Staff

Rachel Astorga-McCain grew up in the small border town of Del Rio, TX, and has been an Austin transplant since 1999. She currently resides in the north Austin area with her husband and daughter, Patrick and Leila, and their dog, Amelia. After her water broke at 24 weeks, followed by a short antepartum hospital stay, Rachel gave birth to Leila in the fall of 2016 at 26 weeks gestation weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces and was discharged after spending 81 days in the NICU. Despite numerous respiratory issues since then, Leila continues to thrive and is one happy-go-lucky girl.

 

 

Rachel experienced first-hand the exhausting emotional and physical toll a NICU stay can have on a parent and the conflicting feelings of excitement, gratitude, worry and grief that continue after discharge.  She looks forward to her new role where she can be part of a team that supports fellow preemie parents through quality and meaningful programs.

Prior to joining Hand to Hold, Rachel worked for the Prevention and Early Intervention division at the Department of Family & Protective Services (DFPS) managing strategic cross-state agency efforts after serving as project manager for the federal Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grant. She previously served as the Director of Community Education at Any Baby Can of Austin, Inc. where she coordinated outreach efforts and managed cross-sector partnerships. Before accepting this position, she was the Family Education Program Manager overseeing family literacy and parenting education programs for Austin area families.

Rachel earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin as well as an Executive Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Krystle “KG” Gervais joined Hand to Hold as their first Marketing Director in March of 2019.

Krystle comes to Hand to Hold after a direct connection to the mission through her son, who they call Bug, who was born at 34 weeks due to preeclampsia. During this very intimidating and overwhelming time, she and her husband found a support group and the bead program that celebrated the wins while in St. David’s NICU. 

Krystle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Sam Houston State University and a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Texas A&M University. She has spent the last 11 years working in the non-proft industry working as a fundraiser, event lead, program support and marketing manager.  

Krystle is a die-hard Britney & Ariana fan, loves stand-up, is probably binge-watching the newest show and lives by her paper planner.

Katrina Moline has only recently come on to the Hand to Hold team in an official capacity as the Operations Manager. But she has been a part of the family since 2009 when she brought her tiny 24-week preemie home from a long and arduous 150 days in Dell Children’s NICU. She reached out to Kelli Kelley hoping to help and found help for herself instead. Ever since that fateful coffee date with Kelli, Katrina has whole-heartedly supported the Hand to Hold mission in any way possible, including by benefitting from a peer-to-peer mentor in those early days, telling her story at Hand to Hold fundraising engagements and volunteering as a mentor herself for the last several years. 

That once 1-1/2 pound preemie fighting for his life for days on end is now a healthy third grader. Though he still struggles with many challenges he works tirelessly to overcome any obstacle in his path.  He and his six-year-old little brother, born healthy and without a NICU stay, are endless sources of love, light and laughter in their family’s lives.

Katrina holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Texas State University. She has spent the last 14 years wearing a multitude of hats for Screen Solutions, Inc. and is excited for this new opportunity to focus her time and talents on a mission so near and dear to her heart.

When not working Katrina enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends and being outdoors.

Kelly Perkins joined the Hand to Hold team as the Development Director in December 2019. She most recently spent two years in the same capacity with The Salvation Army and four years with CASA of Travis County.

Kelly’s connection to the NICU is quite unique in that her son, Cooper, now 17, was a full-term baby who went home healthy and then returned to the NICU when he was five days old. Kelly remembers this time all too well and holds it truly as the most traumatic time of uncertainty and fear she has faced. Kelly’s passion for Hand to Hold and the families we serve comes from her experience and wishing she’d had someone to come along beside her when she was faced with such uncertainty for her little one.

Kelly holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from Tusculum University and a Bachelor of Science in Business from Davenport University. Coming to Hand to Hold with over 15 years of development director experience, Kelly is excited to combine her passion and past experience to help forward the mission and vision of Hand to Hold.

When not working, Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband and very active children, reading, watching movies and trying to figure out her Cricut!

 

Suzy Kellough’s passion for helping others has led her to work with seniors and children with special needs for the past 15 years. Her daughter, Alisa, was born at 27 weeks weighing 1.6 pounds. They were in the NICU for 137 days. Although that was 19 years ago, Suzy still remembers the stress and worries of the NICU and the sadness of not having the experience you dreamed of when finding out you were growing your family.

 

 

 

Suzy and her husband, James, have been married for 25 years. They just relocated from Chicago, to McKinney, TX, in August 2017. Suzy loves to read and spend time with family & friends, laughing, visiting the ocean and getting involved in their new church. Her daughter Alisa is 19 years old and starting college.

 

Christine’s first experience of the NICU was after her daughter, Isabelle, was born at 28 weeks. The family spent 45 days in the NICU before losing her to NEC. Christine’s third child also spent almost two weeks in the NICU, following a congenital heart defect diagnosis at birth.

After these two difficult and life-altering events, Christine recognized the importance of support and resources for families in the NICU and beyond, which were the reasons she was drawn to Hand to Hold. As a Family Support Navigator, she spends time in the NICU, talking to families and helping them through their stay. Additionally, her experience of loss guides her to help parents who have suffered any form of bereavement involving the death of a baby or a child of any age.

Christine grew up in a bilingual household, speaking English and Spanish. She studied Modern Languages at the University of Oxford, before working for many years in sports sponsorship and marketing in London. She now stays busy with her husband and three sons. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her sons compete in sports and loves reading, travel, food, good wine and exercise.

Gabrielle Wiggins is the wife of Joshua and mother of two wonderful boys, Raymond and Aaron. Aaron, who is her youngest was born a little early at 39 weeks. Within a few hours after he came into the world, he began having seizures. Aaron was rushed to St David’s Main NICU where doctors tried to find the cause of the bleeding on his brain. It was a very scary time. He has recovered and is now a heathy, active boy.

Gabrielle was moved by the love she, her new baby and family received in the NICU and overwhelmed by all the support provided there. She had no idea how devastating and frightening walking though the difficult journey of having a baby in the NICU would be for her and her husband Joshua. She is forever grateful for the care the entire family received.

Gabrielle enjoys church activities and spending time with her busy family, including watching her oldest, Raymond play basketball and her youngest, Aaron play soccer. Gabrielle and Joshua also own a growing business and are thankful for the many blessing in their lives.

Whitney gave birth to her first premature baby at 34 weeks pregnant. Her daughter, Kolbie spent one month in the NICU. Three years later she gave birth to her son, Kase at just 24 weeks. After having already spent time in the NICU she remembers how scared she was knowing she would have to go back through another NICU journey. He was born a few hours from home so being away from her family and friends was extremely tough. He spent four and a half months in the NICU which included a couple of
surgeries, some really hard days but also some incredible moments.

During her first NICU experience she only had the support of her husband; Clinton, family and friends but when her son was born, she was introduced to Hand to Hold. The support she received from her peer mentor made a big difference in her second NICU experience. She is very passionate about sharing her story to help other families navigate their journey through the NICU and believes that giving back to others is very important.

She and her husband enjoy spending time with their three kids camping, fishing and rodeoing. They also find joy in traveling, spending time at the lake and going on new adventures as a family. Both of their preemies are thriving, healthy kids!

Jenny hails from Lafayette, Louisiana, but was transplanted to Texas soon after. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas and currently resides outside of Houston in Cypress, Texas.

Before joining Hand to Hold, Jenny worked for the American Cancer Society as a volunteer coordinator and for the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she recruited community members to participate as “patients” in clinical skills programs. She is happy for the opportunity to combine both of these work experiences into her role as Family Support Navigator at Hand to Hold, where she works with incoming and current peer mentors to ensure each family that seeks support has a hand to hold.

Jenny has two sweet girls who are both native New Yorkers, but she is grateful to be living in Texas again where her family resides. She enjoys volunteering at both of her girls’ schools. In 2016 she married her husband, Kevin, a nice cajun boy.

Lexi Losch joined Hand to Hold in December 2018 as the Community Engagement Specialist to bring awareness to the Austin community about the many ways that Hand to Hold can socially and emotionally support families before, during and after a NICU experience. She lives in Pflugerville, TX, with her husband and three children. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Higher Education from the University of Miami. Lexi recently completed a Master’s in Professional Counseling, as she realized after her own experience with perinatal mood disorders, that there weren’t enough resources and mental health clinicians of color dedicated to supporting the transition into motherhood and beyond.

With more than 17 years of experience, Tamara has been recognized as a thought leader and visionary in the industries of Sales Management, Golf/Country Club Membership andSales, Hospitality Management, and Wedding and Event Planning. Tamara began her career in 2000 as the Managing Director Assistant/Membership Liaison at a private membership club in San Antonio, TX. During her time there, she helped to establish Marks on the Riverwalk as the only premier membership outlet on the San Antonio Riverwalk. Tamara’s career continued its rapid ascension when she joined the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa/Country Club, the #1 Golf Resort in Texas. Over seven years, Tamara held positions in every facet of the organization centric to member and client relations: first as Membership Experience Manager, where she served as lead point of contact for golf, sport, social and club for all members’ needs. From weddings, group golf events, social clubs, and corporate functions, Tamara delivered the highest level of customer service to her members & patrons. Her final role at Omni Barton Creek was as Golf Sales Manager.  Tamara currently serves as the Event Coordinator for Hand to Hold. In her off time she enjoys the great outdoors, especially scuba diving, hiking, wake boarding, snowboarding, and life long passion for floral design and Ikebana.

Sonja Ferguson is a native Southern Californian who moved to Austin, TX in 2010. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from California State University-Fullerton (Go Titan Baseball!), with a minor in Psychology. She then began her journey into education by earning her certifications and Master’s degrees in both cross-cultural teaching and educational counseling from National University. Before becoming a middle school counselor in the Austin area, Sonja spent time as a teacher and college advisor/counselor.

Sonja began working for Hand to Hold as a Family Support Navigator in September of 2017. The support she received from Hand to Hold after the premature birth of her own son Jack at only 29 weeks in December of 2016 was invaluable and became a catalyst for her to want to help others grappling with NICU life. Sonja runs the Hand To Hold NICU Family Forum page on Facebook, connecting families all over the world who are currently experiencing the rollercoaster of the NICU and those who have graduated and can provide support through the lens of their own experiences. This has been such a rewarding endeavor for Sonja and she is honored to be a part of this organization.

In her spare time, Sonja is interested in spending time outdoors, going to comedy clubs, “road tripping”, cooking (and eating), running around with her cat and two dogs, and especially spending time with her son Jack and husband Rob.

Jenna Maxfield has been with Hand to Hold since 2017 and serves as the organization’s Podcast Producer, working with Kelli Kelley on booking, writing, and editing all podcasts. Jenna started her career as an English teacher, then eventually worked as an administrator at Fusion Academy in Austin. She graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and after teaching for several years in Texas, moved to Los Angeles where she obtained her Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California.

Jenna’s passion is writing, and she loves the creativity that goes along with the podcast production. Beyond her work with Hand to Hold, Jenna is an avid reader and writer, writing her own fiction in her spare time. She also has two dogs and a cat that keep her pretty busy.

Leigh Ann Torres is a writer, creator and mother of three living in Austin, TX. After a short and sudden bout with severe preeclampsia, Leigh Ann’s identical twin girls were delivered at 31 weeks, spending 38 mostly uneventful days in the NICU. Two years later the Torres family welcomed another baby, this time at term, with only a mild case of preeclampsia. Leigh Ann currently runs Hand to Hold’s online content and social media channels. When she’s not doing laundry or fulfilling requests for snacks, she usually has her nose stuck in a book.

Alicia resides in Austin with her husband and three beautiful daughters. A former native of New Orleans, LA, she and Christopher met at a conference while working in the specialty banking field. She was quickly swept off her feet and moved to Dallas, TX. They have been in Austin since 2009. Alicia has owned her own floral and event business and has worked as an Executive Assistant/Office and Design Coordinator for a large Church in Dallas. Alicia’s own miscarriages have given her a passion for NICU and bereaved families. She enjoys working to bring her creative touch to the events for families in the NICU.

Mary Dudley is the proud mother of Hand to Hold’s Founder and Executive Director, Kelli Dudley Kelley. Mary has been with Hand to Hold from the very beginning. Her first visit to a NICU was the night her first grandson was born at 24 weeks. Mary has been by Kelli’s side through the whole journey and is proud to be working as Administrator Coordinator. Mary has been a legal secretary, an assistant to a bank president, the owner and operator of a retail garden center and manager of a health club. She says working for Hand to Hold is living a dream come true with her daughter, helping ensure NICU Families like their own receive support that they so desperately needed 17 years ago. Mary recently celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary and is looking forward to moving to the Austin area to be close to her two daughters and five grandchildren.

Sara has an enthusiasm for spreadsheets and helping people. She originally came to Hand to Hold as a volunteer and now combines her enthusiasm for spreadsheets and helping people as our E-Commerce Coordinator. She lives in Austin, Texas with her paramedic husband and two children, Charlie and Nora. Nora was born at 32 weeks and 1 day by emergency C-section due to a placental abruption. After spending 53 days in the NICU, Nora has had a relatively easy path with minimal occupational therapy, eye surgery, ear tubes, and some asthma. Charlie joined the family in October 2016 with no complications.

Sara is originally from rural south Louisiana and received a B.A. in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has worked in higher education and educational publishing in a variety of roles, from project management and sales support to academic advising and orientation. As a true Cajun, she enjoys feeding people, talking about food, and explaining the difference between Cajun food and Creole food.

Tess is a Registered Nurse with clinical experience in the NICU and a trained DONA doula. In 2012,she moved from the Bay Area to Austin, where she later met her husband, Matt.

After building a career in marketing, Tess felt called to return to school and seek a new career in women’s health and birth-positive spaces. Tess graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Austin Community College and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Texas Tech University. In addition to witnessing firsthand the experiences of NICU providers through her clinical experience, her close friends’ NICU journey and the loss of their son inspired her to join Hand to Hold in 2019. Her goal is to provide empowered and informed care to her clients and patients.