Angela Melvin
Founder and CEO

Angela Melvin is the Founder of Valerie's House, the only organization in Southwest Florida with its sole mission to help children grieve. 

A fourth-generation native of Southwest Florida, Angela's mother, Valerie, died in a car accident in 1987 in Fort Myers when Angela was ten years old. Angela said, "With a place like Valerie's House, I would have connected with children like me, and it could have made all the difference in my life."  

With locations in Fort Myers, Naples, and Charlotte County, Valerie's House provides children who have lost a loved one a place where they can grieve together, connect with others their own age and learn that loss doesn't have to limit their dreams. Valerie's House opened with 20 children in 2016 and has grown to help more than 1,000 children and their caregivers find strength and resilience through their loss.

A University of Florida graduate, Angela spent ten years working as a TV reporter around the country and then on to become a Communications Director for a United States Congressman on Capitol Hill before returning to her hometown in 2013 and shortly thereafter starting Valerie's House.

Angela was honored as a Women of Distinction in 2020, News-Press "Hero of the Year" finalist in 2017, a "Person of the Year" finalist in 2016, and a Gulfshore Business "40 under 40" in 2015. Valerie's House was named Rising Non-Profit of the Year by the Cape Coral Community Foundation in 2017 and was a finalist for the Horizon Council Non-Profit of the Year Award in 2017.

Back to Top

Amy Strom, LCSW-QS, M.S.S.A., M.ed.
Vice President of Partnerships and Operations

Amy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who started at Valerie's House as a volunteer group facilitator. She quickly fell in love with the mission and joined the team full-time, lending her mental health expertise to help plan grief group activities for Valerie's House families. Amy focuses heavily on being a voice for grieving children in our community, securing partnerships with other leaders in our region, as well as with funders and other major partnerships.

Amy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Qualified Supervisor and a Certified School Social Work Specialist. She has worked in the social work field for more than twenty years providing services in schools, clinical mental health centers, and private practice. The focus of her practice has been children, adolescents, and their families.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and her two sons at the beach, traveling, or watching sporting events.

Back to Top

Melody Madigan
Interim Assistant Program Director

Melody Madigan is no stranger to helping the youth of Southwest Florida. She served students as a School Counselor in the Lee County School District for nearly 40 years. After retiring from education, Melody began volunteering at Valerie's House shortly after the program opened in 2016 as a Group Support Facilitator. Realizing that Valerie's House is the perfect place to satisfy her passion for helping youth, she readily accepted a position to help children. She participates in intake interviews, replies to initial family contacts, assists in group activity planning, and leads children's support groups.

Melody has a Master's Degree in School Counseling from the University of Akron, a Master's degree in Instructional Technology from the University of South Florida, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Kent State University. Melody's years as a school counselor have shown her that there is a tremendous need for grief support, and she is thrilled to be a part of Valerie's House.

Back to Top

Camille Nitschky
Director of Care and Compassion

Known as the “Grief Lady,” after founding and running a children’s grief center in her hometown in Michigan, Camille relocated to Southwest Florida to be part of the Valerie’s House team.

Camille has been doing grief work since her mom, Helen, died in 1998. Losing her mother inspired her to work through her own grief by using bodywork, counseling, art, yoga, meditation, and peer support. Since then, she’s also lost her father and her sister.

Camille graduated with a BS in Art/Photography from Western Michigan University. She has excelled in multiple careers, including Fashion Photography in NYC and working in therapeutic massage for more than 25 years.

Camille has been friends with Valerie’s House Founder & CEO Angela Melvin since their first meeting in Portland, OR at the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Symposium in 2015. Camille is Dougy Center trained and has always believed in the holistic approach to working through grief. She’s ecstatic about being part of the Valerie’s House family, which she considers one of the country’s best grief centers.

As the Director of Care and Compassion, Camille helps lead group nights, enrollments, family care, and curriculum planning.

Her mission in life is to continue being her most authentic self, living out her dreams, and inspiring others to do the same.

Back to Top

Jason Kurek
Vice President of Philanthropy

Jason Grant Kurek's journey in philanthropy and community service has evolved significantly over the years, leading him to his current role as Vice President of Philanthropy at Valerie's House. With a deep-seated passion for transformative community engagement and a proven track record in fundraising and development, Jason brings over two decades of experience to this pivotal position. Jason's career is characterized by his innovative approach to development, including major gift solicitation, grant writing, and donor stewardship, helping to raise nearly $70 million for various causes.

His previous role as Director of Major Gifts at Champions For Learning saw him inspire substantial support for educational initiatives, resulting in meaningful revenue growth and enhanced learning experiences across Collier County, Florida. His strategic leadership at the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County as the Marketing & Development Director was marked by nationally recognized campaigns that significantly benefited youth in the region.

As a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Florida - Collier-Lee Chapter, Jason continues to lead and mentor, contributing his extensive expertise to the philanthropic sector.

Beyond his professional accolades, Jason's personal life is rich with passion and creativity. Jason attended the University of South Florida, where he studied fine arts with a specialization in electronic media for marketing. As a devoted father of four, he shares a unique bond with his family through their collective interest in the arts. This artistic flair extends to his work as the author and illustrator of the "Chronoblood Chronicles." Additionally, Jason is a martial artist who earned a Renzo Gracie purple belt and co-founded Ave Maria Jiu Jitsu.

The loss of his mother on Christmas Day 2020 deeply impacted Jason, further igniting his commitment to supporting children and families in their grief journeys. This personal experience has intertwined with his professional life, particularly in his role at Valerie's House, where he is dedicated to fostering a supportive community for those coping with loss.

Back to Top

Nina Mendes
Communications Coordinator

Nina started working with Valerie's House in March of 2020 and has been a dedicated member of the team since then. She graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in May 2022 with a bachelor's of art in journalism and double minors in interdisciplinary studies and creative writing.

Nina moved to Fort Myers in 2018 to begin college and is originally from central New Jersey. While at FGCU, she worked as the Assignments & Features editor of the university newspaper, Eagle News, specializing in feature stories. She was also heavily involved in the journalism program by volunteering as a teacher's assistant. 

As Communications Coordinator, Nina manages the social media channels for Valerie's House and is responsible for daily postings. She also monitors the pages for any inquiries or comments. In addition, she's heavily involved with our development team by running donor reports and writing donor acknowledgment letters. Nina keeps the website up-to-date and helps produce the Grieve Love Heal podcast. She also writes the Valerie's House monthly e-blast newsletter.

Nina is a passionate peer grief-support group leader and works directly with the grieving families at Valerie's House. Her compassion and desire to help others inspire her work. Nina's journalism experience allows her to connect with the children at Valerie's House because of her interest in learning about others. She currently serves on two group nights, helping kids of all ages process their grief.

In addition, Nina is a Val's PALs Mentor to two grieving children who have lost a loved one.

In her free time, Nina enjoys watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show, reading manga, and snuggling with her two cats, Stew and Jake.

Back to Top

Sterling Lund
Project Manager/Assistant to CEO

Sterling grew up in Southwest Florida and has always been passionate about helping people. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications from High Point University in North Carolina.

Following college, she worked in marketing for a few years and then found her way back to Naples, where she began working in hospitality management.

After six years, Sterling was looking for a change and wanted to do something more meaningful. When she found Valerie’s House, she immediately felt in her heart that this was what she wanted to do. She has seen the effects of grief on her friends and loved ones and believes strongly in the mission of Valerie’s House.

In addition to working with CEO Angela Melvin to oversee the construction of the Valerie’s House Family is Forever Home in Fort Myers, Sterling also helps with communications, fundraising, and expanding the Valerie’s House chapter locations across the state of Florida.

She also leads a Valerie’s House support group with middle school students on Monday nights. Sterling is grateful and excited to be a part of an organization that is making such a profound impact on the community.

Back to Top

Bobbie Santiago
Volunteer and Mentor Coordinator

Bobbie Santiago comes from a background of working with children and families in multiple capacities. After acquiring her Bachelor of Social Work from FGCU in 2017, she jumped right into the Social Work field as an intern. She was then hired as a Case Manager, where she worked with foster kids who were up for adoption for four years. Since then, Bobbie has been a mentor, children’s counselor, program director, volunteer sports coach, and foster parent of 5 children. Bobbie lost her grandmother, cousin, and close friend all within a month and quickly learned how important it is to have support during the grieving process.

Bobbie serves as the Volunteer and Mentor Coordinator and will oversee the programs of Valerie’s House in Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties. In this position, she will coordinate and manage the Val’s PALs Mentor and Volunteer Program and will assist with the group support program.

In her spare time, Bobbie likes to play sports, spend time with her family, and is an avid reader. She is grateful for this opportunity and excited to be a part of all the great things Valerie’s House does for the families in our community.

Back to Top

Molly Buck
School Group and Family Support Specialist/MSW Intern

Born and raised in the Southwest Florida area, Molly has a passion for the mission of Valerie's House. When she was ten years old, her father died from cancer, which impacted her career path as an adult as there was no support in the area at that time.

Molly is a graduate of Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, where she earned a bachelor's degree in social work in 2019. While a student in Indiana, she volunteered at an organization like Valerie's House, which furthered her passion for grief support. She also earned her master's degree in social work from the University of South Florida in 2021.

As the School Group and Family Support Specialist, Molly is responsible for coordinating and planning the grief support groups in Lee County. Additionally, she assists families with the enrollment process and serves as a Group Buddy at the Fort Myers location. With Molly's personal grief experience, she is grateful and passionate about joining the Valerie's House team.

In her free time, Molly enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog named Clover. She also likes to read, travel, watch movies, and watch TV.

Back to Top

Kathy Burg
Program Operations Manager

Kathy Burg comes to us with years of experience in marketing & communications, project management, event planning, public relations, and volunteerism. She started her career on the east coast of Florida in hospital marketing & public relations, then spent time working within an advertising agency and in the marketing department of a large financial investment firm. When she became a mom, she shifted to part-time work to spend more time with family and to help manage and run her husband’s practice. Most recently, she was employed as the project manager for a small local business and the administrative director of a local nonprofit. She’s also enjoyed volunteering over the years.

After the sudden loss of her beloved husband and father of her three children in 2020, Kathy and her family found support and community at Valerie’s House. This grew her heart for our mission and ultimately drew her to join the Valerie’s House team as our Family Support Coordinator.

As Family Support Coordinator, Kathy helps plan, implement, and communicate programming. She loves getting to know our families and always seeks ways to encourage and comfort them through the grief experience.

Back to Top

Jill Taylor
Family Support Specialist

Jill is the Valerie’s House Family Support Specialist and works with families to schedule intakes for the program team. Jill is also a former Valerie’s House parent.

She earned her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Ball State University and her Master’s in Social Work from Indiana University. Jill worked with children and families in various agencies for 20 years until she had her daughter in 2008.

Jill currently serves as a volunteer at Three Oaks Elementary, working in the classroom, and is a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer. She is also a Girl Scout troop leader and plays an active role in her church.

To learn more about Jill and her experience in the Valerie’s House program, click here.

Back to Top

Susan Rizzato, MSW, LCSW
Grief Counselor

Susan is a grief counselor at Valerie’s House, and she splits her time between our Fort Myers and Naples locations. After receiving her Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University of Chicago, she has worked at academic medical centers in Chicagoland for the last thirty years. She specialized in teaching roles within various areas of trauma, oncology, maternal/child health, neonatal intensive care, and perinatal loss, and she also worked for an Illinois fertility practice as a behavioral health specialist.

Grief and loss are always at the core of her work, and this has been an area, professionally and personally, that carries a special dedication, place, and passion in Susan’s heart. With the goal of living in Southwest Florida, following many years of family travel here, Susan has made this move from the Midwest to join Valerie’s House. She is most humbled, honored, and excited to be a part of this wonderful organization and team whose values align with her own.

At Valerie’s House, Susan facilitates our grief support groups, meets with children, young adults, and caregivers one-on-one to provide counseling support, and also assists with family enrollments.  

In her free time, Susan enjoys being outdoors in the beautiful tropical weather, attending and supporting live music events, following her favorite college sports teams & athletes, and traveling to share time with her adult child, her siblings, and dear friends.

Back to Top

Shaun Kastelic, RPT-S, NCC, M.A.
Grief Therapist

Grief Counselor and Play Therapist Shaun Kastelic enjoys helping children heal from trauma and grief through play therapy, EMDR, art and music therapy, sports therapy, and a wide range of additional modalities. He has experience helping multicultural families, including blended families and children who have been lovingly adopted. He also helps children with autism, those who struggle with a strong desire for gaming and video time, those with educational/learning disabilities, and with college and career planning needs. He also likes to help the children’s caregivers with their situations.

As a grief therapist at Valerie's House, Shaun will meet with kids in group settings and one on one style to help them process the death of their loved one.

Back to Top

Sarah Andrus
Collier County Director

Sarah Andrus is the Collier County Director of Valerie’s House. With a social work degree from Auburn University and over a decade in experience running her own small business, she combines her personal and professional experience to serve grieving children and their families, while expanding the growth of Valerie’s House in the Collier County community.

Sarah experienced childhood grief firsthand when her grandfather died in their home on hospice care and again as the nanny for a family she was very close to after the passing of their mother. Her dream in college was to open a children’s grief center, and she is deeply humbled and grateful to be serving her community in this capacity.

Back to Top

Mary Cross
Collier County Program and School Support Manager

Mary is a child life specialist and has served children and families at Valerie's House-Naples since 2018. Mary started as a volunteer facilitator for the "middles" peer support group and quickly became immersed in Valerie's House. In her role, Mary utilizes her education and passion in an organization whose mission she fully embraces. In addition, Mary has seen firsthand how Valerie's House provides a safe, nurturing, and calm environment for children who are grieving and their families.

Mary received her master's degree in child life at Wheelock College and a bachelor of science in child development and family-centered care from Plattsburgh State. Mary worked at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston before relocating to Naples. She has served on various boards/organizations and is committed to Valerie's House's families in Collier County. Mary enjoys her free time with family and friends.

Back to Top

Tara Zajas
Charlotte County Director of Development and Outreach

Tara discovered Valerie’s House on a tour of the Fort Myers home in 2021. Having lost her mother as a young adult, Valerie’s House immediately struck a chord. She began volunteering as a facilitator and mentor with teens in Punta Gorda and eventually joined the Advisory Board.

Tara’s professional background includes fundraising, event planning, and brand awareness with both large and small organizations. With the purchase of the Punta Gorda home, she is looking forward to expanding the reach of the mission and vision of Valerie’s House further into Charlotte and Sarasota Counties.

In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding, traveling, and almost anything that gets her outdoors!

Back to Top

Jedi Kmak, MSW
Charlotte County Program Manager & Registered Clinical Social Work Intern

Jedi is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and Barry University's School of Social Work. Since moving from Vermont in 2002, she has volunteered countless hours helping children and teens in Florida.

Jedi learned about Valerie's House and its mission while serving as a Volunteer Child Advocate with the Guardian ad Litem Agency. Having lost her own father at 16, Jedi recalls driving her mother to grief groups for widows and widowers, where she had no choice but to wait outside by herself.

Jedi is passionate about the value of peer support groups and grateful for the opportunity to help provide young people in Charlotte County with a safe place to share their experiences after losing a family member.

In her free time, Jedi enjoys reading, traveling, antique shopping, and just chilling at home with her family.

Back to Top

Amy Huddleston
Charlotte County Development and Outreach Coordinator

Amy, a proud native of Charlotte County, graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a bachelor of arts in 2011. Before joining Valerie’s House, she dedicated her efforts to local nonprofits, focusing on addressing Charlotte County's needs through strategic community initiatives. Amy excels in building positive community relationships and executing impactful programs. She also possesses expertise in philanthropy.

With the recent acquisition of the Punta Gorda home, Amy looks forward to collaborating with the team to expand the mission and vision of Valerie’s House into Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. In her leisure time, Amy enjoys spending quality time with her family, including her beloved pet, Vera, exploring thrift shops, and delving into a good book.

Back to Top

Tim Buck
Charlotte County Group Night Assistant

Tim has been mentoring students as the Director of Youth Ministries at 1st United Methodist Church in Punta Gorda since 2007. Tim began his partnership with Valerie’s House in the spring of 2019, shortly after several students in his youth group lost a parent. He soon realized there wasn’t an established grief support system in his own community to help them long-term. Tim has been a facilitator at group nights at Valerie’s House- Punta Gorda since its inception in August of 2019.

Tim enjoys spending time with his family, doing things outdoors, coaching youth sports, and attending local high school sporting events in his free time. He also enjoys watching his favorite Philadelphia professional sports team play on TV. His hobbies include gardening and treasure hunting at garage sales.

Back to Top

Crista Brandt
Northwest Florida Regional Director

Crista is the Director of the Pensacola Chapter of Valerie’s House. In 2020, Crista partnered with founder and CEO Angela Melvin to bring peer-to-peer support groups for grieving children to Pensacola. Like our Founder, Crista also lost her mother in 1987. Suzanne O’Keefe died of cancer when Crista was 11 years old. After the death of her mother, Crista’s grief remained repressed for many years. When she finally addressed her grief wholeheartedly, she began to volunteer through an organization in Atlanta, where she realized how many children had experienced parental death just like her.

“My purpose is to turn my tragedy into someone else’s gift,” Crista said. “I am here to help the ‘me’s’ of today so they know they are not alone in their grief.”

Crista’s passion is to help children who are in the same place that she was- alone, lost, sad, and angry. This is her reason for launching the Valerie’s House Northwest Florida chapter in Pensacola. She is dedicated to helping children manage the various stages of grief through healthy outlets.

A graduate of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business, Crista spent 25 years in technology and software consulting, sales, and project management fields. Her passion and heart have always been with grieving children like she once was. When she met Angela Melvin, they both knew a strong partnership could be forged to bring grief support to many more children in need in Northwest Florida. Crista brings her strong managerial and networking experience to serve as the Pensacola chapter’s fearless leader and biggest advocate in the community.

Crista spearheaded the launch of Valerie’s House in 2021, expanding to a permanent location in 2022. After running the program on a volunteer basis for two years, Crista made the transition to run Valerie’s House- Pensacola full-time.

Back to Top

Jenni Elzweig
Escambia County Program Manager

Starting as a board member and volunteer facilitator for the "littles" peer support group, Jenni quickly became immersed in Valerie's House. She is eager to serve her Panhandle community as the Escambia County Program Manager. She's had a passion for helping those who are grieving since she was young, volunteering as a hospice respite provider right out of high school.

Jenni also knows what it feels like to lose a parent as her father died from a stroke when she was a young adult. She uses this experience to relate to the kids. Teaching and serving are second nature to her, and she is grateful that families have a warm and loving environment at Valerie's House.

Jenni's educational background includes a bachelor of fine arts from the University of West Florida. She has served as a fine arts teacher for the Escambia County School District and mentored many students from diverse backgrounds.

She is also a certified yoga teacher, guiding kids, young and old. When she isn't meeting with families or helping with group nights, Jenni can be found hanging out with her husband and two kids, making art, and playing with her pups, Razzy and Rosie.

Back to Top

Heather Tharpe
Business and Human Resources Manager

Heather graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2008 and received her bachelor's degree in business management. Before coming to Valerie's House, she handled many aspects of accounting for a local business for thirteen years and was a human resources manager for a medical billing company for five years. In addition to her accounting experience, she has both her PHR (Professional in Human Resources) and SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional) certifications.

Heather and her daughter Hailey are a Valerie's House family and began attending groups after the loss of Heather's husband. They graduated from our program and have a personal connection to our mission.

When she is not working, she likes to spend her time traveling and with family.

Back to Top