With over 20 years in healthcare leadership, Valerie Holloway began her career in hospital public relations. She has served as a physician relations coordinator advancing to Director, Corporate Vice-president of Marketing, System Vice-president of Customer Service, and Vice-president at a 500-bed major medical center with oversight for quality, patient satisfaction, ancillary service departments, and volunteer services.

In addition to her healthcare experience, Valerie has worked in fundraising and not-for-profit management and served as a consultant in strategic planning and a leadership coach. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.

Valerie lives in Melbourne, Florida with husband Darrell, an aerospace engineer, has an adult daughter who works in maternal health, and recently became a grandmother.

Valerie feels everything she has done professionally has led her to this position and her ability to lead a team that can have far-reaching impact inmaking childbirth safe.

Kelly Breese brings nearly 25 years of accounting experience to lead the Preeclampsia Foundation accounting department as their Comptroller. Kelly oversees the external accounting firm for the Foundation, ensuring accuracy of payroll, accounts payable and receivable, state and federal tax filings, and preparation of financial statements. She ensures integrity in the financial reporting of the Foundation by maintaining the accounting policies and procedures across all of the Foundation’s departments and mission areas. Kelly earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance from California State University – Sacramento in 2000. Kelly previously served as the Foundation’s Accounting Manager for almost six years after fifteen years working as the CFO and Operations Manager of her husband’s telecommunication company.

In addition to working with the Foundation, Kelly volunteers on the Board of her community HOA, providing financial oversite and assistance. Her three now-adult children still keep her very busy, but in her spare time, she enjoys travel with her husband, practicing daily yoga and pilates, working on home improvement projects, and solving word puzzles.

Laney Poye serves as the Director of Communications and Engagement for the Preeclampsia Foundation, overseeing the Foundation's digital and traditional communications process. Her primary responsibilities include leading the Foundation's communication department for the development, implementation and evaluation of the Foundation's annual communications plan. She supports all aspects of the Foundation's programmatic, executiv,e and development teams, ensuring that the three pillars of its mission (Community, Research, and Health Care Improvements) remain at the heart of the Foundation's work. Laney enjoys overseeing the development of scientifically accurate and accessible educational content in English and in Spanish for www.preeclampsia.org as the Foundation's webmaster.

Laney spent almost a decade helping to grow the Preeclampsia Foundation into the robust organization that it is today, beginning in 2009. She served for many years as the Foundation's Director of Community Relations, handling all of the external engagement with stakeholders, including overseeing the development and management of the Foundation's top fundraising event, the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, creating digital content for the Foundation's social media platform, and assisting with research studies on patient engagement and the psychological impact of traumatic pregnancy experiences.

Laney earned her bachelor's and master's degrees, magna cum laude, from Florida State University in International Affairs, where she specialized in women's health issues in low-resource settings. She is a member of MENSA, the National Public Health Information Coalition, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She also serves as a representative voice for women who have experienced infertility and pregnancy and infant loss. Laney is a voracious reader and movie buff who enjoys spending time with her husband Matt and their rainbow babies Adelaide & Zander in sunny Viera, Florida.

Chris McGahee comes to the Preeclampsia Foundation with many years of experience in the corporate marketing communications, public relations, and fundraising fields. He has supported the marketing communications needs of a large, integrated health system with four-hospitals that include mother/baby services, outpatient and wellness, level II trauma center, and emergency departments. Chris recently served in roles in the fundraising and finance departments for a K-12 private school, and is well-versed in donor relations, donor communications, and database management of donor records. He is especially skilled at utilizing a variety of communications platforms and messaging strategies to create long-term, beneficial relationships. Chris has a bachelor of science degree in Organization Management from Eastern Florida State College, and has earned numerous awards including Star Performer of the Year from Health First, four Mark of Excellence awards from the Florida Hospital Association, and multiple gold and silver Addy awards. He also served as chairman of the Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Ann Love is the National Events Manager for the Preeclampsia Foundation, working primarily on the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, the signature event for the Foundation. Ann’s passion lies in event planning and she comes to the Foundation specializing in charity athletic event production. She has produced charity walks and runs all over the country and has also worked as an event recruiter and fundraising coach for a large non-profit event series.

Ann has a bachelor’s degree in biology and oceanography from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan – Dearborn. She spent seven years doing pharmaceutical research before her second pregnancy was impacted by preeclampsia and she decided it was time to make a change.

Ann is a three-time preeclampsia survivor who lost her eldest son in 2000 to complications of the disease. She began volunteering as a Promise Walk Chairperson in 2013 and hopes that her continued work with the Foundation will make a significant impact in the health of pregnancies and infants everywhere.

As Education and Support Coordinator, Maggie Barker's role is to ensure survivors of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and their families feel supported, connected, and knowledgeable. She collaborates with healthcare providers, researchers, and communities, but her primary focus is engaging the women and families who have been affected by preeclampsia and HELLP. She manages the Patient Advisory Council, answers patient support inquiries, and assists with volunteer coordination, outreach, and educational material development.

Maggie has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Burlington College. This role allows Maggie to synthesize the experience she has gained throughout her 15 years of working in the non-profit healthcare sector; from patient advocacy to fundraising to integrated healthcare. She has experience providing direct service to patients, as well as program management and policy development. Her most recent position was managing a Medicaid-funded social work program that provided care coordination for children of refugees and other underserved, vulnerable populations. 

Maggie grew up on the coast of New Hampshire, the state with the first political primaries, and was exposed to politics and social activism from a young age. This instilled in her a passion for social justice and equity for marginalized populations, values she has brought to all her roles in helping professions. She currently lives in Syracuse, New York, and enjoys traveling, concerts, and cooking.

Rolanda Hatcher-Gallop is the media relations specialist for the Preeclampsia Foundation. She collaborates with local and national media to promote and convey the Foundation’s mission, programs, and initiatives such as the Re-Connect Tour 2022 and the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia. An award-winning veteran journalist, Rolanda has more than 30 years of experience in media, starting her career as a news reporter before going on to be an editor, freelance writer, digital content creator, media specialist, communication strategist, and speech writer. Her editorial work has appeared in such publications as The State, Florida Today, Spaces, Essence, and Signature Bride. She also enjoys working as a community organizer specializing in strategic messaging for non-profit organizations.  

Additionally, Rolanda is a full-time communications instructor at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. She is the founding editor of the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts magazine, COPLA Connections. Her academic research interests include business and professional communication technologies, message and media strategy, and narrative engagement. She co-chairs Florida Tech’s annual African American Read-In event and serves as faculty advisor to the school’s Black Student Union, being named the university's 2020 Student Organization Advisor of the Year for her work with the group.

Rolanda resides in Palm Bay, Florida, with her husband, journalist J.D. Gallop, and their two Shih Tzus.

Carrie MacMillan is the Project Coordinator for the Preeclampsia Foundation, handling all of the Foundation’s incoming email and phone communications, database entry, and assisting all of the departments in their execution of the mission.

Carrie brings over 15 years experience in hospitality and office management and finance industries to the Foundation’s team, having previously served as the general manager of a hotel before stepping into this role.

Carrie lives with her lovely wife Heather and is a proud mom to 4 children and grandmother to 3 incredible grandchildren.

Courtney Smith is the Foundation's part-time social media coordinator, assisting with the Foundation's robust digital communications. Her primary responsibilities include developing and implementing social media content that meets the needs of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome survivors, families, the medical community, and more. 

Courtney survived preeclampsia with severe features during the birth of her first child, an intrauterine growth restriction diagnosis, preterm delivery, emergency c-section surgery and her daughter had admission to the NICU. Courtney now shares her story to raise awareness about preeclampsia and the long-term physical, emotional and mental effects and about the maternal health crisis. She also serves as a volunteer ambassador with the 140 over 90 Run which benefits the Preeclampsia Foundation.

She lives in Idaho with her husband and daughter.

Crystal Phillips is the Administrative Assistant for the Preeclampsia Foundation, assisting all departments to execute the mission. She handles all of the Foundation's incoming correspondence and ensures our community gets connected to the right team members when they reach out to our info@preeclampsia.org email. Crystal also handles the Foundation's database management.

Crystal brings over 20 years of experience in Administration and Office Management, including her previous military service in the Marine Corps. Most recently she served as the Office Manager of a local cyber-security company. She has extensive data entry and administrative support experience ranging from military, to doctors' offices, educational services, and cyber-security.

Crystal works out of our Melbourne headquarters, living nearby with her four children and two rescued dogs.

Nicole Purnell is the Program Director  of the MoMMA's Voices program of the Preeclampsia Foundation and a maternal health advocate based in North Texas. Her life was tragically changed in 2005 when preeclampsia and HELLP cause multiple organ failure, placenta abruption and resulted in the stillbirth of her son at 34 weeks gestation. She found the Preeclampsia Foundation in the following months and soon began volunteering.  For ten years, Nicole chaired the Dallas Promise Walk for Preeclampsia while filling other volunteer roles such as regional coach, participated in the Patient Support Network and contributed to the newsletter. In 2015, the Purnell’s welcomed a daughter after a successful preeclampsia free pregnancy.  

After 15 years in the printing industry as a project manager for automotive clients, Nicole joined the staff at the Preeclampsia Foundation as the MoMMA’s Voices Coalition Program Manager. MoMMA’s (Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Advocates) Voices is the first-ever maternal health patient advocacy coalition established in 2018, to amplify the voices of those who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth complications or loss - especially those who have been historically marginalized - ensuring they are equipped and activated as partners with providers and researchers to improve maternal health outcomes.

She also serves on the Executive Committee and Family Engagement Committee of the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (NNPQC) and Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Committee for the National Quality Forum (NQF).

Bekah Bischoff serves as the Education & Development Coordinator for the MoMMA's Voices program of the Preeclampsia Foundation, assisting and working beside healthcare providers, hospitals, medical facilities, and other quality improvement partners going through the online training to prepare them for working with patient family partners. She enjoys using her years of professional experience in education to implement change through the MoMMA's Voices Lived Experience Integration™ framework. She interacts with our Patient Family Partners to help prepare them for engagement opportunities.

Following her own near-death experience and postpartum recovery with the birth of her second child due to severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, Bekah is passionate about helping moms identify and heal from their traumatic birth experiences. She recognizes the importance of sitting beside each hurting mother in the isolation that comes with pregnancy trauma. Her work centers on helping empower these women to transform their pain to purpose. In 2018, she collaborated with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) for legislative policy work, where she learned how much she loved meeting with policymakers to advocate for maternal health legislation and to ensure mothers are given a seat at the table. She specializes in storytelling for advocacy.

She calls Louisville, KY home where she lives with her husband Joseph, her two elementary-aged children, and two adopted babies, who have taught her the capacity of love our hearts are able to hold is immeasurable. 

Mandi Gross serves as the administrative coordinator for MoMMA’s Voices, assisting with research, social media content, and supporting the various administrative needs of the program team. She enjoys using her professional skills and personal maternal health experience to implement improvements to healthcare practices through the program’s Lived Experience Integration™ framework model.

Mandi graduated with her law degree from Stetson University in 2010. She has spent her professional career in writing and editing on a wide-range of editorial subjects including medical, legal, bridal, and family content. After surviving a traumatic experience with postpartum preeclampsia in 2013 and facing postpartum anxiety and OCD, she joined the Preeclampsia Foundation and the MoMMA’s Voices program as a certified patient family partner. She is passionate to help other women facing traumatic pregnancy experiences to turn those experiences into systematic change.

Mandi lives in west Florida with her husband and two cute, active children. She enjoys good coffee, crispy French fries, planning things to the nines, and talking about maternal health. 

Judith Francis is the Community Specialist and a certified Patient Family Partner for the MoMMA’s Voices program. She is a survivor of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. Additionally, she survived postpartum depression and experienced being a NICU mom with her second pregnancy. She now shares her story to raise awareness for postpartum depression, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, NICU, and the maternal health crisis.

Prior to joining MoMMA’s Voices, she worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the HIM Department. She also had the honor of speaking at maternity summits, being faculty for a Community of Learning Cohort, and was a speaker for two international platforms. She has an AA in Health Information Management and a BS in Health Services Management. She lives in Moody, TX with her husband and their two kids.

Julie Scott Allen serves as an outside consultant and government relations director for the Preeclampsia Foundation, advocating for preeclampsia research and funding to treat and develop a cure for preeclampsia. Her work for the Foundation led to the successful passage of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act to establish and grow maternal mortality review committees throughout the U.S. Julie has worked to advance legislative, regulatory and advocacy agendas for both non-profit and for-profit clients and national organizations in DC for over two decades. Her strong policy knowledge and political instincts, along with her experience navigating Congress and the Executive Branch, make her a key partner for foundations, business leaders, association executives, and advocacy organizations alike. Julie has represented foundations, companies, associations, and other non-profit organizations on a range of health care and other matters, including, disease and patient advocacy organizations health and hospital systems, health care practitioners, pharmacies, clinical laboratories, life sciences companies, and medical device manufacturers and suppliers.

Julie previously served as the Senior Vice President at the District Policy Group/Drinker Biddle for 9 years. Before that she was the Vice President and Managing Director at Thompson Advisory Group, a federal marketing and lobbying firm that she helped to establish. Prior to launching the firm, she worked as a Vice President at the Jefferson Consulting Group, helping clients grow their business within the federal market. Earlier in her career, Julie lobbied for health providers, including the American Dental Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Julie earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Marymount University. In addition to her love of politics and creative problem solving, Julie enjoys kayaking and kickboxing. Julie lives in Virginia with her two active sons and two equally active Westies.

Marne Silk serves as the Preeclampsia Foundation Research Manager where she directly oversees The Preeclampsia Registry (TPR) and biobank, research communications, external study recruitment, and coordination of research funding opportunities. Working with the larger team, she provides support on a variety of research initiatives, including those developed from the Registry as well as external research opportunities.

Marne most recently worked as a Data Scientist at Genentech/Roche applying advanced data analytics and visualizations for real estate planning across the entire South San Francisco Genentech campus. She also worked at Genentech in Managed Care Customer Operations, building strategic relationships, managing top-tier physician-specialty accounts for FDA-marketed products, reducing barriers for patients and maximizing patient and physician access to critical therapies. She has a master’s degree in Quantitative Economics from San Francisco State University, with an interdisciplinary focus on health economics.

As a postpartum preeclampsia survivor herself, Marne is deeply passionate about patient advocacy, improving maternal health and preventing avoidable medical errors by connecting patients to data science in order to improve health outcomes.

Marne was a former professional ballet dancer, pilates instructor and ballet teacher for a variety of professional ballet schools. She lives with her family (husband and three boys), two dogs and birds in the San Francisco Bay Area.  When not seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, Marne dedicates herself to many interests including optimizing nutrition, family baseball management, and healthcare podcasts.