Child Life Council Staff
Dennis Reynolds, MA, CAE
Executive Director
As chief staff executive, Dennis is responsible for staff and program oversight and works closely with volunteer leaders on the strategic direction of the organization.
Prior to coming to the Child Life Council in 2009, Dennis held executive positions in a variety of non-profit organizations based in the Washington, DC area. He served for more than a decade as President and CEO of the CAPCON Library Network (now OCLC East), where he led the development of a number of innovative educational and information-related programs and services for libraries and other nonprofit and for-profit organizations. He served for 7 years as the Executive Director of the American Medical Informatics Association, an association whose members are involved in research, development, and application of information management and patient care systems in healthcare. More recently, Dennis served as Vice President of Online and Community Programs at KaBOOM!, a social enterprise that works throughout North America with corporate sponsors and local nonprofit community organizations to plan, finance, and build playgrounds using a community engagement model.
Dennis is a graduate of the University of Kansas and has masters degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Chicago. He has held a number of volunteer positions in associations, including having served as president of the District of Columbia Library Association and as a board member of the Joint Healthcare Information Technology Alliance.
He lives in a close-in suburb adjacent to Washington, DC, and has a daughter in her third year of college in Chicago.
Shari Rager, CAE
Assistant Director
Shari can be reached at
Ramona Spencer, CMP
Manager of Conference & Professional Development
In collaboration with CLC staff and volunteer leaders, Ramona manages the planning and implementation of the CLC Annual Conference. She is also responsible for the Career Center.
Ramona has many years of meeting planning experience. Prior to joining CLC, she worked in a series of meeting planning positions, first as a corporate meeting planner for DaimlerChrysler, then for the Engineering Society of Detroit. More recently, she served as the Senior Conference Planner for the Scientific Consulting Group, where she managed a wide range of government conferences and events. Ramona has a bachelor's degree in Communication from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
Ramona can be reached at
Ame Enright
Manager of Certification
Ame is responsible for managing the Child Life Professional Certification program.
Before joining CLC, Ame worked in a variety of administrative positions for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University, the Maryland College of Art and Design, and the National Geographic Society. Ame has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
Ame can be reached at
Genevieve Thomas
Manager of Communications & Marketing
Genevieve works from a satellite office in San Diego, and is responsible for implementing and expanding CLC's internal and external communications initiatives, as tools for achieving the overall objectives of the organization.
Before joining CLC, Genevieve was a meeting coordinator at Concepts Worldwide, a meeting and event management company in San Diego. Genevieve graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a bachelor’s degree in Literature/Writing. She also holds a certificate in Meeting and Special Event Management from the UCSD College of Extended Studies.
Genevieve can be reached at
Melissa Boyd, MS, CCLS
Resource Development Coordinator
Melissa is responsible for supporting CLC members by monitoring CLC Forum discussions, researching external resources, and developing new and existing CLC resources.
Prior to joining CLC, Melissa worked as a child life specialist in the Day Surgery Department at Children’s Hospital Central California and in the Renal Center at Children’s Hospital Orange County, California. She earned her master’s degree in Child Life from the University of La Verne in Southern California, and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Smittcamp Family Honors College at California State University, Fresno.
Melissa can be reached at
Sharon L. Ruckdeschel
Membership and Database Coordinator
Sharon is responsible for managing the Child Life Council membership database.
Sharon has more than 14 years of association and nonprofit experience. Before joining the Child Life Council, Sharon was a database manager at the American Pharmacists Association in Washington, DC and a membership programs analyst at the World Wildlife Fund, also located in Washington, DC. Sharon has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Sharon can be reached at
Jennifer Lipsey, MA
Program Assistant
Jen is responsible for supporting CLC staff and members by assisting with the certification and annual conference programs as well as publications fulfillment, and generally acting as an additional point-of-contact for CLC members.
Prior to joining CLC, Jen worked with chronic, mentally-ill/dually-diagnosed adults as a clinical case manager with Mental Health Systems, Inc. and as a registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with First Avenue Counseling Centre in San Diego. She earned her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University in San Diego, CA and her bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development from San Diego State University.
Jen can be reached at