Toni Crowell-Petrungaro, MS, CCLS, Chair

Toni Crowell-Petrungaro is currently the Child Life Program Director at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Throughout her 25 year career as a child life specialist she has worked in a variety of clinical, academic, and leadership roles spanning three countries -  The United States, Canada, and Qatar. Toni is graduate of Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and received their (inaugural) Alumni Global Impact Award in 2019 for her international contributions to the child life field.  Toni has been volunteering with ACLP since 2000 and with the CLCC since 2016 where she has been part of item-writing, item-review, exam assembly, and appeals. She currently serves as the Chair for the Appeals committee and is a member of exam assembly and ethics. Toni lives in Connecticut with her husband and 8 year-old son, Ethan. 

Melissa Schotthofer, PhD, CCLS, Chair-Elect

Melissa Schotthofer, PhD, CCLS, Chair-Elect

Melissa has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2005. She completed her undergraduate work at The University of Wisconsin-River Falls, her master's degree in human development and family studies with a child life emphasis at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and her doctoral degree in psychology at Grand Canyon University.  Melissa’s child life career began at the University of Rochester Medical Center as a CCLS in the emergency department and in the outpatient hematology-oncology clinic. Upon obtaining her master’s degree, Melissa transitioned into academia.  Melissa is a Clinical Assistant Professor and academic advisor in the undergraduate child life program at Missouri State University. Melissa began serving as an item writer for CLCC in 2015 and chaired that committee from 2019-2021. Since then, Melissa has also served on the recertification audit committee and the appeals committee. In her free time, Melissa enjoys reading, traveling to visit her sisters and cheering on both the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tracey Craddock, MS, CCLS, Immediate Past Chair

Tracey Craddock is a Certified Child Life Specialist in the emergency department at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania. She received her master’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a specialization in child development from West Virginia University. During her sixteen years as a child life specialist, she has worked at hospitals in both Pennsylvania and Ohio. Tracey’s involvement in volunteering with ACLP began in 2014 as a member of the Focus Review Board. Since that time, Tracey has served on the Advanced Professional Development Committee. In 2017, she joined the Child Life Certification Commission and has served on the Item Writing Committee and Communications Committee.

Megan Fisher, CCLS, Secretary

Megan has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2003.  She received her bachelor's degree in Child and Family Studies from Baylor University.  Megan is now the Child Life Educator at Children's Hospital Colorado.  Prior to her work as the Child Life Educator, Megan worked directly with patients in outpatient cardiology, surgical services, inpatient post-surgical unit as well as the Emergency Department.  Megan began volunteering with the CLCC in 2014 as an Item Writer.  She has also served as an Item Reviewer and Item Writer Coach.  Megan lives in Colorado with her husband and two boys.  

Rebecka Dolyniuk, CCLS, Treasurer

Rebecka has been a child life specialist for over fifteen years. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Colorado State University before pursuing graduate course work in their Human Development and Family Studies department. Rebecka spent nearly a decade working with the infant, toddler, school age and burn populations at Johns Hopkins Children Center. Prior to starting her family in 2015, she worked in a community hospital in Florida where she split her time between inpatient clinical care and community health outreach and education. She joined the CLCC in 2011. Before stepping into the role of Commissioner, Rebecka served as a member of the Item Writing, Item Review and Exam Assembly committees.

Amanda Lockett, MS, CCLS, Appeals Chair

Amanda Lockett (she/her) has been a child life specialist since 2008. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008) and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Vanderbilt University (2015). She began her child life career working in inpatient settings and currently works in a variety of hospital settings as a PRN specialist. In 2016, Amanda began teaching child life courses online and her love of teaching was born. She is attending Clemson University to pursue a PhD in Educational Leadership in hopes to combine her clinical and academic passion in the field of child life. Within the Child Life Certification Commission, Amanda enjoys collaborating with and learning from others working on various tasks and subcommittees like appeals, item writing, recertification audits, and exam assembly. During her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time at home with her family, reading, and shopping. 

Karyn Positano, CCLS, Communications Chair

Karyn Positano, CCLS, Communications Chair

Karyn Positano is a Certified Child Life Specialist currently working in the Haematology/Oncology unit at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto Ontario. During her 24 years of being a child life specialist, she has also worked with the General Paediatrics, Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases populations. Karyn has worked with Sickkids International and had the opportunity to work with hospitals and universities in Qatar, China and South Africa. She was also involved with an international working group which created clinical practice guidelines in treating pain experienced by children with cancer. Karyn’s involvement in volunteering with the ACLP began in 2015 when she became a member of the focus review board. She then joined the CLCC in 2017 and has spent time in various committees such as item writing, exam assembly, exam review, appeals and finally the communications committee. She graduated from Ryerson University with an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and did her Master of Science at the University of Guelph. In her spare time, Karyn enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children, reading and learning how to crochet.

Sherwood Burns-Nader, PhD, CCLS, Ethics Chair

Sherwood Burns-Nader, PhD, CCLS, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In this role, Dr. Burns-Nader coordinates the undergraduate and graduate child life programs, teaches child life coursework, and maintains a research agenda. She earned her PhD in Educational Psychology and her MS in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Child Life from the University of Alabama. Dr. Burns-Nader's research interests include examining the psychosocial issues affecting children and families in the healthcare setting, the benefits of child life interventions during healthcare procedures, the experiences of Certified Child Life Specialists, and the value of play in development and coping in children. She has publications on these topics in such journals as Burns, Pain Medicine, Children's Health Care, Clinical Pediatrics, and Journal of Child Health Care. In 2018 and 2022, Dr. Burns-Nader received the Association of Child Life Professionals Research Award. She is an active leader in the Association of Child Life Professionals and the Southeastern Association of Child Life Professionals, including serving as Chair to the Child Life Certification Commission and Chair to SEACLP. 

Kate Kauffman, CCLS, Item Review Chair

Kate Kauffman, CCLS, Item Review Chair

Kate graduated with her Bachelor’s of Science in Child Life from the University of Alabama. She has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2014 and began her child life career working in an emergency department in Ohio. She currently works at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as both a CCLS in their emergency department and a Certified Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) with their car seat program.  She has been volunteering with ACLP for over five years and has experience reviewing conference abstracts, writing items for the certification exam, reviewing exam items, and now as chair of the Item Review Committee. 

Michelle Barksdale Mathews, MS, CCLS, Item Writing Chair

Michelle has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2000.  She completed her undergraduate work at Carson-Newman College and her master’s degree at the University of Alabama.  She serves as the student coordinator at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children, while clinically working with patients and families in radiology and pre-op.  Michelle has volunteered with several ACLP committees and task forces over the years.  She began as an item writer for CLCC in 2017, where she became invigorated by the challenge and satisfaction of the work.  In addition, she has served on the communication and recertification audit subcommittees, as well as being coach to item writers.  In her free time, Michelle enjoys her fur children, traveling with her husband, attending concerts, and cheering for the Crimson Tide. 

Sara Krewson, MS, CCLS, Exam Assembly Chair

Sara Krewson is the Child Life Lead at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois where she has worked as a Child Life Specialist for 12 years. After completing an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, she focused on studying human development and family resources in Illinois State University’s Child Life graduate program.  Sara provides direct patient care in all areas of the hospital, focusing primarily in the emergency department, general pediatrics, PICU, and surgery.  Sara serves on a number of task forces for Carle Health including DEI, sensory-friendly initiatives, and behavioral health supports.  As a member of the Certification Commission since 2013, Sara has enjoyed working with the Item Writing, Item Review, and Exam Assembly teams.

Sarah Sebton, MS, Public Member

Sarah Sebton earned her Masters of Public Health and Masters of Public Administration from New York University (NYU) in 2017. Sarah has worked for many nonprofit and government entities in her career, including The Health Federation of Philadelphia, Smile Train, Mount Sinai Health System, and the Travis County Healthcare District. Sarah also served as a Public Health and Wellness Officer in the Texas State Guard for over 4 years. In January 2020, Sarah joined University Health as the Director of Trauma-Informed Care, leading the health system's internal transformation to become a trauma-informed organization. Outside of her work, Sarah is a proud rabbit and dog mom and volunteers at a conservation park with rhinos and giraffes.

Amanda Honeyman, CCLS, Recertification Audit Chair

Amanda Honeyman, CCLS, Recertification Audit Chair

Amanda Honeyman is currently a Senior Child Life Specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado North Campus location.  She has been certified for nearly 20 years and worked in a variety of hospital units with an emphasis on outpatient and radiology services. Amanda has been an internship/practicum coordinator, and is currently additionally a medical dog handler, new hire mentor, and group-supervision facilitator, as well.  Amanda graduated University of LaVerne, Master’s in Child Life program after completing her Bachelor’s in Child Development.  Amanda has been volunteering with ACLP since 2013 and with CLCC for much of the past 10 years, as part of the item writing & reviewing committees, past chair of the appeals committee, ethics committee and currently the chair of the Recertification PDU Audit committee.  Amanda lives in Northern Colorado with her 6 year old son, Jake and her new puppy Penny!

Alisha Saavedra, MA, CCLS, ACLP Immediate Past President

Alisha Saavedra (she/her) is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Training for the Master of Science in Child Life Specialist program at Loma Linda University. She began her career 23 years ago as a child life assistant in the Hematology-Oncology unit at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. Alisha has since held a CCLS position in the Hematology-Oncology, Acute Care, and Surgery areas in addition to coordinating practicum and internship programming. Her high regard for educating and providing mentorship to aspiring professionals led her to pursue a position in academia and she has been a full-time educator since 2014.    

Working in conjunction with students, developing community partnerships, and providing service to others have been focal points of her professional pursuits. Alisha has partnered in the development of the child life program at The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University, P.R. China and continues to be a consultant. Her involvement in local and global partnerships has allowed her to take part in expanding the reach of the child life profession and sharing the importance of psychosocial care for children and families. Alisha has a decade long history of service with ACLP, where she has held the Chair position for the Internship Accreditation Oversight Committee (2021-2022) and Chair-Elect for the Practicum Task Force (2021). In these leadership roles she contributed her perspectives from an academic viewpoint and as an advocate on behalf of student needs. This also influenced her style in building a collective teamwork approach among members who encompass diverse experiences and knowledge. Additionally, she served as a subject matter expert for the Internship Readiness Practice Analysis and Alignment Study (2021-2022), participated in strategic planning (2021), the Think Tank (2020), and has been involved in various DEI efforts. As a co-leader of the Priorities workgroup, participant in the DEI Summit, and RCC leadership series, Alisha engaged in collaborative work that reflects her strong value for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This inspired her to pursue her Collaborator Certification™ through Racially Conscious Collaboration in 2021.

Alisha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development, Child Life Concentration from the University of LaVerne and a Master of Arts in Psychology, Child Development Concentration from California State University, San Bernardino. She was the recipient of the 2019 Faculty Scholar Educator Award (School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University) and values lifelong learning in and outside of the classroom.

Alison E. Heron, MBA, CAE, ACLP CEO

Alison E. Heron, MBA, CAE serves as the Chief Executive Officer and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with 27 years of diverse association sector experience and 21 years in leadership roles. Alison holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Strayer University. She is data-driven and a high-achieving visionary leader committed to advance an organization’s strategic goals diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, transformational leadership, trend/data analysis, and high-level customer service experience.

Before joining ACLP, she served as the Senior Director of Membership and Customer Relations at the Water Environment Federation. Prior to WEF, she served as the Senior Director of Membership and Units at the Council for Exceptional Children. Alison is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and a 2008-2009 ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Scholar.

She is the proud mother of two thriving sons in college and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling by planes, trains and automobiles and considers herself a life-long learner.

Mary Buday, CLCC Staff Liaison

As Director of Certification, Mary Catherine Buday manages the Child Life Professional Certification Program. Mary joined the team in 2024 and has worked with certification programs in the healthcare and education professions spanning 30 years. She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Detroit-Mercy and a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in public service from Albion College. She earned a Credentialing Specialist Certificate from the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and has written and presented extensively on the role of certification in quality assurance. Mary was an adjunct professor for the University of Detroit-Mercy and Nova Southeastern University teaching undergraduate and graduate-level courses to education students. When she’s not working, Mary enjoys volunteering in her community helping local youth music, performing arts, and sports programs. She’s a mom to two young adult children and enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing the cello, working in her garden, traveling, and taking long walks with her dog, Kevin.