Update: This blog post was written in 2013, to see the latest members of our staff, scientific advisory board, and family and community advisory board, please visit our about us page.
Voices for Vaccines is a pro-vaccine organization unlike most others because it is parent-driven. We pride ourselves in helping the parent voice be heard, whether that parent works in healthcare or in a completely unrelated field. Our parent-members all agree that immunization protects their children and their communities, and they insist that advocating for full, on-time immunization is important, community work.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to our Parent Advisory Board. While our members are wonderful about providing us with ideas and writing to us with their needs and plans, the members of the Parent Advisory Board take their commitment to Voices for Vaccines one step further by being on-call when we need their feedback. They are the ones helping us come up with new toolkit ideas, they are the ones who tell us what their community needs, and they are the ones who tell us what they think about our day-to-day work.
They also work in service to our members, representing various regions of our country and various specific interest groups. Our regional representatives let us know about local issues that may fly under our radar. Our other board members represent other pro-vaccine organizations and provide us with key organizational ideas and guidance. Eventually, we hope to have international representation.
Without further ado, we would like to introduce:
Genevieve Holmes and her family live in upstate New York, where she works at home serving non-profit organizations while also homeschooling her children. She holds a degree in Theology. Genevieve represents New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
Carla Owens lives in Pennsylvania with her daughter and husband, where she has worked as a therapist for adolescents in both hospitals and schools. She holds advanced degrees in Sports Psychology and Community Counseling. Carla represents Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Stacy Hillenburg lives in Illinois with her three children and her husband. She works as an early childhood developmental therapist. Stacy represents Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Alexandria Gilmore is a wife and mother of two who lives in Texas, She works as a science instructor at a local college. Alexandria represents the southern states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas.
Karrie Delaney lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children. She is a communications strategist with a commitment to charitable organizations. Karrie represents Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Emily Kilburg and her family live in Georgia, where she is a university-level nursing professor. She has also worked as a Registered Nurse. Emily also represents Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Elizabeth Faber and her family live in Iowa. She works as an independent public health consultant. Elizabeth represents the Great Plains: Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.
Sundari Kraft lives in Colorado with her husband, daughter, and a number of animals. She is a musician and teaches about sustainability and urban homesteading, having published The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Urban Homesteading. Sundari represents Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Dorit Reiss lives in California with her husband and son. She teaches law at a local university and has published research about administrative law. Dorit represents Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada.
Kristine Munroe-Mahoney lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. She works in the Internet Marketing field and has a degree in graphic design. Kristine will represent the Northeast, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Julie Krause Gorom is a stay-at-home mom to one son in Washington state. She also does freelance work and has volunteered with Vax Northwest with the Immunity Community program. Julie represents the northwest states, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Trish Parnell and her family live in Oregon. Trish is the Director of PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases).
Lynn Bozof lives in Georgia. She is one of the founders of the National Meningitis Association, which she helped found after her son, Evan, passed away due to meningococcal meningitis. Lynn’s other son currently works as a pediatrician.
Laura Scott lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband and two children. She is the Executive Director of Families Fighting Flu.
Melody Butler lives in New York with her husband and children. She works as a hospital-based nurse and is the founder of Nurses Who Vaccinate.
Join the Parent Advisory Board
Our Parent Advisory Board members come from many walks of life, and we love working with them. If you would like to be added to their personal email lists in order to get more involved with issues local to your area, please email us at [email protected], and let us know where you live.
