Board Members
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Mazi Keyghobadi VP of Special Initiatives / Co-Founder / Board Member |
Leona Filis - Attorney Chief Compliance Officer / Co-Founder / Board Member |
Leona E. Filis
President - Chief Compliance Officer - Cofounder - Board Member
Inspired by her thirteen-year-old son Jonathan, Leona E. Filis has built up her law firm practice with a focus on helping families with children with special needs.
Leona grew up spending much of her youth in her family-owned Greek restaurants where she first began her volunteer work with her parents by feeding the homeless in the Houston ship channel area. Throughout high school, Leona continued her community volunteer work on various projects as an active member in a dozen student civic organizations.
Her personal life changed in 2010 when she received the diagnosis confirming her belief that her son, Jonathan, was on the Autism Spectrum. As a parent and a lawyer, Leona soon realized that like herself, many special needs parents are overwhelmed and uninformed regarding their legal rights. As a result, Leona took on the challenge of helping, guiding, and educating families of children with special needs by providing free resources, including in-person seminars and videos.
Leona and her staff work with over twenty Houston-area charities and parent groups to provide special needs families with actionable information concerning benefits such as Interest Lists for Medicaid Waiver Programs and SSI.
Additionally, Leona provides information and services concerning Estate Planning, Supplemental Needs Trusts, assisting disabled children to transition into adulthood and Guardianship. In addition to the quarterly e-newsletters to her clients, Leona has a publication – “8 Steps to Consider When Raising a Child with Special Needs” and an award-winning article “Utilizing Section 504, IDEA, and Special Education”, The Houston Lawyer, January/February 2018.
Leona serves on advisory boards for Houston non-profits: S.A.F.E. Diversity Communities, Café Azul (Houston), and Friends of Down Syndrome. Every month, Leona hosts S.A.F.E. Diversity Communities’ Outreach events and co-hosts with Mrs. Thelma Scott the Embracing Diversity Radio Show.
Contact Leona Filis: leona.filis@hopeforluka.org
Maziyar "Mazi" Keyghobadi
VP of Special Initiatives - Cofounder - Board Member
Hope for Luka Inc. was born out of a father’s unwavering determination to fight for his son in the face of a rare and devastating diagnosis. In 2017, at just 14 months old, Lukian (Luka) Keyghobadi was diagnosed with a rare form of Becker Muscular Dystrophy involving a deletion of exons 17–44.
His condition falls within a newly emerging category known as “Intermediate Muscular Dystrophy,” a term now being introduced to the FDA. At the time, existing research offered little hope. Refusing to stand by in the face of inaction, Lukian’s father, Maziyar (Mazi) Keyghobadi, embarked on a mission to forge a path forward. That mission culminated in the founding of Hope for Luka Inc. on October 31, 2022.
Today, our nonprofit leads independent, parent-driven research into rare genetic deletions in Muscular Dystrophy. Every milestone has come through persistence and purpose, and though the journey has tested us deeply, our mission remains firm: to fight for Lukian, and for every child like him,by building a platform where determined families can turn hope into action.
Contact Maziyar "Mazi" Keyghobadi: mazi.keyghobadi@hopeforluka.org