Empowering Families. Strengthening Generations.

Dr. Sasha Reiisi

Dr. Lawrence Cohen

Mahal Alvarez-Backus

Destini Davis

Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart

KJ Althoff

Whitney Barry

Whitney Barry is a stay at home mom and mindfulness teacher in Northern Colorado. She has been teaching yoga and meditation since 2012, and additionally spent eight years co-leading yoga teacher trainings. She is a certified trauma recovery yoga teacher, a certified trauma recovery coach, and a trauma sensitive mindfulness course graduate. She holds a BS in Geography and has a background in business process management. She’s a lover of yoga, reading, and most recently, playing ukulele

When her daughter was born in 2019, it was very clear to her that she wanted to break generational cycles. She has since committed herself to becoming a conscious, gentle parent. She has focused a lot on education, self-healing, traditional and somatic therapy, along with a whole lot of emotional healing and self-regulation work.

Whitney has relied heavily on the support of others during her parenting journey, which was one reason she was inspired to connect with the American SPCC. She feels deeply aligned with their mission and is compelled to support them and to help spread awareness. She understands first-hand how challenging parenting can be and how parents can benefit tremendously from the support and education that the American SPCC offers!

She is also extremely passionate about the well-being of children, and has been working with them in some capacity for over twenty years. She has worked in day care centers, as a nanny, a pre-school teacher, a kid’s camp counselor, a special education paraprofessional, and a PeaceKeeper circle facilitator. She yearns for all children to be treated with the love and respect that they deserve.

Sarah R. Moore

Board Member

Sarah R. Moore is the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting and author of Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science & Better Behavior. She’s a public speaker, armchair neuroscientist, and most importantly, a Mama. She’s a lifelong learner with training in child development, trauma recovery, interpersonal neurobiology, and improv comedy. As a certified Master Trainer in conscious parenting, she helps bring JOY, EASE, and CONNECTION back to families around the globe. Based in Colorado, Sarah and her family spend much of their time worldschooling. She speaks French and eats Italian food like a pro!) Her heart’s desire is to bring greater peace and healing to the world through loving and respectful parenting. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, & Twitter.

Paul Banas

Board Member

Paul Banas is the publisher of GreatDad.com and Pregnancy Magazine and its website PregnancyMagazine.com. After a career in advertising and international marketing at companies including Ogilvy & Mather, Unilever, Visa, and Yahoo, he quit his corporate job to stay at home with his small daughter and infant son. This experience led him to develop GreatDad.com, at the time one of very few parenting resources specifically for fathers. After training at the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) and Positive Intelligence, he also coaches dads and entrepreneurs. Paul firmly believes in the importance of involved parenting to create a new generation of happier and more empathetic children.

Dawn Wisner

Development Manager

As the Development Manager, Dawn brings over 7 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector. Her proven knowledge in fundraising, community outreach, corporate giving and event management is only overshadowed by her upbeat, positive attitude that she brings to every challenge.

Her commitment to child abuse prevention led her to join American Society for the Positive Care of Children’s mission of creating a positive generational cycle for families. Through her current role, as well as her time working in a residential facility for abused and neglected children, Dawn has witnessed firsthand the importance of supportive resources and breaking the barriers of generational trauma. She is dedicated and excited to work with American SPCC to help create brighter futures for children everywhere.

When she is not helping to transform lives, she can be found restoring vintage furniture, photographing families, hiking, exploring Northern Michigan, and spending as much time as possible with her husband and two children.

Dawn is Mental Health First Aid Certified by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and has a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in professional communication.

Vanessa Groppmair

Program Coordinator

Since Vanessa has joined American SPCC, her role has been diverse and evolving, from marketing and development into her current position as Program Coordinator. She ensures our parents and caregivers have access to the latest news and studies and makes this information available to our readers through our Parenting Resource Center program and various other digital platforms. She is also bilingual in English and Spanish and translates our online resources in order to reach a larger audience. Vanessa believes that the kids today are the leaders of tomorrow and in order to make our world a more peaceful and consciousness place, we must nurture and take care of our children.

Apart from her passion of the wellbeing and care of kids, Vanessa is also an animal advocate who aids in the rescue and safe placement of dogs and cats in their forever homes.

Tiffany Galvan

Board Chair

As the Board Chair, Tiffany is passionate about serving the mission of American SPCC to build and provide resources, education, and advocacy to parents, guardians, and teachers so that every child has the opportunity and access to a brighter future.

Tiffany is a veteran fundraising professional that brings over 12 years of Non-Profit, Communications, Fundraising, and Development experience to her clients. She works to empower Executives and Founders with the knowledge necessary to dismantle barriers that prevent organizational leaders from raising funds that will sustain and grow their missions.

As someone who has been on the ground in several organizations across multiple missions, Tiffany takes a holistic approach to fundraising. Tiffany works with each client to pinpoint a leader’s and organization’s struggles to help turn them into strengths.

Fundraising can be overwhelming. Tiffany works to empower Non-Profit Founders and Executives with proven strategies to effectively tell their story, share their mission, and raise money for their communities.

As a cornerstone to Tiffany’s mission, Tiffany believes that strong organizations build stronger communities. By building stronger and more sustainable communities, together we can create brighter futures for everyone.

Elyse Jones

Board Member

Elyse Jones is an international speaker, community practitioner and former school counselor with over a decade of experience, passionately supporting parents, educators, and communities. As a Licensed Mental Health Professional, Certified Parent Coach, and Mompreneur, she views her work not just as a career, but as a calling. As the CEO of Parenting for the Culture, she tackles generational patterns in parenting practices by offering transformative workshops & coaching to families as well as family serving organizations. Alongside her husband, she is committed to modeling the belief that peace on earth begins at home. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram & YouTube. 

Genevieve Rivera

Executive Director

Genevieve believes that understanding, educating, and raising awareness of how adults play a role in child development is the first step in ending the epidemic of child adversity in America. Through in-depth volunteer work and nonprofit management, she’s witnessed firsthand how families and caregivers can build stronger bonds and break patterns of generational trauma when appropriate resources and support systems are in place.

Genevieve is committed to advancing American SPCC’s mission and empowering communities to see that change is possible and that we all have a role to play.

Genevieve is Brain Story certified and hold a degree in marketing and media communications. When not passionately leading the American SPCC team, Genevieve can be found in nature, hiking and exploring the mountain, practicing martial arts, or enhancing her knowledge through a great book or course. Her greatest joy is bonding with her young son in the simple moments that matter most.

Dr. Ann Mertens

Board Member

Ann Mertens, PhD, MS, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Dr. Mertens also serves as Research Director of Cancer Survivorship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at the Winship Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Ann’s passion about helping children has been a long time mission. As a graduate student she had an opportunity to work in pediatrics, and has committed to this mission ever since. She is a pediatric epidemiologist, and is currently working with survivors of pediatric cancer and their families to help them get back to a new normal after such as devastating diagnosis. She is also involved in other areas in pediatrics, expanding from working with children who are diagnosed with both acute and more chronic diseases.

Ann is excited to be a board member with American SPCC, and to help further their mission to improve the lives of children. She offers insights into some of the obstacles children may encounter, and how best to empower them and their families that will lead to a better future.

Tracy Kawa

Board Member

Tracy Kawa is a speaker, author, and entrepreneur. Author of The Seven Pillars of Reinvention: Finding Your Passion & Purpose, and developer of The Kawa Assessment, a psychometric and business DNA assessment tool, Tracy has spent twenty five years in the fields of personal & professional branding, and business & professional development. She is the founder of Kawa Community Partners & co-creator of Kawa Orthodontics, the largest solo-practitioner orthodontic practice in the world. Tracy has worked closely with parents, schools and children’s organizations on a multitude of projects. She has been featured on Inside the Minds of Leaders, and has worked with consultants to Fortune 500 companies.

From solopreneurs to small companies, Tracy has assessed hundreds of individuals, and uses tried and true techniques based on The Kawa Assessment to quickly evaluate and help people find their ideal careers, become top performers, and grow businesses, implementing creative personal and company branding & messaging and action steps. She believes in harnessing your God-given gifts and abilities to create success and winning teams!

Dr. Jay Harvey

Board Member

Dr. Jay Harvey hails from NYC and all of his education and training were completed in the Big Apple. He graduated from SUNY-Binghamton with a BS in Biology in 1983 and received his MD degree from SUNY-Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY in 1987. Dr. Harvey completed his pediatric residency and chief residency in 1991 at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center in LI, NY. Immediately thereafter, he moved to the West Coast of Florida and has been a board certified Pediatrician in private practice since that time.

Dr. Harvey moved to South Florida in August 2017 and joined Cohen & Sheinker Pediatrics, PA as a full time Pediatrician. He was thrilled to become a member of this incredible team of pediatric physicians and dedicated staff, which comprise one of the fastest growing and highly regarded practices in Boca Raton and surrounding areas.

Dr. Harvey’s focus is on providing comprehensive and compassionate care in a family friendly environment. His greatest satisfaction is derived from educating and empowering parents and kids alike, so that they can live healthy and happy lives, both individually and collectively. As a board member, Dr. Harvey is excited to become a part of the American SPCC mission since the mission is so closely aligned to his life’s work. By empowering families and children within the American SPCC platform, Dr. Harvey hopes to continue to provide practical and educational resources so that both parents and children can create a brighter future for themselves.

Dr. Harvey is happily married and has 2 grown children. He is a lover of sports, music, movies, theatre, books and, for better or worse, food!

DR. TINA MCMECHEN

Board Member

Tina McMechen holds a Bachelors degree in psychology, a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and an EdD in educational leadership. She has over 22 years experience in the field of education, with a background in teaching, student services, and educational sales. She is passionate about change management and believes leaders should view organizations from a systems (or holistic) perspective.

She is delighted to be a part of the American SPCC and hopes to be a good role model for her young three children for activism through education.

Katelyn Kirk

Board Treasurer

Katelyn Kirk graduated in June 2015 with her Masters in Sport and Exercise Science with a concentration in Exercise Psychology. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in General Psychology with additional work in Business and Anthropology. Katelyn continues to teach at Oregon State University as a faculty member in the Physical Activity Program in the School of Biological and Population Health Sciences.

Katelyn’s commitment to the disenfranchised youth is unwavering. She has worked with Portland’s Love INC in their annual Packed with Love Events reaching out to school children and their families, and continues to volunteer as a head coach each summer with Hoop Camp, a unified basketball camp for special needs athletes and all children ages 6 – 13. She also traveled to Martha’s Vineyard to be a counselor at Camp Jabberwocky, a one-month residential summer camp for mentally and/or physically disabled adults and teens. Katelyn is currently working with our Youth Advisory Board and the national expansion of ASPCC.

Matt Larson

 The Human Improvement Project

Matt is a parenting/relationships researcher, technology entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. He has been interviewed about the science of well-being on NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, Sirius XM, Telemundo, public radio, and websites like Parentology.com and Mom.com. He spends most of his time on the Human Improvement Project but is also the chairman of two software companies.

Previously, he was the executive chairman of TapInfluence a venture-backed Social Media company. Prior to TapInfluence, he was the Founder and CEO of Confio Software. Confio was the fastest growing company in the database tools market. It was acquired in 2013 by Solarwinds (NYSE: SWI).

Previously, Mr. Larson helped found an oil and gas technology company. In the span of a year, the company grew from four employees to over two hundred employees while raising over $110 million in venture capital. In 2012, Mr. Larson was named an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist. Mr. Larson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado where he graduated 1st in his class. He is a member of the Mensa Society. Mr. Larson has also worked with the U.S. Congress and the White House to fund over $300 million in new spending for child-related causes.

Dr. Cliff Lewis

Dr. Cliff Lewis received his PhD in Physics with specialization in Chaos Theory and Nonlinear Dynamics from the University of California, San Diego in 2001. He held the position of Assistant Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation where he managed data-intensive technology programs for the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security in the areas of biotechnology, 3-D tomography, information science, and signal processing.

Dr. Lewis started Think Tank Analytics in 2011 and has effectively provided clients with successful product development in many different areas of data science, including Wearables and Personalized medicine, Predictive Financial Analytics, Fitness Analytics, Signal Processing for Biotechnology, and Data-Intensive Mobile App Development for smartphones. He has also co-authored numerous patents and publications in these data-centric areas.

Varsha Sharma

Varsha Sharma holds an MBA in Human Resource Management and a Ph.D. in Sociology. She is passionate working in the Non-Profit sector. Her background in sociology gives her the motivation and perception to do something for the society. She values her volunteering experiences because she likes to give back to the community and likes to utilize her interests, skills time by helping people who need help and the staff who are helping them.

Varsha supports and chose to volunteer for American SPCC because she firmly believes in the Mission and Vision of promoting the positive care of children and youth, and effectively addressing the epidemic of child abuse. She knows children are our future and we all are responsible for providing the safe environment where the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of children should be amplified and competently met.