Advisors

Dr. Diaz-Marchan is a clinical and academic neuroradiologist and is Chief of Neuroradiology Service at Ben Taub General Hospital. He is Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Education for the Department of Radiology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he serves as director for both the Diagnostic Radiology and Diagnostic Neuroradiology fellowship programs. Dr. Diaz-Marchan has been involved in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows since 1990. He conducts research, and he has produced several peer-reviewed publications in collaboration with other researchers.

Ann Friedman, Ph.D., a psychologist, is a certified mindfulness trainer and compassion trainer at the Mind Body Spirit Institute of The Jung Center of Houston. She has also completed courses for children and teens through Mindful Schools, A Still Quiet Place and .b. Ann teaches mindfulness to adults and youth individually and through classes at The Jung Center, and provides trainings for businesses, nonprofits, and schools internationally. She taught across Southeast Texas following Hurricane Harvey and was sent by UNICEF and Mental Health America of Greater Houston to Florida and Puerto Rico. She has also taught in Oklahoma through HealthCorps. For ten years, Ann served as Adjunct Professor in the U.H. Counseling Psychology Graduate Program. She completed her Internship in Clinical Psychology at U.T. Health Science Center and her Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology and Behavioral Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Jameson E. Gray, S.SP. has extensive experience as an LSSP, having worked in school districts within the Houston area for many years. In addition to working with students, parents and staff members in the school environment, Mr. Gray has presented at the local, regional and state levels on topics such as behavior management, autism spectrum disorders, parenting skills and discipline management. He has also trained on strategies for working with individuals who have experienced trauma and developing and implementing behavior intervention plans. Mr. Gray is actively involved in the community and volunteers for several charities benefiting children with serious illnesses and individuals affected by HIV and AIDS.

Christine J. Lu is an attorney. She earned her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2014 and has pursued public service ever since. She served as an Assistant District Attorney in Harris County for almost five years. There, she prosecuted a variety of misdemeanor and felony cases, including crimes against children. It was at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office that Christine saw firsthand how childhood trauma has a lasting effect. When she volunteered to serve in the prosecutor role on the rehabilitative STAR drug court, Christine learned the stories of those battling addiction, many of whom turned to drugs after suffering severe trauma during their youth.

Megan A. Mooney, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice, providing therapy and psychological assessments for children and adolescents. Dr. Mooney has focused on serving traumatized children and families for over 15 years and she has a specialty interest in working with LGBTQ youth who are disproportionately impacted by a variety of traumatic experiences. She has presented locally and nationally about trauma, treatments for trauma in children and families, and ways to prevent and treat trauma in LGBTQ youth. Dr. Mooney is the past President for the Texas Psychological Association and a previous Board member for the Chester Street Foundation. She is also a member of the Houston Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Kristie Moore has a passion for helping children and families and is currently the Coordinator of Emotional Wellness for the Region 4 Education Service center. She has more than 15 years serving educational systems in the Dallas and Houston areas as a school psychologist and district administrator. Dr. Moore joined Katy Independent School District in 2010 as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology and additionally served as Instructional Officer for Psychological Services in 2018. Before accepting her current position, Dr. Moore was the Coordinator of Crisis Intervention and Mental Health Support managing the district’s crisis response, family counseling center and mental health intervention team comprised of mental health professionals and police officers. In addition to programming professional development on mental health for district staff and parents, Dr. Moore is an adjunct professor for the University of St. Thomas and Colorado Technical University.

Victoria is an experienced litigation and corporate attorney. She was one of the founding board members of the Chester Street Foundation who assisted us with obtaining 501(c)3 status. In her roles as an outside corporate counsel, general counsel, chief compliance officer, and COO, Victoria has managed the legal affairs and operations of both private and publicly traded companies in the United States and abroad. Since 1999, Victoria has helped hundreds of companies make their enterprises more efficient, while reducing legal risk and exposure. Victoria has served on the boards of various Houston nonprofit organizations and continues to volunteer her time assisting and advising charitable and non-profit organizations with corporate governance and legal questions. As a member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, Victoria also provides a minimum of 75 hours of legal services per year to low income individuals. Victoria is the managing member of Filippov Law Group, PPLC. She is licensed to practice law in Texas and Utah and holds a Juris Doctor degree from the South Texas College of Law and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Houston. In her spare time, Victoria trains and competes as a nationally ranked epee fencer and spends time with her three children.

Leslie K. Taylor earned her doctorate in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of New Orleans in 2010. During her training, she discovered her passion for working with youth survivors of trauma and supporting them in their recovery. She has specialized training in trauma focused interventions for children and youth exposed to physical and sexual abuse, neglect, natural disasters, and other types of traumatic losses, such as death or separation from a caregiver. She has worked in several different types of child focused organizations, to include child placing agencies, schools, inpatient, and outpatient mental health clinics. Dr. Taylor is particularly interested developing family-school-community partnerships to promote child and youth well-being and resiliency. She currently serves as the Director of Clinical Operations for Child and Adolescent Services at UT Health’s Trauma and Resilience Center, forwarding the center’s research, clinical and educational initiatives.

Mary Kristen Valentine graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree in Liberal Arts from the Plan II Honors Program and a BBA in Marketing. Following graduation, Mary Kristen spent six years in New York City working in brand management for two Fortune 500 companies – Philip Morris (Altria Group) and L’Oreal Paris USA. With the experience gained from working at both international companies on established brands and new product launches, Mary Kristen returned to Houston in 2007 to continue to pursue her passion and work as the Assistant Director of the Brand Planning and Development team for Texas Children’s Hospital. After three years with Texas Children’s, Mary Kristen joined DePelchin Children’s Center as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations, where she oversaw the rebranding of the oldest child and family services agency in Houston. During her eight years at DePelchin, Mary Kristen also initiated Houston’s first-ever Heal Young Minds campaign, led the marketing strategy for DePelchin’s strategic shift in services and played an integral role in tapping the fundraising and marketing opportunities surrounding the organization’s 125th anniversary celebration.