As of Spring 2024, Three Little Birds is 100% volunteer run by loss parents and advocates seeking to support families through perinatal loss. We are so grateful for the time and talents of our volunteer board and bereavement team in helping carry out the mission, services and programs our nest provides.
Three Little Birds Advisory Board...
Kristen Samuelson has more than eight years’ experience serving hundreds of families as a peer advocate and volunteers her time to manage the majority of Three Little Birds executive functions including our virtual and in-person support, legacy project and grant development and coordinating request through our Bedside Bereavement Program and website. She also authored several publications including the pregnancy and infant loss journal, "A Nest for my Heart", "As our Nest Grows", a pregnancy after loss book and "Remembering Baby Bird", a support book for siblings, in addition to our Perinatal Bereavement Training Workshop for Medical Professionals and Advocates. As a bereavement doula, she advocates for the physical, emotional and spiritual well being of perinatal loss families through resources and local support that offsets the unexpected financial burdens perinatal loss families experience. Additionally, she provides one-on-one consultations for parents and families, as well as provides spiritual readings as an intuitive healer. Professionally, she has more than two decades of marketing and proposal writing/marketing experience in the engineering/ construction industry.
Marilyn Mapp, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, has spent more than 25 years in management roles as a nurse administrator and in Human Resources. Currently at Cooper University Health Care, she is an Assistant Vice President in Nursing Operations with oversight for the Women’s and Children’s Services. She is committed to fostering relations with community partners including the March of Dimes, Community Doulas of South Jersey and faith-based organizations. Marilyn holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from George Washington University, her MA in Nursing Administration from Columbia University, and her BSN from Loma Linda University. She holds certifications in nursing leadership and Lean Healthcare and is a board member of several nursing organizations. As someone who is intimately familiar with perinatal loss, she is looking forward to actively contributing to the success of Three Little Birds Perinatal as board member; ensuring that patients, families, providers, and communities have the support and tools needed to navigate pregnancy loss.
Victoria Grace Nunnally, MSN-Ed, RN-BC, is a perinatal board-certified registered nurse with more than 35 years of experience in the clinical nursing field as a maternal-newborn nurse. She received her BSN in 1982 from the University of Pittsburgh, and MSN in Nursing Leadership – Education Track from Wilmington University in 2020. Victoria is a staunch advocate for the rights of birthing families, especially those who reside in underserved and Black and/or Brown communities. She is particularly interested in providing support and care for bereaved parents who have experienced a perinatal death, birthing families who are dealing with perinatal mood disorders, and those who have a perinatal opiate or substance abuse disorder, as well as women who are or have been victims of interpersonal violence. She is celebrating 40 years with her husband and is the mother of a baby born too soon, two rainbow babies, two stepchildren, three grandchildren and an amazing son-in-law. Her passion in supporting perinatal bereavement and grief is fueled by her own impactful and traumatic story. This is why she chose to become certified as a Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator and Facilitator through Resolve Through Sharing over 20 years ago. The opportunity to become a board member of The Three Little Birds brings it all full circle. It is in the belief that we find the path forward in our own healing when we can support those who are or have gone through these experiences.
Ron Tassello is a retired accounting and finance executive. He has over 40 years’ experience in private and public accounting and has worked for private and public companies serving as their Chief Financial Officer in diverse industries. He is also the founder of Ronald Tassello, Consulting LLC, which is focused on small and medium sized businesses and provides accounting and business consulting in areas including financial reporting, cash management, strategic planning and budgeting. Ron currently serves as a Board member and financial advisor for nonprofit organizations and a publicly held company. He earned a B.B.A in Accounting and Taxation from Pace University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and lives in Ocean City, NJ with his wife and has two daughters. Ron is honored to serve on the Board and playing an active part in supporting Tree Little Birds mission to assist families dealing with bereavement and perinatal loss.
Ashley Perry, LPC, is a NJ Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner. Ashley currently runs her own private practice, Goodnow Counseling. Her passion was built through suicide prevention advocacy, working within a women’s trauma and DBT program, training and volunteering with Postpartum Support International and her own experiences as a mom of two and as a loss mom. Her training encompasses the prenatal and postpartum periods but also reproductive struggles, pregnancy loss, infant loss, pregnancy after loss, parenting and trauma. She is committed to upholding Three Little Bird’s mission to serve the perinatal loss community and ensuring this community receives the appropriate care and support they need and deserve.
As a Registered Nurse, Christine Clarkin’s formal perinatal loss training began with Resolve Through Sharing (RTS) bereavement services in 1986 with updated training in 2014 and most recently, through Three Little Birds Perinatal Bereavement Training Program for Medical Professionals and Advocates. As a NICU Nurse at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), she was an active bereavement team committee leader and established an end-of-life checklist and standards for palliative care. Her experience brings a unique perspective and skill set to Three Little Bird’s nest. She is especially interested in promoting the education and training of health care workers on perinatal loss as well as supporting current and future Three Little Birds programs and events. Her advocacy is inspired by her personal experience with perinatal loss and her late brother, David, who passed away from a congenital heart condition at the age of seven months old.
Kelsey Sanderson, MSW, is the Associate Director for Clinical & Professional Education at The Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, the state-licensed maternal child health consortium serving the seven counties of South Jersey. In this role, her primary responsibility is to support the region’s Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) – a community-based, action-oriented process to improve systems and resources for birthing persons. As a perinatal social worker, she leads the FIMR community work, including coordination with civic groups and outreach to families, to facilitate connections with supportive resources and to collect and amplify the stories of perinatal loss from the family perspective. This experience with FIMR has revealed a new passion for perinatal loss advocacy and inspired Kelsey to become a changemaker in this space. Kelsey holds a master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University and has been practicing social work in South Jersey for nearly 15 years. Kelsey is also a certified trainer of QPR for adult and youth suicide prevention. In her free time, you can find Kelsey walking outside, drinking herbal tea, or dancing and make-believing with her two daughters. Kelsey is grateful and enthusiastic to support the work of Three Little Birds to educate professionals, support families and change the landscape of perinatal loss resources in the region, and beyond.
Bridget Papagno is a two-time, international bestselling-author who has turned her struggles into strengths. After years of suffering, she decided to take the holistic approach while dragging her feet and second-guessing it. Turning dark days to light, she has gone from sick skeptic to a healthy helper. Her personality, heart and humor will draw in the naysayers and have them exploring the holistic approach. Bridget has her own business called Essential Lightworker. She is a Reiki Master, Integrated Energy Therapist and a Shamanic practitioner. She is always quick to lend an ear, give a hug or jump right in and help. She is a shining example of treating others how she would like to be treated if she were in their shoes. Bridget has been volunteering with Three Little Birds since the very beginning. She turned her annual Halloween parties into fundraisers for Three Little Birds in its early years. She gave the blessing at the very first Wave of Light ceremony and didn't hesitate one bit when asked to do it again last October. When asked why she wanted to join the board, she told us she feels like an energetic firefighter who runs in when everyone else wants to run out. Bridget would continue to help whether she was on the board or not, That's just who she is!