Lindsey Taveren, MBA – Interim Executive Director
With over 13 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, Ms. Lindsey Taveren is a seasoned leader at CNF, renowned for her ability to leverage financial strategies and emerging technologies to drive us toward our vision of a world in which all children affected by neurologic disorders reach their full potential.
Her impressive track record includes working at American Academy of Neurology where she drove major investments in finance technology systems and provided fiscal management to the American Brain Foundation, the Child Neurology Foundation, and the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. With a strong academic foundation, Ms. Taveren holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business where she specialized in finance and entrepreneurship.
Diagnosed with autism as an adult, Ms. Taveren has an exceptional way of problem solving and organizing information to achieve results. Her personal experience as an individual with a neurologic condition combined with her impressive skillset in nonprofit leadership makes Ms. Taveren uniquely suited for leading CNF into the next chapter of growth.
In her role as Interim Executive Director at the Child Neurology Foundation, Ms. Taveren is responsible for leading a cross-functional team to grow the Neurology Social Servies Network (NSSN), a virtual database and referral system of organizations in the neurology community that connects individuals to social services and emotional supports as they navigate their neurology journey, and the newly launched CNF Learning Portal, which has the potential to disrupt the status quo and position CNF as an education trailblazer through its easily navigable and centralized online system. Ms. Taveren’s expertise in technology, finance, and process improvement will drive efforts to deliver more user-friendly and effective CNF programming in Child and Family Support, Education, and Care Advancement.
We encourage you to stay connected and be part of the transformative conversations and projects that lie ahead at the Child Neurology Foundation.
Allyson Eyermann – Deputy Director
Allyson supports daily operations to ensure the achievement of the organization’s strategic goals and objectives in alignment with the mission of CNF. She has a diverse background in administration in the corporate, education/research and non-profit sectors, joining CNF from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Research Office. Allyson resides in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband, Jason, their son, Leo, and dog, Noble. Allyson resolutely believes that the best things in life are not things. Her love for her own family drives her professionally and passionately to serve the patients and families in the child neurology community.
Jessica Nickrand, PhD – Director of Programs
Jessica was drawn to CNF because of her passion for patient advocacy, and her belief that health care can be at its best when patients are empowered to be their own advocate. As the Director of Programs, she leads strategy for the development of CNF’s programs in Child and Family Support, Education, and Care Advancement, leveraging her previous roles at CNF as Senior Programs Manager and Programs Manager, which focused mostly on programs related to Transition of Care, federal advocacy, and health equity.
Before joining CNF, she worked in health policy education at the American Academy of Neurology and as Research Director at the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values at the University of Notre Dame. In 2015, she was selected as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow at the National Academies of Science, Technology, and Medicine where she supported the work of the National Roundtable for Population Health Improvement. She holds a BA in Social Relations and Health Policy from Michigan State University and a PhD in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine from the University of Minnesota with her dissertation research focused on the intersection of urban renewal and health provision. She still enjoys collaborating with her colleagues in academia and is a frequent guest lecturer in both undergraduate and health professional school courses in the medical humanities.
Outside of work, Jessica volunteers her time to work for healthier communities where she lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She currently serves as a Mayoral-appointed member of the Saint Paul Neighborhood STAR Board, which provides grant funding and forgivable loans through a competitive process to small businesses, and from 2021-2023, served as a City Council-appointed member of Saint Paul’s Legislative Advisory Committee on Reparations. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Minnesota Community Care, the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in the state, and as a member of The Arc Minnesota’s Regional Advisory Committee which supports programming related to increasing the civic participation of adults with IDD.
Jessica and her husband, Nick, call themselves “bi-coastal…if you consider the Great Lakes to be a coast,” splitting up their time between Saint Paul and where her family still resides in the Downriver community of Detroit. They have 8 niblings and many more who have been inherited from their friends who have become family, and enjoy their role as “professional aunt and uncle” more than almost anything else in life.
Amanda Bockelman – Operations Coordinator
Amanda Bockelman joins us from Frontier Nursing University where she was Executive Assistant to the President for over 4 years. For 5 years prior to this role, Amanda credentialed students at clinical sites, making it possible for them to complete their degrees. Amanda received her bachelor’s degree in Art History from the University of Kentucky, after also completing courses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. More recently, Amanda completed her PACE certification (Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence), which increased her knowledge, expertise, and skill set in the evolving business environment, while expanding her aptitude for administrative work. Amanda found her calling of wanting to make a difference in children’s lives who are battling diseases when a teammate of her son was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. She raised money for the family so they could take the time off work they needed to care for him. Accepting a position at CNF continues Amanda’s drive to help children achieve their best lives.
Amanda is a proud mom to a six-year-old daughter, Adrianna, and a thirteen-year-old son, Vincent. In Amanda’s own words, her kids “drive me to work hard to make their lives better each day.”
Hilary Pellegrin – Staff Accountant
Hilary has a long and diverse history of non-profit work – spanning from her volunteer work at a local food bank in high school, to serving as a Team Leader for the AmeriCorps NCCC program, to her recent work at the library consortium Amigos Library Services. She brings with her to CNF a deep passion for assisting communities on the local and national levels, believing strongly in the power of connections and in working together to find solutions to the challenges facing the child neurology community. Hilary currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri with her partner Robert and their three cats. While away from home, you’ll find Hilary swing dancing around town or training for her next 5k.
Jane Baldwin – Development Manager
Jane joins CNF with a background in higher education, having worked in international development, student programming, and academic advising at Indiana University and the University of Kentucky. She moved to Lexington after two years in Singapore, where she volunteered on a helpline with the Association of Women for Action and Research, the country’s leading NGO focused on women’s rights and gender equity. Jane holds an MPA from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs with concentrations in Public Financial Administration and Policy Analysis. Outside of work, she is an avid runner, baker, and traveler.
Kim Hindery – Senior Program Manager
Kim Hindery is an experienced professional who has been diligently advocating for children with special healthcare needs and their families for over 18 years. She excels at building relationships that create significant positive impacts for the community. Her personal experience of raising children with unique needs fuels the passion she brings to everything she does.
In her current role at CNF, she oversees a network of over 80 advocacy organizations that work together to provide crucial social and emotional support for families. Kim also develops educational programs for families and clinicians, promoting comprehensive care and knowledge-sharing.
Kim holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Saint Louis University, as well as a Master’s in Administration from Xavier University. Prior to her tenure at CNF, she worked as an intervention specialist, supporting families and children to achieve their fullest potential. Kim is also SAFe6 POPM certified.
In 2019, Kim played a pivotal role in the establishment of the parent council for the I-ACQUIRE phase 3 clinical trial. She continues to collaborate with clinicians and researchers to enhance family-centered care, ensure respectful and sensitive material, and support recruitment and retention strategies. Additionally, she contributes to clinical trials that examine healthcare accessibility in rural areas and strives to improve service delivery.
Kim is a member of the FDA’s Patient Engagement Collaborative and Patient Engagement Advisory Committee, where she offers insights and guidance on the patient’s perspective. She believes in seizing every moment as an opportunity to positively impact others. Outside of her professional commitments, Kim enjoys reading for both education and leisure, volunteering on the Parent-Teacher Organization for her daughters’ schools, and spending quality time with her family and friends. She resides just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters, one of whom has cerebral palsy.
Nyechi Oleka – Community Engagement Manager
Nyechi Oleka is a recent addition to the Child Neurology Foundation as a Program Coordinator. She has over ten years of experience in relationship management and community engagement. Her prior experience includes working for Disability Determination Services as a disability adjudicator, and before that, a mental health community support professional with Seven Counties Services. Nyechi holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Kentucky State University, and a Master of Science degree in Conflict Management from Sullivan University.
Nyechi is also the Creative and Event Chair of Sneaker Ball Lex: A KOTD Affair, a fundraising event in Lexington, and Founder of the Sneakers With Everything Project non-profit organization.
Nathan Jones – Marketing Manager
Nathan’s diagnosis of epilepsy at 18 sparked his lifelong commitment to understanding and supporting individuals, families, and communities living with epilepsy. After producing a short film about his experience, Nathan began volunteering for the Epilepsy Foundation of Los Angeles and was eventually hired as a program coordinator, marketer, and development officer, focused on building community.
Nathan’s contributions to the Epilepsy Foundation of Los Angeles include leading the team captain program for the annual Walk to End Epilepsy, creating the Big Brain Exhibit as an educational tool for schools and events and producing thirteen short documentary films highlighting success stories from EFLA’s Care & Cure Institute. Currently, Nathan also serves on the Board of Directors for the Hidden Truths Project and the Hundley Foundation.
As a passionate storyteller and advocate, Nathan is eager to apply his skills and experience to the role of Marketing Manager at the Child Neurology Foundation.
Paul Cooper – Convening & Facilitating Methodologist
Paul has devoted his 25-year consulting career to helping clients improve collaboration and internal communication. He helps groups build new awareness and mobilize energy for change as a facilitator, executive coach, organizational development consultant, and qualitative researcher. His book, Change Agent Nation: Create Change in Your Neighborhood…or Across the World was published in 2019 and is available on Amazon.
