropriate use of tests, limitations/accuracy of tests, possible testing outcomes, sample requirements, interpretation of results and follow up for cases with abnormal results. He also assists in report write-up, data collection, development of new laboratory tests, and teaching genetic counseling students.