Consumer Track
Melissa Compton
Melissa Compton has been the Executive Director of the Lone Star Bleeding Disorders Foundation for 10 years. She has worked for the Chapter since 2007, as Walk Manager and Program Manager before becoming Executive Director. She loves serving the bleeding disorders community. She is married and has two children, a 21-year-old son with severe hemophilia, and an 18-year-old daughter. In her spare time, she likes to travel, shop, and watch college football.
I am most looking forward to connecting with other Chapter staff and learning about new programs and resources we can bring back to Texas!
Rigo Garcia
Rigo Garcia is the Executive Director of the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California (HFSC) based in Pasadena, CA. Rigo brings over 18 years of experience in health education, leadership and outreach and a commitment to ensuring marginalized groups are provided primary care access. Prior to this role, Rigo worked as the Director of Health Education for the Venice Family Clinic, an organization that provides quality primary health care to people in need. He also was responsible for managing the Clinic’s Sexual and Reproductive health, Diabetes Management, Prenatal Services and Community Outreach. He received a B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California.
Carrie McCulloch
Carrie McCulloch is the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan's Development Director. She is passionate about finding meaningful and memorable ways to engage the bleeding disorders community and industry partners. Carrie often indulges her love of organization by finding new ways to streamline established systems and practices. Prior to HFM, Carrie was employed as a Wish Coordinator for Make-A-Wish Michigan, and as a Community Manager at the American Cancer Society. She resides in Grand Rapids with her husband and two sons.
Carrie is most looking forward to the meaningful conversations that come from seeing community members and colleagues from across the country!
Jacob Murdock
Originally from Denver, Jacob has lived in Southern Nevada since 2006. Before joining the Nevada Chapter of NBDF in 2021, Jacob worked in various non-profit organizations specializing in volunteer management, outreach, youth programming, and education. Jacob started his career working in Student Affairs at the University of Arkansas and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Also passionate about leadership education, Jacob has been teaching leadership courses at UNLV since 2009. Jacob holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Fort Lewis College, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Arkansas, and an M.S. degree in Political Science from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. In his free time, Jacob likes to spend time with his family, hike, and camp throughout Nevada and Utah, and see live music across the country.
Emily Ouellette
Emily has been involved with the bleeding disorders community since 2016. She was an active volunteer on the fundraising committee and became an official board member and board secretary for BDAND in 2017. The board hiring committee hired Emily to become the new Executive Director in July, 2018. Emily has an education and French background and graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. She has a passion for helping people and event planning.
Kelly Waters
For almost 30 years Kelly Waters has worked in healthcare and has had the honor of serving as the Executive Director of the Virginia Hemophilia Foundation (VHF) since 2006. Kelly holds a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University. She is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Kelly has two sons and enjoys cheering one on the basketball court and hearing about the adventures of the other as a member of the US Air Force.
Kim Williams
Kim is also a member of the Consumer Track Planning Committee.
Kim Williams is the Senior Director of Client Engagement at Hemophilia of Georgia. She was recruited to be a camp counselor in 2003 and became a dedicated volunteer for the bleeding disorder community. She joined the HoG staff almost 19 years ago and served as the Camp Director for Camp Wannaklot (the Georgia camp for kids with inherited bleeding disorders) for 16 of those years. Serving on the planning committee has been an incredible opportunity to join with others in the bleeding disorders community to plan sessions, find speakers, and bring the best BDC to Atlanta in 2024.
Michael DeGrandpre
Michael DeGrandpre is a New England Hemophilia Association (NEHA) community member, national advocate for, and spouse of a person with a bleeding disorder. Originally from Maine, he has worked for years as a communications and engagement specialist; residing in Rhode Island, with his husband, Rich Pezzillo, NEHA Executive Director. For close to a decade, he worked for Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) leading their branding and creative team. He currently works for a global heath communications and biopharma consulting company.
Sean Jeffrey
Sean Jeffrey has hemophilia A and has been an involved community member since a young age. He formerly worked for NBDF as the program manager for the Colorado chapter and has been involved with national programs such as NYLI and the HFA Board as well as the international programs SURO and AFFIRM. Currently he serves on the MASAC Pain subcommittee as the patient representative. He lives in Montana where he works for the Forest Service and enjoys rafting and hiking and spending time with his pets Bella and Palmer.
Erica McLeod
As a mom of 4, which includes 3 young adult sons with severe hemophilia A as well as a daughter who is not a carrier. Living with a bleeding disorder can be very challenging and overwhelming. I am an avid advocate and believe that using your voice is key for awareness and change.
I have testified before my local legislators about the importance and accessibility of healthcare rights in the bleeding disorders community. I've spoken at numerous parent events and support groups. I am also very active with my local bleeding disorder chapters.
My goal is always to encourage and inspires others in hopes that their hemophilia journey is lighter and brighter.
Paxton Mills
Paxton Mills is a biochemistry and molecular biology major at the University of Richmond. She is also an NBDF NYLI member on the research track and a VHF community member with a rare bleeding disorder. With the Bleeding Disorders Conference Planning Committee, Paxton serves our ultra-rare communities by planning engaging and educational programming for BDC. Paxton is passionate about hematology and scientific research. She hopes to forge a career path conducting research on rare blood disorders.
Chelsee Nabritt
Chelsee Nabritt is a former NYLI member, who has been heavily active in the bleeding disorder community since 2001, when she was diagnosed with Platelet Storage Pool Disorder. From there Chelsee was introduced to a friendly community through Hemophilia of Georgia; Chelsee attended camp annually, and when she became a teenager she attended Teen Retreat, family camp and decided to be a camp counselor for a few years to better serve the youth
As a young adult, Chelsee learned about The National Bleeding Disorder Foundation’s youth leadership program, NYLI (National Youth Leadership Institute) and decided to join on the Advocacy track. At the time, Chelsee had just started her career in local and state government, so volunteering to advocate on Capitol Hill on behalf of the foundation became a newfound passion of hers. Having a bleeding disorder can be a challenging experience, and the journey can be tough, so helping the youth learn how to navigate through life with a bleeding disorder and teaching them how to advocate for themselves became to be a true passion of hers as well.
Chelsee received her Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership Development from Clayton State University and her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Kennesaw State University. Chelsee currently works as a Community Outreach Manager at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities; she previously served as the executive assistant to the Forsyth County Manager and the Georgia House of Representatives at the Georgia State Capitol.
Samantha Nazario
Frances Rivera Pacheco
Eduardo Rodriguez
Eduardo completed a bachelor’s degree in labor relations with a minor in Human Resources Management from the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, San Juan. He also graduated from Law School in 2022 and works as a freelance social media manager. Although he was diagnosed with vWD as a baby, he joined the first time the local chapter as an adult when he worked at camp as a volunteer in 2017. Eduardo since 2018 serves as Board Member to Asociación Puertorriqueña de Hemofilia y Condiciones de Sangrado (Puerto Rico Chapter). In 2022, he received the Michael Davon Community Service Award from HFA. In recent years he has been a volunteer to the chapter as chapter’s volunteer social media manager, Advocacy Committee member and Advocacy Day participant.
Penni Smith
Penni Smith is the Inherited Bleeding Disorders Program Coordinator/RN Navigator for the Utah Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders at Primary Children’s Hospital (PCH) in Salt Lake City, UT. She has been the Nurse Navigator at the center since October 2008 and recently took on the role of Program Coordinator in early 2023. She works closely with Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physical Therapists, and Social Work to improve clinic flow and the patient/family experience. She has been involved in research at Primary Children’s Hospital/University of Utah, including the HOPE-B trial. She has a genuine enthusiasm for her patients and their families; this same enthusiasm drives her desire to volunteer in her community. She serves as the Executive Director for Christmas Jam of Utah, a 501c3. She enjoys spending time with her family, drawing/painting, and spending time in nature outside of work hours.
Katie Yost
Nursing Track
Tami Bullock RN-BC, BSN
Tami has been a part of the multidisciplinary team at the University of Iowa Hemophilia Treatment Center for 19 years, in different roles. Initially as a HTC Nurse Coordinator on-sight in the hospital/clinic. Since 2017 she has been functioning as a HTC Nurse Coordinator primarily servicing the HTC population in the home setting providing community/home education and infusion services. Prior to joining the HTC team she worked in home health, caring for a variety of patients. This is where she first began caring for people with hemophilia in the home setting, over 27 years ago.
Kimberly Hurdstrom RN, BSN
Kim Hurdstrom has been a clinical nurse coordinator with the Colorado University Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center for the last 11 years. She has many different responsibilities in her role, but her focus is new diagnosis bleeding disorder patient education, community-based bleeding disorder education, and rare bleeding disorder patient education. She has helped to develop center-based guidelines for new patients, women’s health, and inhibitor patients. Currently she is a member of the NDBF nurse working group.
Physical Therapy Track
Kelli Fraga PT, DPT
Kelli Fraga is the full time Doctor of Physical Therapy at the University of Miami Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) lifespan clinic. She performs annual physical therapy evaluations of patients to monitor musculoskeletal changes, impacts on quality of life, and participation in physical activity. Kelli provides outpatient physical therapy sessions and develops personalized home exercise plans. She conducts research studies to broaden the knowledge of musculoskeletal complications that arise from joint bleeds through physical evaluations and point of care ultrasound. Her role extends into education with lectures for the medical residents, hematology fellows, doctoral students, as well as patients.
Michael Graham, PT, DPT
My name is Michael Graham and I have been a physical therapist with the HTC at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, VA for the past 4 years. I only recently joined the Physical Therapy Working Group at the end of 2023 after our conference at National Harbor. Although I have only been part of the working group for a short time, I have become involved with the mentorship program, and now the planning committee for our upcoming BDC in Atlanta. There is a lot of enthusiasm surrounding BDC 2024, but I am most excited to continue fostering the relationships I have formed over the past few years with other physical therapists from across the country, while also creating new ones with those who work within the bleeding disorders community.
Social Work Track
Kathaleen M. Schnur MSW, LCSW
Kathaleen Schnur has been a social worker at the Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania since 2013. She serves on national professional groups and educational planning committees for both professionals and consumers. She currently serves as chair of the NBDF SWWG, is a social work representative on the Mid Atlantic’s Regional Executive Committee, is part of the Linda Gammage Social Work Conference planning committee, and participated in the NBDF State of the Science Research Summit. Kathaleen was also the recipient of the 2020 NHF Social Work Excellence Fellowship, she, and her co-authors’ work was published in the Haemophilia Journal. Additionally, Kathaleen works closely with her local bleeding disorder foundation to develop and plan targeted education for the community.
Lucy Ramirez MSW, LCSW
Lucy Ramirez is a licensed clinical social worker for the Rush Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Treatment Center at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. In her current position, Ms. Ramirez’s practice primarily involves counseling and educating individuals with bleeding disorders, their caregivers and family members. She has served as facilitator and guest speaker for patient educational events sponsored by the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation, the Bleeding Disorder Alliance of Illinois, the VWD Connect Foundation and the Coalition for Hemophilia B. She serves as the current vice chair of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation’s Social Work Working Group.
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