Erica - Erica Morand, LPC is the Clinical Site Coordinator for Chicago Group. She has a B.A. in Biology with minors in Psychology and Spanish from Indiana University-Bloomington, and an M.Ed. in School Counseling from Depaul University. Upon graduating, Erica obtained her clinical licensure and began working in the Chicago Public School system. With the sudden loss of Erica’s father seven years… … Roberta - Roberta Ward, MSW, LSW is the School Program Coordinator at Willow House. Roberta first began serving Willow House as a group facilitator in Arlington Heights in 1999. Over the years, she has also been involved with program development, family camp and the annual benefit. Roberta served on the Willow House Board of Directors from 2001 - 2005. Most recently, Roberta… … Ruth - As Program Director of Willow House, Ruth Ann Johnson, MSW, LSW manages all program related activities, performing both clinical and administrative functions. Ruth processes the intakes of new individuals and families, acts as an advocate for grieving children and families, assesses needs for additional services, makes referrals and provides consultation and resources. Ruth oversees and directs all family and volunteer… … Stefanie - Stefanie T. Norris, MSW, LCSW is the Executive Director of Willow House, which she founded in 1998 with a group of dedicated Founding Advisory Board members comprised of bereaved parents, young widowed and clinicians experienced in the field of grief support and hospice. An LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Stefanie began work in the hospice field in 1984 and developed… …
Storm Taft - A special thank you to an incredible friend. Storm has been a great supporter to Genevieve with her endeavors with SLAP'D and deserves special recognition for helping spread the word. He is truly a kind, intelligent and most of all, hilarious human being. He never fails to make Genevieve laugh! …
Scott Bauer - Scott currently resides in Long Grove Illinois and has three wonderful sons. In 2011, his beautiful wife Lauri passed away suddenly at 43 years old. The family mourned her loss greatly and honored her by creating the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for sudden loss to help other families in similar situations. Asides from tirelessly working on the Lauri S. Bauer foundation,… …
Kathy - On November 16, 2008, I lost my mom to pancreatic cancer. It was like being on one of those amusement park rides where the floor drops. I felt trapped in the darkness and unable to move. Although I had 348 days to “prepare” for my mom’s death, nothing could prepare me for the rollercoaster of emotions that slammed me after… …
Emily - Emily Kaufold is a writer on SLAPD. In her free time, she will be outside taking pictures, (nature pictures or portraits). She also loves acting, and goes to a performing arts high school, where she works on that and writing. She has been published in her local library for writing poetry, which she will do all day, everyday. When she… …
Summer - Summer J. Fields is a native of the south suburbs of Chicago studying sociology and linguistics at the University of Chicago. She is passionate about public health and local food movements.The oldest of four girls, Summer loves coffee, pop culture, and, most of all, podcasts. As an inveterate storyteller and gatherer, she is the host and head writer of The… …
Roxanne - Roxanne Tam is the Head of Community Outreach for SLAP’D and manages social outreach and media. She is a second year at the University of Chicago and is majoring in political science and philosophy. She enjoys reading the New York Times, writing, and jogging. Roxanne’s also a bit of a travel-junkie, power nap aficionado, and an avid watcher of Conan… …
Meg - Meg Kelleher, LCSW is a therapist with the Center for Grief Recovery, a group practice in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago with an over 25-year history of supporting clients through their grief. With a second Master's degree in English Literature in addition to her education and licensure in clinical Social Work, Meg is skilled in helping clients make sense… …
Eliana - Eliana enjoys basically anything creative. This includes writing, reading, music, singing and piano. Her affiliation with SLAP’D is being one of Genevieve’s best friends since age three and one of her main supporters after her dad died. …
Brian - Brian Coe is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of SlipChip Corporation, which is developing a micro-fluidic platform for conducting quantitative molecular and measurement assays in research and clinical laboratories. He currently serves as Chairman of Euclid Diagnostics, an epigenetics company he co-founded, and is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for healthcare at the Michael P. Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of… …
Judy - Judy Schiffman, LCSW, is a clinical social worker who has been the director of the Barr-Harris Children’s Grief Center since 2008. For 25 years, she has worked extensively with children and their families, with a special interest in childhood bereavement. Judy is the assistant director of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program at her alma mater, the Chicago Institute for… …
Carole - Carole Geithner is the author of the book “If Only” (see link below) and attributes her interest in the topic of parent death to both personal and professional experiences. As a 25-year-old graduate student, Carole lost her mother to cancer. She says she can personally testify to those awkward interactions, which she refers to as "dances," that happen after the… …
Heather - Heather is the Director of Development and Relations for SLAP'D. Heather helped Genevieve start to build SLAP'D in 2013, and continues to help implement and grow various functions of the organization. She helps make key decisions related to site functionality and works to develop relationships with professionals and volunteers who contribute to SLAP'D. She earned her M.A. in Humanities from… …
Dana - Dana Suskind is the mother of Genevieve, Amelie, and Asher Liu. She is an accomplished Pediatric Cochlear Implant Surgeon (an implanted device that allows a deaf person to hear) and is the founder of the Thirty Million Words initiative at the University of Chicago. She is the main source of support and inspiration for Genevieve, especially when it comes to… …
Genevieve - Genevieve Liu is a ninth grader at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Her favorite subjects are English and History (but especially English). Outside of school she can usually be found with her family, who she loves more than anything, working diligently on SLAP'D, playing tennis or participating in Model UN. Her favorite thing to do on a rainy day… …
Beth - Beth Suskind produces all of the videos used by SLAP’D and serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors. In her professional life, she is the Co-Director and Director of Innovation and Social Marketing for the Thirty Million Words® Initiative and Project ASPIRE. Prior to this, she worked in television for 15 years as a Producer/Show Runner, and was responsible… …
Elite Research, LLC/Divergent Web Solutions - Elite Research, LLC, under the direction of Dr. Rene Paulson hosts a dedicated team of contributors to the SLAP’D website, supporting web design, organizational development consulting, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and direct marketing strategies. A few years before Dr. Liu’s accident, he saved the life of a young relative of Elite’s founders. Dr. Paulson and… …
Tom - Tom Levinson is a litigator for Reed Smith, with a focus on disputes involving regulatory compliance, health care, and commercial contracts. In 2013, Tom was named to the National Law Journal’s “Chicago’s 40 Under 40” list. The father of two beautiful kids, a son named Asher and a daughter named Estelle, he is also happily married to his wife of… …
Pete - Pete runs a digital marketing company and lives with his wife and son near London in the UK. He is a proud supporter of SLAPD. …