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Our Team

Board Members

Barbara Toppin, MD

Dr. Toppin is currently the Board Chair and is a board-certified OB/GYN with many years of experience in women’s health care. She graduated from Wellesley College. She received her medical

Andrea Stritzke, JD

Andrea Lang

Andrea Lang is the Immediate Past Board Chair of Star Legacy Foundation.  She joined the Board in 2018 and lives with her husband Gus in Madison, WI. Andrea  came to

Shaylee Dave, DO

Dr. Shaylee Dave is the Board Vice-Chair and joined the Star Legacy Foundation Board of Directors in 2021. Dr. Dave is an internal medicine specialist and hospitalist at University Health

Steve Libsack

Steve Libsack

Steve Libsack is the Board Secretary and joined the Star Legacy Foundation Board in 2020.  Steve retired after a 38 year career as sugarbeet seed industry executive and continues as

Jenny Bender, MBA

Jenny Bender is currently the Board Treasurer.  She joined the Star Legacy Foundation Board of Directors in 2021.  Jenny is a Group Director at Real Chemistry and specializes in marketing

Dale Fuller, MBA

Dale Fuller  is the Immediate Past Chair for Star Legacy Foundation.  He is a native of Monticello, MN currently resides in Rogers, MN with his wife Carrie and children Elise

Jared D. Ament, MD, MPH

Dr. Jared D. Ament is a board eligible fellowship-trained neurosurgeon. He specializes in complex and minimally invasive brain and spine surgery, using the latest technologies, including neuronavigation and robotics. He

Jacqueline H. Grant, MD, MPH, MPA

Dr. Jacqueline Grant is a board-certified Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist and works at St Louis University – telemedicine Maternal-Fetal Medicine.  Previously she served as the Regional Perinatal Center Director in Columbus,

Staff

Leigh Peterson

Leigh Peterson joined Star Legacy Foundation in 2024 as our Office Manager.  She comes to the organization having spent her entire career in non-profit work, with both charitable and business

Shauna Libsack

Shauna Libsack serves as the Director of Operations for Star Legacy Foundation. Shauna became passionate about stillbirth when her first grandchild was stillborn in 2004. She is now retired and

Sarit Bridell

Sarit joined Star Legacy Foundation in 2024 as our IPPE Program Coordinator. She graduated from University of Northwestern – St. Paul in 2018 with B.A in public relations. Sarit will

Amy Kent

Amy Kent joined the Star Legacy Foundation Board of Directors in 2016 and became the Outreach Coordinator in January of 2018. In 2021 Amy’s role was expanded and she became

Kacie Doxtator

Kacie joined Star Legacy Foundation in 2023 as a Family Support Specialist. She will be working with bereaved families to be sure they have the resources and support they need.

Heidi Pekarek

Heidi Pekarek joined the Star Legacy Foundation in 2022 as an Administrative Support Specialist. She works in our Eden Prairie office part time to support daily operations and projects behind

Sarah Torres

Sarah holds a bachelor degree in psychology and is completing a masters of social work, advanced generalist, at the end of 2024 with Arizona State University. She has a background

Jennifer Kouri

Jennifer Kouri, RN, CPLC, PMH-C

Jennifer Kouri joined the Star Legacy Foundation in January of 2019 and is currently our Health Professional Educator.  Jennifer provides educational offerings for health professionals as well as peer companions. 

Amy Wetjen

Amy Wetjen joined Star Legacy Foundation in 2020 as our Graphic Designer and brings extensive talent to the image of all of our products and services.

Support Group Facilitators

Anna Calix

Anna Calix

Anna joined the Star Legacy Foundation in 2021 as our Spanish support group facilitator. She was born and raised in Honduras and came to the United States to pursue a

Alicia Johnson, MS

As a pre-licensed mental health therapist and experienced doula, Alicia specializes in supporting individuals through perinatal and reproductive mental health challenges, including infertility, loss, and trauma. Her unique approach combines

Zoe Green, PsyD

Dr. Zoe Green, PsyD, is a dedicated Post-Doctoral Fellow with a comprehensive background in clinical psychology. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed

Kathleen Massmann, PhD, LPCC, IPPE-C

Dr. Kathleen Massmann is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Owner of Healing Moments Counseling. She has over 23 years of experience working with a wide range of clients, including

Elizabeth R. B. Naylor, LGSW, MS-DRL, IBCLC

Liz’s (she/her) origins are as a certified birth doula, childbirth educator, and birth professional trainer. She now primarily works as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, a craniosacral therapist, and a

Alise Novak, PsyD, LP

Alise is a doctor of clinical psychology and works as a licensed psychologist where she specializes in reproductive and perinatal mental health. She is co-founder of a group private practice

Lyssa Oldre

Lyssa holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in Counseling Psychology. Lyssa is a licensed counselor currently practicing at Vayda Mental Health Collaborative in

JoAnn O'Leary

Joann O’Leary, PHD, MPH, MS, IM-ER(IV)

Dr. O’Leary, holds a B.E.S. and a Masters in Maternal-Child Health from the University of MN. She also has a Masters in Psychology through research from Queens University in Belfast,

Tricia Rausch

Tricia Rausch is a registered nurse at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Birth Center in Shawnee Mission, KS.  She has worked with families in the Birth Center for over 14 years as

Mark Terjessen

Mark Terjesen, PhD

Dr. Terjesen has been active with Star Legacy Foundation for several years since the stillbirth of their daughter Savannah.  In 2022 Dr. Terjesen joined our Family Support team as our

Medical Advisory

John Kingdom, MD, FRCSC, FCAHS

Dr. Kingdom is a High-Risk Obstetrician and Maternal-Fetal Medicine subspecialist with a clinical and research focus on placenta-mediated pregnancy complications, including the assessment and surgical management of patients at risk

Darren Farley, MD, FACOG

Dr. Farley specializes in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Associates in Women’s Health in Wichita, KS — a specialty discipline that focuses on the health of both mother and baby before, during

Alexander Kofinas, MD

Alexander D. Kofinas, M.D., FACOG is the founder and director of Kofinas Perinatal, the award-winning and leading clinic in New York. He is also an extensive researcher, clinical associate professor at

Marian Sokol, PhD, MPH

Marian Sokol, Ph.D., MPH is the Executive Director of the Children’s Bereavement Center of Texas in San Antonio. Marian is the original founder and was the executive director of Any

Heather Florescue, MD, FACOG

Dr. Florescue is an ob.gyn. in private practice at Women Gynecology and Childbirth Associates in Rochester, N.Y. She delivers babies at Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY.  She received her medical

Roberta Hunt, PhD

Roberta Hunt PhD received a Master in Science in public health and PhD in community education both from the University of Minnesota. Over the last thirty-three years, she taught nursing

Noirin Russell, MD

Nóirín Russell is a medical graduate of University College Cork(2000) and a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (2005) and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists

Suzanne Pullen, PhD

Suzanne Pullen has a PhD in Communication Studies and a Social Work Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement. Her research focuses on improving patient-provider communication about stillbirth and pregnancy loss. Her

JoAnn O'Leary

Joann O’Leary, PhD, MPH, MS, IM-ER(IV)

Dr. O’Leary, holds a B.E.S. and a Masters in Maternal-Child Health from the University of MN. She also has a Masters in Psychology through research from Queens University in Belfast,

James A. Nicholson, MD, MSCE

Dr. James A. Nicholson obtained his undergraduate degree from Earlham College in 1977, his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981, and completed his internship and residency with

Deb Simmons, PhD, LMFT

Dr. Simmons is a marriage and family therapist and co-owner of Partners in Healing of Minneapolis. She has been working in the area of infertility, pregnancy loss and other reproductive

Tomasina Stacey, RM, MPH, PhD

Dr. Stacey is a midwife and has had a long interest in stillbirth and perinatal loss. She has been coordinating the Auckland Stillbirth Study over the past 5 years as

Louise O’Brien, PhD

Dr. O’Brien is a Professor in the Department of Neurology, Division of Sleep Medicine, a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a Research Scientist in the Department

Alexander Heazell, MBChB, PhD, MRCOG

Dr Alexander Heazell is a clinical lecturer working at the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, University of Manchester. After graduation from the University of Birmingham Medical School in 2000,

Jason Collins, MD, MSCR

Dr. Collins is the Founder and Researcher, The Pregnancy Institute, New Roads, LA Dr. Collins has been a passionate advocate for the unborn child for his entire 30 year obstetrical

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  • Brandon Zell, Webmaster
  • Legal For Good, Jennifer Urban
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