Central Texas

Adrianna is primarily responsible for providing direct clinical services through psychosocial support to children, adolescents and teens in bilingual or Spanish-speaking families who have a seriously ill parent.

Adrianna holds Bachelor’s degrees in Religious Studies and Human Development, and Family Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Development from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a certified child life specialist (CCLS) and has more than 16 years of experience supporting children affected by serious illness or injury. Adrianna is also an artist who loves yoga and camping with her husband and two children.

Alex Gabbi is a devoted father to his three wonderful kids, Nico, Maya and Luca. After his wife died of cancer, he gave up a successful career in business to focus on making a difference for others in the community in as many ways as possible. This included teaching at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and supporting Wonders & Worries. His career encompasses more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership positions with small and Fortune 500 companies in the high-tech, consulting, international business and software arenas. Alex is an avid traveler and enjoys games of strategy. He intends for his children to visit 40 countries and 40 states before they graduate high school. Read more about his story.

Ashley joined the Wonders & Worries Austin team with over five years of experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS). Ashley received her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from The University of Texas at San Antonio and her Masters of Science with a major in Family and Child Studies from Texas State University. She has previously worked at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio in the Emergency Department.

Ashley is married to her high school sweetheart and has a four year old son. In her off time she enjoys traveling with her husband and son, especially when it involves going to Disney World. She also enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants around Austin and taking her son and dog to the park.

After graduating with a BA in accounting, Beth worked in accounting for a number of years. When she became a full-time mom, she continued doing bookkeeping for her husband’s business. During the 12 years of raising two daughters, Beth had the opportunity to volunteer for many different organizations and became passionate about nonprofit work. For her second career, Beth managed the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation, gaining experience in fundraising and donor relationship management while overseeing the foundation’s four charitable programs. She continues serving on the Board of Directors of Art From the Streets. Beth’s hidden talent is that she knows how to milk a cow.

Cindy joins Wonders & Worries with more than 28 years of experience, having served in numerous hospitals supporting the psychosocial needs of pediatric patients and their families. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and a passionate champion for Spanish-speaking communities. Cindy has her bachelor of science in Early Childhood and Family Relationships, and a Master of education in Special Education, both from the University of Texas. She is a certified child life specialist (CCLS) and recently started teaching an Introduction to Child Life course at UT.

Cindy volunteers with Operation Smile on international medical missions and serves on the Standish Foundation advisory board. Cindy has been married 25 years and enjoys spending time on the lake and running.

Heike joined Wonders & Worries with more than a decade of marketing experience in the retail technology industry. A German native, she received her degree in Business and Marketing in Berlin, Germany. She has had the unique opportunity to work in diverse markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, collaborating with global teams to devise and implement effective marketing strategies.

Heike is also a passionate entrepreneur who has successfully run a photography business in recent years. She has found great joy and purpose in volunteering at her kids’ school and through various local service organizations. This passion for helping and making a difference in people’s lives has ignited her desire to join Wonders & Worries to help grow their mission and extend their services into a larger territory.

Heike has called Austin home for the past 25 years but considers herself a global citizen. When she’s not busy with her family or behind the camera, you will probably find her somewhere outdoors; gardening, exercising, running at one of the many local parks, or playing with her two rescue pups. She loves traveling and always has a growing list of destinations on her bucket list.

Jacquelyn is a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and has over 16 years of experience providing psychosocial support to bereaved children and families as well as children who have an adult in their life with a serious medical illness. Prior to coming to Wonders & Worries, Jacquelyn directed the children’s bereavement program at the Christi Center, providing therapeutic support groups, activities, and events for children and teens and parental support to parents in grief.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from St. Edward’s University and a master’s degree in Family and Child Development from Texas State University.

Jacquelyn is honored to come alongside families during their illness journey and learns as much from the beautiful families served as they do from her…that together we can do hard things and overcome. She has also authored the organization’s first published children’s book in the Wonders & Worries book series “I Wonder What It’s Like When a Parent Has Cancer: Max’s Story.”

Jordan joined Wonders & Worries with over 6 years of experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), supporting pediatric patients and families in the hospital setting. She graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and began her career as a CCLS at McLane Children’s Hospital Baylor Scott & White in Temple, Texas before moving to Austin, supporting the trauma population at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Since 2019, Jordan has helped spread awareness and educate the community about Wonders & Worries’ services and the benefits of child life support through her role as Outreach Manager. Outside of work, Jordan enjoys teaching barre classes and spending time with her husband, family, and friends!

Julie joined the Wonders & Worries team with more than 15 years of clinical experience supporting children and their families as they navigate the medical journey. She treasures her many years as a child life specialist at Baylor’s Our Children’s House in Dallas, Texas, serving families in need of medicine and rehabilitation services. For the past seven years, Julie served in a senior leadership role on the child life team at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. She holds a bachelor of science in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin.

Julie is also known as “Mom!” to four crazy kiddos of her own. She and her husband enjoy camping and exploring the awesome hill country with their children and silly golden retriever. Julie has a knack for repurposing old furniture, which led to the creation of her own furniture design company, Firefly Skies. Climber of trees and often covered in paint, Julie is always up for an adventure.

Kim has been a child life specialist for more than 30 years. She started her career at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and worked with seriously ill children and their families for nine years. Kim moved to Austin and joined the Wonders & Worries team in 2003. Kim now serves as national program director, a role that provides her the privilege of overseeing our national Helpline 844-WE-WONDER, supporting our growing network of Registered Wonders & Worries Providers (RWWP’s), facilitating WonderChats for Parents, and promoting Wonders & Worries many resources. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Family Relations and Child Development and masters’ degrees in both Human Development and Family Studies and Counseling with a play therapy emphasis. 

Kim is married to her high school sweetheart, who proposed underwater while they were scuba diving. They have a young adult daughter, young adult son, and an Australian Shepherd. Kim is adventurous and loves the outdoors. She is a certified scuba diver, avid hiker, snow skier, water skier, and has jumped out of a plane. She also enjoys watching college football and relaxing with a good book. 

Kira March has been a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) since 2014.  She started her career as a CCLS supporting patients and families at Texas Children’s Hospital on an inpatient general pediatrics unit after completing an internship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She joyously joined the Wonders & Worries team in 2022 where she is able to purse her passion for play and empowering children.  Kira graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences, focusing on child development. Kira is an avid reader, always outside, and never turns down a good meal.  When not at work, she can be found barefoot in the sunshine with her two children and husband.

Leslie comes to us from Houston where she managed special events for the American Red Cross. She is married to her college sweetheart and has two adult children. Leslie graduated from the University of Houston and is very active in the Cougar Austin Alumni Group.  Leslie enjoys traveling and spending time with family. If you can’t find her doing any of those things, she will probably be by the pool reading a book or visiting her favorite winery in Fredericksburg.

During her children’s school years, she was very active in the PTA as well as the classroom, and volunteered with multiple organizations. That time spent helping others solidified her love of philanthropies and desire to work for a non-profit.

Maria Patiño graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2013 with a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. She completed her child life practicum with Wonders & Worries, and is applying for her child life internship, the next step to becoming a certified child life specialist (CCLS). Maria volunteers with Dell Children’s Medical Center, the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas and El Buen Samaritano. Maria is fluent in English and Spanish, and her superpower is creating delicious vegan baked goods.

Melissa has been a child life specialist for over 30 years with her primary area of clinical expertise in the oncology arena. Prior to co-founding Wonders & Worries, she worked at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland and the AFLAC Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In addition to hospital-based practice, Melissa has also worked in private practice/consulting as well as being a psychosocial program director for Camp Sunshine in Atlanta, GA and a school counselor.  Melissa has also served on several non-profit Board of Directors. In addition to chairing many committees and a task force, Melissa has been the President of the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP), a Director on the ACLP Board, and the Child Life Certification Chairperson.   She was honored to receive the Child Life Council Distinguished Service Award in 2010.

Melissa earned a BS in Individual and Family Studies from the University of Delaware and a MS in Counseling from Georgia State University. She was awarded the Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement (2001) and the Outstanding Alumni Award for the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy (2002) at the University of Delaware.

She has published in journals and textbooks on the topics of children impacted by cancer, coping with chronic illness in children and child life practice in alternate settings. Melissa has presented on these topics at the university level, professional conferences, to medical staff and to parents.

Melissa is a certified child life specialist, a licensed clinical mental health counselor and a registered play therapist & supervisor. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and in her free time enjoys spending time with family and friends on Cape Cod.

Former Executive Director and Co-Founder Meredith Cooper envisioned, launched, and grew Wonders & Worries from its beginnings in 2001. Following 15 years of success, Meredith stepped into a founder role in 2017, where she continues providing strategic direction for national growth. Meredith has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Child Development. She is a certified Child Life Specialist and a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been involved with children’s healthcare in the Austin community for more than 30 years, including being the first pediatric oncology child life specialist for Austin.

Michele Martin has over 20 years of experience providing emotional and developmental support for children and families in health care environments. Michele has worked as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) for the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas; as a mental health consultant for Head Start; and as a middle-school science teacher at Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Texas. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Abilene Christian University. She also has her teacher’s certification for the 4th – 8th grades. Her husband, four children, and grandson are her pride and joy!

Nicole Halder is passionate about helping organizations create outstanding services for children in challenging environments. Nicole’s focus is developing partnerships to help Wonders & Worries expand. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Operations from Georgetown University, she earned her Master’s in Elementary Education from Columbia University.

Nicole currently serves on the Steering Committee for Leadership Westlake. She previously served as President of the Board of Directors of Wonders & Worries and is a former board member of the Lake Travis Education Foundation. She enjoys cooking, “playing” in her garden, traveling, and raising her three children with her husband Rob in Austin, Texas.

As a former client of Wonders & Worries, Suzi is passionate about its mission. Having battled breast cancer in 2014, Suzi found that her daughters’ experiences attending Wonders & Worries group sessions were a silver lining in the cancer battle. She is excited to serve Wonders & Worries as the Donor Relations Manager and help further its mission of making sure no family struggles alone with parental illness.

Suzi and her college sweetheart Brian have two beautiful daughters, one in high school and one in college. Suzi enjoys traveling with her family, snowshoeing in the mountains of Colorado, exercising, volunteering, playing with her two adorable dogs, and getting creative in her craft room.