POCKETS OF LIGHT

OFFICERS

 

USHTA DAVAR CANTEENWALLA, Chair

Ushta is a board certified licensed genetic counselor with nearly 18 yrs of experience in clinical genetics. Empowering individuals to understand and navigate their genetic health is her passion.

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In 2018 she founded FiND Genetics, an independent telemedicine genetics consulting practice after recognizing that there is a gap in access to genetics support and information for the general population.  Her work currently ranges from providing reproductive, adult, and general genetic counseling, consulting in clinical operations to providers and companies, community genetics education, and mentoring.

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Ushta's prior experience ranges from running a collaborative care fetal diagnostic center at Columbia University Medical Center, working in prenatal, pediatric, and cardiac genetics, and leading a large nation-wide genetic counseling team at CooperGenomics, a reproductive genetic testing lab. 

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She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with her masters in Human Genetics in 2005 and completed her undergraduate work at Rutgers University.

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Ushta lives in the suburbs of NJ and is a mom to 3 boys who she loves sharing her passion for cooking and baking.

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JENNIFER BROWN, Vice Chair

Jennifer is a Co-founder of Pockets of Light.

 

After completing her BA in psychology from the State University of New York at the University of Buffalo, Jennifer continued her education at Long Island University, CW Post earning an MA in school counseling. During her work as a high school guidance counselor at the Solomon Schechter Hebrew Day School in New York, Jennifer focused on individual and group counseling for her students.

 

Jennifer and her husband have three children; their second daughter Zoe having died three days after birth in 2010 from a genetic disorder called Polycystic Kidney Disease.  After their loss, Jennifer and her husband organized a fundraiser to raise money for the NICU at the hospital that took care of their daughter. They also created a team where they walk every year to raise money to fight PKD.

 

Jennifer completed perinatal bereavement training and currently facilitates support groups for Pockets of Light. 

 

ERIN TRUXILLO, Executive Director

Erin is a co-founder of Pockets of Light.

 

After graduating with a marketing degree from James Madison University and working as a marketing coordinator for a couple of years, Erin decided to pursue her teaching degree and completed a secondary education program. She taught mathematics at the middle and high school level in Fairfax, VA and Charlotte, NC.

 

In 2008, Erin’s first child Hailey was stillborn a month shy of her due date. At the time, Erin and her husband were living in Charlotte, NC, and became involved with a non-profit called KinderMourn that offered support to grieving parents. Through participation in KinderMourn’s support group as well as speaking at grief workshops and the annual holiday memorial service, Erin’s interest in helping those who had lost a baby continued to grow.

 

After relocating to Montclair, NJ a few years ago, in an effort to continue to help bereaved parents, Erin became a community volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. After some research, she came to the realization that there was very little consistent support in the area for those who had lost a baby and became determined to change that.

 

Since the loss of Hailey, Erin and Tom were fortunate enough to bring home two healthy children. Sadly, in 2015, they experienced a miscarriage at 10 weeks. 

 

Erin completed perinatal bereavement training and currently facilitates support groups for Pockets of Light. 

 

MATTHEW DECROSTA

Matthew grew up in New Haven, CT, and graduated from Quinnipiac University with a BA in History. He relocated to New Jersey in 2012 to begin his finance career in New York. Matthew is a Financial Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM at Morgan Stanley.

He was previously a board member for Statement Arts, a non-profit organization that believes in the power of an integrated arts education to cultivate the next generation of leaders who can inspire social and cultural change. Matthew provided financial literacy courses to underserved youth, helping them and their families improve their lives by
better understanding topics not often covered in school.

 

In July of 2020 Matthew and his wife Stephanie lost their identical twin boys to complications from Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). Matthew and Stephanie currently live in Bloomfield with their two living children, Santino and Carmine. In his free time Matthew is an avid bass fisherman.

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ADAM YOSKOWITZ

Adam studied business administration at the University of Hartford and is COO of Essex Sales and Distribution Group, a wholesale supplier of drapery hardware and window coverings where he has worked for the last 20 years.

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Adam and his wife Melissa have four children. In May 2011 Adam and Melissa lost their first-born son Hudson, at a few hours old, shortly after delivery. Since the loss of Hudson, Adam and Melissa have gone on to welcome two healthy children. Tragically, in 2017, they delivered their fourth child, daughter Harper, who was stillborn at 34 weeks.

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After their devastating first loss, Adam and his wife founded the Hudson Shea Foundation, to raise awareness in the area of pregnancy and infant loss and provide grief support services for families. Through the HSF, Adam co-founded a men's support group, the first and only bereavement group, for fathers that have had a loss of this kind in the tri-state area. Since its inception, the HSF has partnered with the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the state's only facility solely dedicated to researching the underlying scientific causes of pediatric illness, to launch the Hudson Shea Stella Faith Research Fund in support of research that examines the potential causes of pregnancy loss, preterm birth, perinatal and neonatal disorders, and early infant death. Adam considers it his life’s purpose to help those who have traveled down similar paths of infant loss.

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Adam lives in Mahwah, New Jersey with his wife, Melissa, son Cameron, daughter Emerson and two mini bernedoodles Bodhi and Sophie.

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STEPHANIE ODURO 

Stephanie is a NJ native who grew up in Jersey City. She received her BA from the Universoty of Pennsylvania and her JD from Columbia Law School. After graduating from college, Stephanie worked as a Finance Analyst before law school. She is currently a Legal & Compliance professional in the financial services industry.

Stephanie first became involved with Pockets of Light in 2020 following the loss of her first-born daughter Angel. Stephanie and her husband took part in both the loss support group when expecting their second child. The support from the Pockets of Light team was invaluable and Stephanie seeks to use talents and drive to give back to this amazing organization that gave her so much to her and her family. Stephanie and her husband still live in NJ and have a young son. Stephanie enjoys international travel with her family whenever possible. 

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RYAN MEROLLE

Ryan received a BSc in Information Technology from Marist College and an Ms in Information Systems from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is an IT leader with over 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, specializing in network infrastructure engineering and technology leadership.

Ryan and his wife Jill experienced the hardships of starting a family, enduring miscarriages and fertility treatments for several years. Tragically, in December 2019, they lost their first daughter Hailey to stillbirth at 40 weeks of pregnancy. During their grief journey, which coincided with the onset of the pandemic in spring 2020, they found crucial support through Pockets of Light's for them to connect with others experiencing similar losses.

Through IVF, Ryan and his wife conceived again and participated in Pockets of Light's Pregnancy After Loss support group in Fall 2020. They welcomed their daughter, Olivia, in March 2021, who spent a week in the NICU after a traumatic Birth, and later welcomed their third child Emily in 2023, also conceived through IVF and requiring NICU care, continuing their challenging but hopeful journey.

Since the loss of Hailey, Ryan has remained actively involved with Pockets of Light by coordinating fundraising events, helping facilitate training sessions for medical providers and therapists, and speaking at grief workshops for hospital staff. His family honors Hailey's memory each year on December 18th through "Hailey's Day of Kindness," participating in and promoting acts of kindness in her memory. Ryan lives in Cranford, NJ with his wife Jill and their two living children, Olivia and Emily. 

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DR. NORMA MILANES ROBERTS, Advisory to the Board

Dr. Norma Milanes Roberts is an established Board Certified and highly skilled physician with over 25 years of experience in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Infertility. She completed her medical school training at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School and her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mount Sinai Medical Center/Jersey City Medical Center combined program. She began her medical career with an emphasis in community care centers and spent over 18 years working at Federal Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) throughout New Jersey where she worked her way up to becoming the Clinical Director. In 2018 she became the Medical Director at Newark’s Department of Health and Community Wellness. Most recently, she joined the staff at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center as lead physician in their newly developed Centering Pregnancy program, which aims to address some of the disparities in maternal healthcare.

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Norma is fluent in Spanish and launched the “Conversaciones De Mujer a Mujer”, (Conversations from woman to woman), a Spanish podcast aimed to provide useful health information to Spanish speaking audiences. Norma believes that her knowledge, experience, and access to various communities will be a great addition to the Board and feels honored to join this organization.

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FOUNDERS

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ERIN TRUXILLO

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JENNIFER BROWN

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DENISE CANTE

Prior to co-founding Pockets of Light, Denise spent over a decade working in senior roles at Boys & Girls Clubs – a non-profit serving at-risk youth – in both New York and San Francisco. She most recently held the position of Vice President, Capital Campaign, in San Francisco, where she was responsible for the fundraising and marketing of a successful multi-million-dollar campaign.  

Denise and her husband suffered from recurrent pregnancy loss and have endured seven miscarriages. She lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband Jason, son Paolo, and daughter Sylvie. 

 

AND WE'RE GROWING...

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As a new organization, we are currently building our Board of Directors. We are looking for passionate and generous individuals in our vicinity with a commitment to our mission and skills that will help support us as we build Pockets of Light. Desirable areas of expertise include:

 

• Finance/Accounting

• Non-profit Management

• Perinatal Loss and Bereavement

• Marketing & Public Relations

• Fundraising

• Technology

 

If you or someone you know would like more information about joining our Board, please contact us.

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