2021 ACLP Board of Directors Election

Overview

The ACLP Board of Directors provides governance and oversight for ACLP operations and initiatives. The role of each board member is to act in the best interest of the organization as a whole and to exercise the legal and financial duties of stewardship. It is vital to the growth and success of the organization that strong and committed individuals are elected to leadership positions.

ACLP follows a best practice approach to board elections, in which the Nominating Committee undertakes a formal process to review candidates and develop a final recommended slate to present to the membership. This slate of candidates includes one recommended individual for each available position.

2021 Board of Directors Nominations

Qualifications

For the 2021 ACLP Board, the ACLP Nominating Committee considered all qualified candidates whose names are put forward during the nominations process. In order to be eligible for consideration, a candidate must be a Certified Child Life Specialist and an ACLP member in good standing, with demonstrated leadership abilities and a history of active engagement in the organization and/or the child life profession. Eligibility for the President-elect role requires past membership on the Board of Directors. All ACLP Board of Directors candidates must accept certain responsibilities and possess key qualifications to be considered for a position on the Board.

Open Positions

For the 2021 election, there are four available positions: President-Elect, Treasurer, and two Directors. To read about the roles, responsibilities, and authorities of each position, see Board Positions & Qualifications.

Voting

All Professional members with voting privileges received an email on Monday, March 22, with a personalized link to the 2021 Election Ballot. If you do not receive your ballot, please contact membership@childlife.org. The slate includes positions for president-elect, treasurer, and two director positions. Voting closes on April 26 at 11:45 p.m. EST.

2021 Board of Directors Election Slate of Candidates

The Nominating Committee is pleased to recommend to the membership the slate of candidates for the positions of President-Elect, Secretary, and two Directors. The profiles below highlight the candidates' backgrounds and qualifications.

The following slate has been endorsed and is recommended by the Nominating Committee:

Lindsay K. Heering, MS, CCLS – President Elect
Teresa A. P. Schoell, MA, CCLS – Treasurer
Sarah Patterson, MSc, CCLS – Director
Riley Hammond, MS, CCLS – Director

Lindsay K. Heering, MS, CCLS – President Elect

Lindsay Heering is the Administrative Director for the Department of Child and Family Life at Michigan Medicine’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Heering provides leadership for child life specialists, creative arts therapists, education specialists, patient technology, and Paws4Patients. Previously, she was employed at Children's Hospital of Michigan (CHM), serving as the Director of Service Excellence and leading Patient Experience, Spiritual Care, Interpreter Services, Patient and Family Relations and Patient and Family-Centered Care. Additionally, she served as CHM’s Manager of Child Life and Volunteer Services and started her career as the child life specialist for their inpatient Burn/Surgical and Rehabilitation Unit. Heering has been an adjunct professor teaching child life courses for Central Michigan University and University of Michigan – Dearborn. She has remained actively involved with the ACLP and was a founding member and past president of the Great Lakes Association of Child Life Professionals. Heering has an undergraduate degree in Therapeutic Recreation and a graduate degree in Health Psychology. She is passionate about child life, patient experience, pain management, research and evidence-based practice.

Teresa Schoell, MA, CCLS - Treasurer

Teresa is an accomplished child life specialist with over a decade of clinical and leadership experience. Her past roles include the creation of a de-novo child life program in a community hospital and a variety of ACLP volunteer positions, including serving on the Board of Directors. Currently, Teresa works in a clinical role at UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester, NY supporting the NICU & Palliative Care Teams (pediatric/adult). Teresa’s professional interests include writing, metrics, and DEI (diversity, equity, & inclusion). Her personal interests include international cooking, crochet, and tabletop gaming, which she shares with her husband and son.

Sarah Patterson, MSc, CCLS – Director

Sarah Patterson is an Assistant Professor and the Curriculum Coordinator for the Master of Science in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care Program at McMaster University.

Sarah’s child life career has spanned over 28 years, providing care to children in a number of clinical areas, with a specialization in solid organ transplant care. Sarah has been an educator, teaching at several North American universities since 2001.

Sarah is a subject matter expert consultant for international child life and pediatric psychosocial care training. Within her career, Sarah has been involved in ongoing training and education initiatives in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Sarah has been involved actively within the ACLP, holding a number of committee leadership roles, journal reviews, mentorships, leadership and partnership developments and involvement internationally providing pediatric psychosocial care training.

Sarah is grateful to all child life leaders that have pioneered and paved the way for her career. Sarah believes that the child life profession continues to thrive and flourish in novel and innovative areas. Emotional safety and clinical simulation based learning are initiatives Sarah is excited to be involved in. Sarah is also thankful to the ACLP for championing leadership within DEI initiatives and the training she is involved with.

Riley Hammond, MS, CCLS – Director

Riley is a passionate creative with a heart for people and programs that facilitate growth. Riley completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Texas A&M University in 2011 and her master’s degree in Family & Child Studies at Texas State University in 2013. Over the past 8 years, Riley has worked in a variety of clinical settings at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and Texas Children’s Hospital. Currently, Riley is the Child Life Specialist Coordinator for Dream Big Studio at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Riley supported the opening of the radio/TV studio in 2020 and continues to manage the daily programming and operational needs. Riley has served as the chair for the ACLP Web and Online Networking Committee and is currently a member of the ACLP Education and Training Committee. She also served on the Texas Association of Child Life Professionals Board and coauthored an ACLP Bulletin article. Riley has given presentations at regional and national conferences including the Child Life Annual Conference and the Texas Pediatric Palliative Care Consortium. Riley loves crafting, goals, and do-goodery.

Nominating Committee Members

Jessica Correnti, MS, CCLS, CEIM – Chair

Greater Baltimore Medical Center

Rebecca Meyers, MS, CCLS – Chair-Elect
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Jill Koss, MS, CCLS – Board Liaison
Cook Children's Health Care System

Jennifer Lipsey, MA – Staff Liaison
ACLP

Heather Bailey, MS, CCLS
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital

Chantelle Bennett, BS, CCLS
AdventHealth for Children
Central Florida Division South Region

Jennifer Chabot, PhD, CCLS
Ohio University

Diane Hart, MA, CCLS

Missi Hicks, CCLS, LCMHC, RPT-S
Wonders & Worries Inc.

Emily Margolis, MS, CCLS
Towson University

Nancy Ramhap, BS, CCLS
Janet Weis Children's Hospital

Michael Towne, MA, CCLS
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco

Anne Claire Woods, MA, CCLS, LPC
Children's Comprehensive Care