Tracey Craddock, MS, CCLS, Chair

Tracey Craddock is a Certified Child Life Specialist in the emergency department at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania. She received her master’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a specialization in child development from West Virginia University. During her sixteen years as a child life specialist, she has worked at hospitals in both Pennsylvania and Ohio. Tracey’s involvement in volunteering with ACLP began in 2014 as a member of the Focus Review Board. Since that time, Tracey has served on the Advanced Professional Development Committee. In 2017, she joined the Child Life Certification Commission and has served on the Item Writing Committee and Communications Committee.

Toni Crowell-Petrungaro, CCLS, Chair-Elect

Toni Crowell-Petrungaro is currently the Child Life Program Director at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Throughout her 25 year career as a child life specialist she has worked in a variety of clinical, academic, and leadership roles spanning three countries -  The United States, Canada, and Qatar. Toni is graduate of Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and received their (inaugural) Alumni Global Impact Award in 2019 for her international contributions to the child life field.  Toni has been volunteering with ACLP since 2000 and with the CLCC since 2016 where she has been part of item-writing, item-review, exam assembly, and appeals. She currently serves as the Chair for the Appeals committee and is a member of exam assembly and ethics. Toni lives in Connecticut with her husband and 8 year-old son, Ethan. 

Monica Gibson, MS, CCLS, Past Chair

Monica Gibson has been a child life specialist for 10 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from Millsaps College (2007) and a Master of Science in Victim Services Management from Sam Houston State University (2017). She began her child life career working at Johns Hopkins and currently works with the University Health System in San Antonio, TX.  Monica has been helping with the child life certification process for over 10 years and is dedicated to serving members through our certification and recertification process.  Within the Child Life Certification Commission, Monica has served in a variety of roles including item writing and reviewing, recertification audits, and exam assembly. During her free time, Monica enjoys spending time with her husband, Joe, and their young two children, Annabelle and Dean.

Megan Fisher, CCLS, Secretary

Megan has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2003.  She received her bachelor's degree in Child and Family Studies from Baylor University.  Megan is now the Child Life Educator at Children's Hospital Colorado.  Prior to her work as the Child Life Educator, Megan worked directly with patients in outpatient cardiology, surgical services, inpatient post-surgical unit as well as the Emergency Department.  Megan began volunteering with the CLCC in 2014 as an Item Writer.  She has also served as an Item Reviewer and Item Writer Coach.  Megan lives in Colorado with her husband and two boys.  

Rebecka Dolyniuk, CCLS, Treasurer

Rebecka has been a child life specialist for over fifteen years. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Colorado State University before pursuing graduate course work in their Human Development and Family Studies department. Rebecka spent nearly a decade working with the infant, toddler, school age and burn populations at Johns Hopkins Children Center. Prior to starting her family in 2015, she worked in a community hospital in Florida where she split her time between inpatient clinical care and community health outreach and education. She joined the CLCC in 2011. Before stepping into the role of Commissioner, Rebecka served as a member of the Item Writing, Item Review and Exam Assembly committees.

Amanda Lockett, MS, CCLS, Commissioner

Amanda Lockett (she/her) has been a child life specialist since 2008. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008) and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Vanderbilt University (2015). She began her child life career working in inpatient settings and currently works in a variety of hospital settings as a PRN specialist. In 2016, Amanda began teaching child life courses online and her love of teaching was born. She is attending Clemson University to pursue a PhD in Educational Leadership in hopes to combine her clinical and academic passion in the field of child life. Within the Child Life Certification Commission, Amanda enjoys collaborating with and learning from others working on various tasks and subcommittees like appeals, item writing, recertification audits, and exam assembly. During her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time at home with her family, reading, and shopping. 

Geri Sehnert, MS, CCLS, Commissioner

Geri has been a child life specialist for over 25 years. She has a BS degree from Northeast Missouri State University (since renamed Truman State University) and an MS degree from University of Rochester in Human Development with a specialization in Developmental Differences.Geri started a one-person program at Tucson Medical Center and worked at Golisano Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Surgical Suite. She is currently working at CompassionNet in Rochester, NY, which is a pediatric palliative home care agency. Geri has served on several CLCC committees, including: Item Writing, Appeals, Communications and is currently chair-elect of the Ethics Committee. When not working, Geri enjoys hanging out with her husband Jim, her fabulous kids Jacob and Maddy and her dog Ranger Randy. She can be found reading, baking bread, running, hiking or walking along the historic Erie Canal in the quaint village of Fairport, NY.

Amber Hill, MS, CCLS, Commissioner

Amber has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2007.  She received her bachelor’s degree with honors in Psychology from the University of Kansas, and her master’s in Human Development and Family Studies with emphasis in Child Life from the University of Alabama.  Amber began her child life career working internationally for over 8 years at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.  She has been privileged to work at Shriner’s Hospital Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital, and currently works mainly with the inpatient pediatric burn population at Doctor’s Hospital – JMS Burn Center.  Before stepping in role as Commissioner, Amber has served as member of the item writing, item review, communications, and evidenced based practice committees as well as the webinar advisory group.  Amber currently ives in Georgia with her husband and three children.  

Michelle Mathews, MS, CCLS, Commissioner

Michelle has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2000.  She completed her undergraduate work at Carson-Newman College and her master’s degree at the University of Alabama.  She serves as the student coordinator at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children, while clinically working with patients and families in radiology and pre-op.  Michelle has volunteered with several ACLP committees and task forces over the years.  She began as an item writer for CLCC in 2017, where she became invigorated by the challenge and satisfaction of the work.  In addition, she has served on the communication and recertification audit subcommittees, as well as being coach to item writers.  In her free time, Michelle enjoys her fur children, traveling with her husband, attending concerts, and cheering for the Crimson Tide. 

Sarah Framarin, CCLS, Commissioner

Sarah Framarin is a CCLS III at Baystate Children's Hospital in Springfield, MA. She has worked there for 9 years in the Pediatric Procedure Unit. In the past, she has taught child life courses at Springfield College and a play course at Southern Connecticut State University and she currently serves as Member at Large A on the Board of the New England Child Life Professionals (NECLP). She loves her work with both the Communications and Appeals Committees and is looking forward to her first experience as Chair of the Communications Committee! When she's not working, she loves to read, hike, paddleboard, ski, and spend time with her husband and three children.

Sara Krewson, MS, CCLS, Commissioner

Sara Krewson is the Child Life Lead at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois where she has worked as a Child Life Specialist for 12 years. After completing an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, she focused on studying human development and family resources in Illinois State University’s Child Life graduate program.  Sara provides direct patient care in all areas of the hospital, focusing primarily in the emergency department, general pediatrics, PICU, and surgery.  Sara serves on a number of task forces for Carle Health including DEI, sensory-friendly initiatives, and behavioral health supports.  As a member of the Certification Commission since 2013, Sara has enjoyed working with the Item Writing, Item Review, and Exam Assembly teams.

Sarah Sebton, MS, Public Member

Sarah Sebton earned her Masters of Public Health and Masters of Public Administration from New York University (NYU) in 2017. Sarah has worked for many nonprofit and government entities in her career, including The Health Federation of Philadelphia, Smile Train, Mount Sinai Health System, and the Travis County Healthcare District. Sarah also served as a Public Health and Wellness Officer in the Texas State Guard for over 4 years. In January 2020, Sarah joined University Health as the Director of Trauma-Informed Care, leading the health system's internal transformation to become a trauma-informed organization. Outside of her work, Sarah is a proud rabbit and dog mom and volunteers at a conservation park with rhinos and giraffes.

Sarah Patterson, MSc, CCLS, ACLP President-Elect

Sarah Patterson is a Certified Child Life Specialist whose career has spanned over 30 years, providing care to children in a number of clinical areas at Sick Kids Toronto coupled with over 20 years of teaching at several universities. Currently Sarah is an Associate Professor and the Curriculum Coordinator for the Master of Science in the Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care Program at McMaster University, Canada. She played a critical role in the co-creation of the design and content from inception and establishing the only child life masters program across Canada.  Sarah’s current research within psychosocial practice and simulation education brings together many different discipline collaborators to the studies she is involved with and she has been invited to present her work locally, nationally, and internationally.

Sarah’s expertise and engagement in child life extends beyond her clinical and academic work.  She is an international subject matter expert consultant for Sick Kids International.  Sarah has designed, developed, and delivered pediatric psychosocial training and education initiatives in Austria, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, South Africa, and Qatar.

Sarah’s deep commitment to child life locally and globally extends to her active involvement over many years with the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). She has held several committee member and leadership roles, both positional and within committees, including serving as a board member, journal reviewer, mentor, leadership development academy chair, and within partnership development. In addition to her diverse work with ACLP locally, she has been an invited keynote speaker and trainer for international initiatives in pediatric psychosocial care, representing the ACLP.

Beyond her direct work in child life, Sarah serves as an educational simulation expert. She lends her expertise within simulation faculty development workshops, with committees at INSPIRE (International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research, & Education), and IPSS (International Pediatric Simulation Society). In the last two years, Sarah was elected to the IPSS Board of Directors as the first child life specialist to serve on the board, and was invited to deliver the INSPIRE inaugural grand rounds in 2022 on unifying emotional and physical safety within simulation-based education.

Sarah is grateful to all child life leaders who pioneered and paved the way.  Sarah believes the child life field of practice continues to thrive and flourish in novel and innovative areas.  Her passion, wisdom, and deep commitment to emotional safety, clinical simulation-based learning, preparation of learners entering the field, overall education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion continue to drive her.

Alison E. Heron, MBA, CAE, ACLP CEO

Alison E. Heron, MBA, CAE serves as the Chief Executive Officer and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with 27 years of diverse association sector experience and 21 years in leadership roles. Alison holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Strayer University. She is data-driven and a high-achieving visionary leader committed to advance an organization’s strategic goals diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, transformational leadership, trend/data analysis, and high-level customer service experience.

Before joining ACLP, she served as the Senior Director of Membership and Customer Relations at the Water Environment Federation. Prior to WEF, she served as the Senior Director of Membership and Units at the Council for Exceptional Children. Alison is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and a 2008-2009 ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Scholar.

She is the proud mother of two thriving sons in college and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling by planes, trains and automobiles and considers herself a life-long learner.

Ame Enright, ICE-CCP, ACLP Staff Liaison

Ame Enright is the Director of Certification for the Association of Child Life Professionals. Ame has worked on all aspects of the Child Life Certification Program since 2006. For a brief period in 2016, Ame worked as the Associate Director of Certification for the Security Industry Association, but her passion for the child life profession called her back to ACLP in 2017.