Our Team Gallery

Founder and CEO ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Angela Melvin is the Founder of Valerie's House, the only organization in Southwest and Northwest 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. FULL BIO >>

Program Operations Manager Kathy Burg comes to us with years of experience in nonprofit, communications, project management, and volunteerism. After the sudden loss of her 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 the mission and ultimately drew her to join the Valerie’s House team. FULL BIO >>

Grief Support Training and Support Coordinator
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. FULL BIO >>

Business and Human Resources Manager‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ Heather and her daughter Hailey are a former Valerie's House family and attended our support groups after the loss of Heather's husband in 2017 for three years. When it was time for Valerie’s House to hire a Business Manager full-time, Valerie’s House didn’t have to look too far to find the passion, experience, and dedication needed for the position. FULL BIO >>

Operations Manager ㅤㅤㅤㅤTodd Cordisco brings nearly two decades of experience in non-profit administration, fundraising, communications, and operations in Southwest Florida to the Valerie’s House team. Before joining Valerie’s House, Todd served as Vice President and Chief Communications Officer (CCO) for SalusCare, the leading community mental health and substance use treatment agency in the region. FULL BIO >>

School Group Coordinator    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. FULL BIO >>

Young Adult & Activities Coordinator ‎‏‏‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎

Stori was born and raised in Southwest Florida and has always had a passion for mental health advocacy. In 2015, her mother died unexpectedly, and Stori found her way to Valerie’s House as a teen participant in 2016. FULL BIO >>

Grief Support Coordinator‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎Maria Miravalle joins the team as our Grief Support Coordinator after several years of assisting individual grievers and facilitating support groups for spouse loss, infant loss, overdose loss, and suicide loss at a grief support center in Cleveland, Ohio. FULL BIO >>

Grief Therapist‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎Shaun Kastelic has spent more than 20 years working with children who have undergone grief and trauma. Before coming to Valerie’s House in 2022, Shaun worked for the United States Department of Defense, helping children of fallen soldiers stationed in Hawaii, and then in Georgia. FULL BIO >>

Grief Therapist‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎ 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. FULL BIO >>

Communications Manager ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Justin grew up in Naples and graduated from St. John Neumann High School before earning his associate degree from Florida SouthWestern State College and a degree in Communication Studies from Florida Gulf Coast University. FULL BIO >>

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. FULL BIO >>

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. FULL BIO >>

Escambia County Program Manager ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Starting as a board member and volunteer facilitator in peer support groups, Jenni quickly became immersed in Valerie's House. She is eager to serve her Panhandle community as the Escambia County Program Manager. FULL BIO >>

Grants & Communications Coordinator

Lauren Bernard has been named Grants & Communications Coordinator at Valerie’s House. In her role, Lauren is responsible for researching, writing and reporting on grants, as well as assisting with overall communications and outreach efforts at Valerie’s House.

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Executive Assistant

Alexis Dehetre is the Executive Assistant at Valerie's House, combining her professional experience with personal grief experience. Having spent three years as a Group Night Assistant, she brings a unique perspective to her role. She was previously a participant in the program as a grieving child, which allows her to deeply understand the challenges families face in their grief journeys.

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Program Assistant

Sam Wesoly was born and raised in Illinois but found her way to Southwest Florida to pursue a bachelor’s degree in social work at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Sam first connected with Valerie’s House through her field education coordinator at FGCU and began her journey as an intern in August 2024. She chose Valerie’s House over other agencies because of its mission, which resonated deeply with her personal and professional values. After a semester of interning, Sam joined the programming team as a full-time Program Assistant.

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Family Care Manager

Keri Tutterrow brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her role at Valerie’s House. Her journey with the organization began in her previous role as a school counselor, where she often referred grieving children and families for support. Inspired by the impact she witnessed, Keri began volunteering with Valerie’s House in 2022 before officially joining the team.

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Robyn Mitchell-Stephens brings more than 25 years of experience in business operations and Human Resources to Valerie’s House. Throughout her career, she has supported mission-driven organizations by strengthening internal operations, developing staff, and fostering positive, healthy workplace cultures.

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Family Care Manager

Keri Tutterrow brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her role at Valerie’s House. Her journey with the organization began in her previous role as a school counselor, where she often referred grieving children and families for support. Inspired by the impact she witnessed, Keri began volunteering with Valerie’s House in 2022 before officially joining the team.

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Chloe Tharp
Program Coordinator

Chloe Tharp was born and raised in Highlands County, Florida, and has always enjoyed creative activities like baking, crocheting, and making art. After graduating high school in 2021, she moved to the Charlotte and Lee County area and later earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Alexa Venski is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor in the state of Florida, bringing more than 15 years of experience supporting children and families.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Florida Gulf Coast University. Throughout her career, Alexa has served in a variety of roles, including as a crisis unit clinician at SalusCare, Assistant Program Director of the Child Protection Team at the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Social Services Manager at the PACE Center for Girls.

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