Meet the Content Advisory Board

As Child Life To Go grows its library of diagnosis education children’s books and downloadable resources, there is an increasing need for comprehensive review, constructive feedback, and input from a diverse range of experts to ensure quality, relevance, and accuracy.

Meet our amazing Content Advisory Board of diverse experts to help make Child Life To Go's resources the best they can be for all families. 

 

  • Aileen Maxwell, CCLS

    Aileen is a Certified Child Life Specialist from the suburbs of Chicago. After she received her Masters Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a Child Life Emphasis from Illinois State University, she has primarily worked with the pediatric oncology population as well as children of adult patients for the past ten years.

  • Dana LaLonde, CCLS

    Dana lives in Lombard, IL with her puppy, husband, and first baby on the way! Dana has eight years of experience working in Inpatient Pediatrics and Pediatric Intensive Care, with children 0-21 with all types of chronic and acute illness. Dana recently entered the non-profit world to develop programming to improve quality of life for pediatric patients in hospitals all over Chicagoland. 

  • Diane Morales, CCLS

    Diane is a Certified Child Life Specialist with over 10 years of experience supporting children and families in medical settings. She is passionate about creating engaging, evidence-based resources that help children understand complex medical experiences and empower caregivers to support them effectively.

  • Dora Castro-Ahillen, CCLS

    Dora has over 25 years of experience working in the healthcare industry ranging from child life specialist, art therapist, child life coordinator, and now child life manager at a community hospital. As manager, Dora has helped grow the child life program within that healthcare system managing a mid-size child life team while also developing and supporting the child life internship program and child life practicum program.

  • Eric Engstrom, MD

    Bio coming soon

  • Gretchen Paladino, CCLS

    Gretchen is a Certified Child Life Specialist with four years of experience, holding a Master's degree in Child Development from Erikson Institute. She has worked in both large children's hospitals and smaller suburban facilities across the Chicagoland area. Gretchen's passion lies in creating play-based preparation strategies and adapting stuffed animals to make medical experiences less intimidating for young patients.

  • Iliana Gearhart, RN, BSN, CNOR, RNFA

    Iliana has been a nurse since 2012 working as a medical-surgical floor nurse then as an operating room nurse. She became a surgical assistant in 2019. She now works in multiple roles in the OR caring for patients undergoing a variety of surgeries, from bone surgery to transplant surgery. She loves learning about how the human body works and is excited to be a part of helping others do the same.

  • Jeané N. Liburd, MA, CCLS

    Jeané resides in Virginia with her husband and three children.  She has worked in the field of child life since 2005. She earned a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and is trained in play therapy. She currently serves as an adjunct instructor for Liberty University. Throughout her career, she has provided services to children and families in various settings including hospitals, pediatric hospice, and community programs. She is also a blogger for The Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. Her life's work is bringing hope to children and families with a special focus on those who have experienced illness, grief and loss. 

  • Katelyn Beyer, CCLS

    Katelyn is a Certified Child Life Specialist and Certified Grief Counselor with nearly a decade of experience in healthcare. For the past seven years, she has led the child life program at Endeavor Health, a healthcare system serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Passionate about creating therapeutic moments, Katelyn is dedicated to helping children and families navigate difficult healthcare situations with comfort, resilience, and emotional well-being. Outside of work, Kate resides in the Chicagoland suburbs with her husband and two energetic, blue-eyed boys (4yo and 1yo) and two cats (Gouda and Blu!)

  • Laura Keefe, CCLS

    Laura Keefe is a Certified Child Life Specialist at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, IN with eight years of experience. She spent time as a CCLS in pediatric surgery, before landing in her current role as the primary Hematology and Oncology CCLS for the inpatient unit and outpatient clinic at PMCH. Laura lives in Fishers, Indiana with her husband, Rottweiler pup, and has a baby girl on the way! 

  • Kristin Guilliams, MD

    Kristin is a pediatric neurologist and intensivist at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She has been caring for children with many different abilities and various challenges for close to two decades. She loves working with Child Life Specialists to help kids and their families understand their diseases, illnesses and medical procedures so that they can be empowered and all work together to help children and their families be their best selves.

  • Nicky Seligman, CCLS

    Nicky is a Canadian Certified Child Life Specialist who has been dedicated to supporting children and families in her community for over six years. Throughout her career, Nicky has held diverse roles, including Clinical Director of a bereavement camp, hospice grief counselor, in-hospital child life specialist, and now a private practice provider. She believes that with the right support, children can develop the tools to navigate life's challenges, build resilience, and thrive in even the most difficult circumstances.

  • Ronak Mehta, MD

    Bio coming soon

  • Tori Lindemulder, MEd

    Tori has over 10 years of experience working with children, 6 of those years spent teaching special education. When her daughter was born with medical needs, Tori became a passionate advocate for her child. Now, she is helping others do the same in both educational and medical settings using her expertise in special education to help create and share information that is accessible and approachable to children and their families.