Meet Our Team

Founder and Executive Director
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Kiley is a neurodivergent occupational therapist specializing in mental health in the perinatal period. She holds both a master’s and a doctoral degree in occupational therapy from the University of Southern California.

Kiley is the co-creator of the Emmy-nominated film Return to Zero, inspired by the stillbirth of her son, Norbert. Her personal experience of profound loss—and the absence of compassionate care that followed—led her to co-found RTZ Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families through pregnancy and infant loss.

She is deeply committed to increasing support for bereaved parents and helping them navigate grief with compassion and hope.

Director of Community Support
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Betsy Winter is a somatic trauma coach and nationally recognized leader in grief, trauma, and perinatal mental health. She supports individuals and parents navigating pregnancy and infant loss, complex trauma, early adversity, and family dynamics, bringing both advanced training and lived experience to her work.

With over 20 years of nonprofit leadership, Betsy has worked alongside RTZ Hope founder Kiley Hanish since 2018, playing a central role in developing trauma-informed, holistic, and inclusive support for bereaved families and providers.

After the loss of her daughter, Eliza, at 41 weeks in 2015, Betsy has dedicated her work to supporting grieving families and trauma survivors. Her approach is compassionate, grounded, and deeply attuned, guiding individuals and families through loss, healing, and transformation.

Betsy lives in Olympia, WA with her husband and two children.

Development and Strategic Partnerships
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Kristin has specialized in working with families coping with illness, trauma and loss for nearly thirty years.  She is nationally recognized for her work in pediatric palliative care and grief support and currently serves on the National Coalition for Hospice & Palliative Care Pediatric Division. Kristin has provided clinical consultation and extensive training, advocacy and education to healthcare systems, community agencies, funeral professionals, and school systems. She is an experienced clinician and has provided individual, family, and group counseling. Kristin co-founded Missing Pieces and developed a benchmarked program for Pediatric Bereavement Care at Lurie Children's Hospital. She has also participated and published numerous research studies.  Ms. James received her Master’s in counseling from Loyola University. 

Community Support Coordinator
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Anita has benefited greatly from the support provided by RTZ Hope and wants to honor her journey by giving back to others in similar situations. After experiencing the loss of her twin daughters in 2020 and a miscarriage in 2021, she has found ways to bring purpose to her pain by being present with others who have endured the death of their babies. Anita continues to learn how to parent her living children after multiple losses, while incorporating ways to honor her children that have gone before her.

Anita has 15 years of experience working with various non-profits and providing services for underprivileged populations and those on the margins. She holds a BA and MA in Religious Studies. She currently resides in Washington state, where she enjoys homeschooling her children, hiking, and exploring the outdoors. She and her husband have four living children and are the bereaving parents of identical twin daughters, Mary Rose and Elizabeth Leia, and Lucia-Francisco.

Director of Community Engagement
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Shianne joined the Community Engagement Team at Return to Zero: HOPE in 2020, driven by a deep desire to help other bereaved parents find the same support and connection that transformed her own healing journey. A lifelong helper at heart, she came across the role while heading to an RTZ retreat—just after leaving her previous job—and felt it was meant to be.

With a background in digital marketing and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Management, Shianne brings both professional expertise and personal passion to her work. In addition to her role at RTZ, she founded a nonprofit that assists bereaved families with final arrangement expenses.

She is dedicated to this work in loving memory of her daughter, Torvi, who passed due to birth complications in 2019, and her early miscarriage in August 2023. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband, three living sons Grady, Graham and Griffin, their dog Carl, and a coop full of chickens.

Grant Writer
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Erin is excited to be working with RTZ Hope to help fund the work through grant writing. Her journey to motherhood includes two early miscarriages, which deepens her personal commitment to the mission of the organization. Erin has extensive non-profit experience including leading storytelling efforts for Maternal Mental Health NOW, and workforce development efforts for community health centers throughout Los Angeles County. Prior to that, she was a middle school and high school English teacher. Currently, Erin is also a documentary storytelling family photographer specializing in birth stories, including those of stillbirth and loss. She lives with her husband, their two living children, and an assortment of farm animals in Cherry Valley, CA.  

Chair
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Natasha joins the RTZ HOPE Board as a way to honor her son Leonardo, who passed away 62 minutes after his birth in 2013. Since Leo's passing, she has been actively involved in the pregnancy and infant loss community by volunteering for various non-profit organizations. Natasha holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in health economics and has held several positions in health research and market research in Canada and the US. Originally born in Brazil to Indian parents, she grew up in Canada and currently lives in Seattle with her husband and 3 kids.

Treasurer
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Stefan is the Executive Director at UBS. He has served as a Relationship Manager, Managing Director, and Executive Director at other Wealth Management banking institutions, both in the United States and internationally. Stefan speaks four languages and has lived in Zurich, Geneva, Buenos Aires, New York, and Los Angeles. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, soccer, traveling, and is a LA Kings fan. Originally born in Zurich, Stefan now lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 25 years and two teenage children.

Secretary
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Emily Fortney is a clinical psychologist from Fayetteville, Georgia. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgia College in Milledgeville, Georgia, and both her master’s and doctoral degrees from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology in Atlanta. She now runs a telehealth private practice, providing care to individuals and couples with diverse mental health needs.

Emily is also a mother to two silly boys, ages 5 and 1, and a proud military spouse of an active-duty service member in the United States Air Force. Her path to motherhood was challenging. In January 2018, she experienced the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, Eliza, at 20 weeks of pregnancy, followed by two missed miscarriages in 2021. Driven by a desire to support others, Emily devotes part of her practice and personal time to helping individuals navigate the complexities of grief and loss. Through her work, she hopes to walk alongside those facing similar struggles, inspiring them to discover profound joy and meaning after unimaginable loss.

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Lindsey M. Henke is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist specializing in perinatal loss and the pregnancy that follows. She founded Pregnancy After Loss Support (PALS), a nonprofit for parents pregnant after a previous perinatal loss or infant death — a mission that brought her to the Return to Zero: Hope board as PALS became part of the RTZ family. She is also the author of When Skies Are Gray, a memoir about navigating stillbirth, grief, and the tender hope of pregnancy after loss. Her writing has been featured in the TODAY Show, Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine, Huffington Post, and the New York Times.

Lindsey lives in Minnesota, where winters find her with her nose in a book and the rest of the year on hiking trails with her two living children and husband.

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Susan is a bereaved mother and maternal illness survivor whose son Henry was stillborn at 37 weeks due to HELLPS. She also had two subsequent miscarriages and dealt with fertility challenges before having her son, Jens in 2008.  Susan has a masters degree in Art Therapy. She is a Registered and Board Certified, Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado. She is the founder of Henry’s Heart Art Therapy, where she serves families who have lost babies and those pregnant after loss.  Susan loves using creative arts to help those who are grieving find ways to connect with their babies and express their emotions.

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Michelle Yates is a procurement and contracts professional with a strong commitment to service, accountability, and mission-driven work. Michelle is deeply committed to supporting nonprofit organizations that walk alongside families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments. Through her own experience with secondary infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, she understands firsthand the importance of compassionate support, community, and advocacy. She is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations expand access to resources, foster connection, and ensure that no family feels alone in their journey. Michelle brings both professional expertise and heartfelt dedication to her board service, grounded in resilience, empathy, and a strong belief in the power of community.   goes here

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Debbi first became involved with RTZ HOPE when she attended a Return to Zero healing retreat for bereaved mothers in Australia in 2015. She is deeply committed to changing the culture of silence around pregnancy and infant loss, and she’s grateful to work with such a talented board who share this passion. Debbi works at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Office of the Provost where she’s engaged in strategic planning and special projects related to student success and inclusion. She and her husband, Walt, live in North Carolina and have three children, Emma Kate, Redding, and Eason, who was born still in 2013. In addition to her work at the university, she enjoys volunteering with several non-profit organizations, reading, writing, hiking, yoga, and spending time with family and friends.

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Melinda is a bereaved mother, maternal death survivor, registered nurse, and environmental scientist. She is active in healing work, speaking, and volunteering. After losing her son Oak during pregnancy and almost losing her life, everything changed. While nurses empowered her journey, she too felt a call toward nursing. Her passion is integrative medicine, prevention of maternal death, and healing perinatal loss. Prior to becoming a nurse, Melinda worked as an environmental scientist for over a decade in both non-profit and government agencies, creating programs that advanced science through research and public engagement. 

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‍Dorienna is a licensed psychologist in the state of Ohio and certified perinatal mental health therapist. She is the owner of Works of Faith Wellness and Consultation, LLC, in Columbus, Ohio, a private practice centered on perinatal mental health services. Through the practice, she provides individual therapy, as well as facilitates workshops and continuing education on topics related to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, birth equity, and perinatal loss. Dr. Alfred is the author of the book, Pregnant with Promise: A Spiritual Journey of Pregnancy, Bed Rest and Childbirth, a memoir of her journey with loss and pregnancy complications. She has served as a guest blogger for Pregnancy After Loss Support and a workshop presenter for RTZ HOPE. She has also been a guest on the Sisters in Loss Podcast and the Mom and Mind Podcast. Additionally, she is certified as a birth and bereavement doula through Sisters in Loss. She has co-authored various publications and refereed workshops on topics related to perinatal mental health, women’s health, racial identity, social justice, and more.

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Jill has been a nurse for 25 years and has been, working at Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) in Chicago since 1997.  She worked for 17 years as a labor & delivery nurse, focusing her care on those families experiencing a loss. In 2015 she transitioned to the role of Perinatal Palliative & Bereavement Care Coordinator, so she could focus her career solely on supporting and advocating for families on the continuum of loss. In this role, she has supported countless families through the loss of their baby, ran monthly support groups, and planned biannual memorial services for grieving families to honor their children. Jill has served as the chair of the Alliance of Perinatal Bereavement and Palliative Care Facilitators of Northern Illinois from 2016-2022. Recently, Jill’s role transitioned to be the Director of Wellbeing and Bereavement Services at NCH. Jill understands that grief is not a onetime event but rather a lifelong journey that families integrate into their lives. Because of her passion for the bereaved, Jill recently graduated with her Master’s Degree in Thanatology, the study of death, dying, and bereavement.

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Elyse is current training faculty and Emeritus Board Member for national perinatal loss organization Return to Zero: HOPE; training faculty for paternal perinatal non-profit Love, Dad, and a current board member for Postpartum Support International’s California chapter, serving as the state’s Advocacy Lead and Established Organization chair. Elyse is an emeritus Governing Council member for Maternal Mental Health Now after serving an eight year term, in addition to ongoing training faculty for the organization. Elyse served as a Board Member of national maternal mental health policy and advocacy group 2020 Mom Project from 2014-2019, and subsequently sat on the organization’s Clinical Advisory panel through 2021. In addition, Elyse is an EMDRIA-certified clinician, an EMDRIA-approved consultant, an Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) certified clinician and IPT supervisor-in-training and a licensed MFT in California, Oregon and Washington State.