Troy is a Certified Child Life Specialist for and has over 25 years of experience in the field of Child Life, including directing several child life programs in the tri-state area. She has served as the Director of the Child Life Masters Program at Bank Street College since 2004, and has taught the following courses: Child Development, Adolescent and Emerging Adulthood, Child Life in Health Care Settings, Children with Special Health Care Needs, and Child Life Administration.

Troy has been an active member of the Association of Child Life Professionals and has held several leadership positions. Patient and Family Centered Care has been an integral part of her work with children, youth and their families for the last 30 years. She is committed to working with families. During her career, she has worked as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapist, Special Educator and as a Certified Child Life Specialist. Throughout her career she remains committed to and advocating for the diverse and unique needs of all patients and their family, supporting their growth and development.

Lisa has been a Certified Child Life Specialist for 10 years. She began her career at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia working, first, on the outpatient Radiology/Sedation unit before transitioning to the inpatient Oncology unit. In 2022, Lisa moved from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, where she continued her work with the inpatient Oncology population. In March, she took her skills and knowledge from the hospital setting with her to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society where she now works as a Campaign Development Manager for the Visionaries of the Year campaign. Lisa holds a Master's degree in Applied Developmental Psychology with concentrations in Child Life and Behavioral Health from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a certified Trauma Informed Care Practitioner. Prior to her career as a Child Life Specialist, Lisa worked in behavioral health as a Therapeutic Support Staff (TSS) and a Behavioral Specialist Consultant (BSC). Throughout her career, she has been passionate about continuing her work with patients who have behavioral and developmental considerations, as well as patients and families battling cancer. She also has been highly involved in Adolescent and Young Adult programming and support. She has held the highest level on the clinical ladder both at CHOP and at Nemours. During her career she has been a Reflective Practice Group Facilitator, a Clinical Leader, an ACLP Mentor, assisted in writing several grants and research articles, and served as the Adolescent and Young Adult Child Life Lead for several years. In her free time, Lisa enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and rescue dog, Lily, She also enjoys spending time at the beach, taking trips to Disney World, watching Pittsburgh Steelers football, and participating in Orange Theory workouts regularly.  

Jana has been a dual-certified therapeutic recreation and child life specialist for 19 years. She started her career at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and has been at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware for almost 12 years as a Senior Child Life Specialist. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Family Science from Wilmington University and is also a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. Jana has always worked with medically complex children, primarily in inpatient rehabilitation utilizing her recreation therapy and child life skills. The primary populations that Jana works with are traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputations, skeletal dysplasia, and cerebral palsy. Jana is currently the co-coordinator of the child life internship program, a reflective practice group facilitator, a clinical leader and mentor in the department, and serves on interprofessional shared governance for the hospital and many other department and population-specific task forces and initiatives. Jana also wrote a Family-Centered Care chapter in a respiratory therapy textbook. Jana enjoys distance trail running, hiking, doing Peloton workouts, traveling, and spending time with friends, family, and her rescued black and tan coonhound, Crosby. 

Maria Sohail is a Certified Child Life Specialist working at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, within the technology programming and inpatient support role. Maria holds a masters degree in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care and Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Behaviour and Autism Behavioural Sciences. As a visible person of colour, Maria is passionate about advocating for and ensuring that patients and families from marginalized and vulnerable populations receive the individualized care they need to feel and be successful

Sherry Cheng is a Certified Child Life Specialist currently working at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Ontario within the Virtual Reality Program and float support role. Sherry completed her MSc in Child Life & Pediatric Psychosocial Care through McMaster University, where she gained valuable knowledge and experience that aligned with her interests in the therapeutic value of play, child development, and the process of developing resiliency. As an immigrant and person of colour herself, Sherry’s philosophy is to forever remain a learner, where she invites her patients and families to share with her unique knowledge about themselves. Sherry recognizes the different interactions and impacts that one’s culture can have on one’s identity and how that affects the care they wish to receive. Her goal is to seek out and include these pieces of information in her practice each and every time she creates an individualized care plan for her patients.

Jill is an international autism consultant and presenter. After graduating from Baylor University, Hudson completed her clinical training internship as a child life specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital and then worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her numerous encounters with patients on the autism spectrum led her to complete a master’s degree in autism at the University of Kansas.  

Hudson has published several books, chapters, and articles on autism, including two international publications in Japan and Canada specific to supporting individuals with autism in the medical environment. She participated in an autism roundtable event at the White House and presented at the World Autism Congress in South Africa. Hudson has consulted, led groups, and presented trainings and workshops throughout Australia, Asia, Europe, and across the United States. Previously, Hudson also taught online graduate and undergraduate courses for Wheelock College on autism assessments and interventions. 

In her full-time role at OCALI, Hudson works with National and State Partnerships. She leads the National Autism Leadership Collaborative, co-coordinates OCALICON - an international autism and disabilities conference, participates in the Interagency Workgroup on Autism, and previously co-led the National Community of Practice for Autism Spectrum Disorders through the federally funded IDEA Partnership. 

Cortnee Miller, MS, CCLS is a certified child life specialist in the inpatient rehab, ortho, and trauma unit at Children's Hospital Colorado. She has been in the field for 8 years and is a Medical Dog Handler. In her role she provides support to both acute and long-term patients following a traumatic event, recognizing the variability between acute and long-term trauma responses. Through assessment, education, and relationship-building, Cortnee continues to find passion in supporting these patients and their families.

Claire Simonsen, BA is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Children's Hospital of Colorado and supports the Integrative Creative Care Department including Child Life, Creative Arts Therapy, Spiritual Care and Seacrest Studios. The research she facilitates is primarily focused on reducing distress and anxiety of pediatric patients with a variation of health conditions. She also supports program evaluation and quality improvement initiatives aimed to promote emotional safety,  enhance patient care, and provide education to patients, families and staff. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Philosophy in 2022 from Marist College and has worked at CHCO for over a year. Academically and professionally, she has worked on over a dozen research studies in psychology, philosophy, and child life, has presented at national conferences, and has worked in various healthcare and mental healthcare settings. She is dedicated to improving the mental wellness of pediatric patients, particularly those who have had adverse experiences, trauma, and who are in marginalized communities.