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Monique Mitchell, PhD, FT
Chief Innovation Officer
Monique B. Mitchell, PhD, FT is a nationally recognized authority on children, teens, and young adults who are grieving in foster care, and is the National Director of the L.Y.G.H.T. program. Dr. Mitchell has trained and researched extensively on the lived experience of children and youth in the foster care system, taught undergraduate and graduate courses on loss and grief, and developed youth-centered curricula. She is the author of The Neglected Transition: Building a Relational Home for Children Entering Foster Care (Oxford University Press, 2016), co-author of The Dougy Center Model: Peer Grief Support for Children, Teens, and Families (Dougy Center, 2021), among other publications. She has worked directly with children, youth, and young adults who have been impacted by death and non-death losses in Canada, Honduras, and the United States.
Donna Schuurman, EdD, FT
Senior Director of Advocacy & Education
Donna L. Schuurman, EdD, FT previously served as Dougy Center’s Executive Director from 1991–2015 and is an internationally recognized authority on grief and bereaved children, teens, and families, and the author of Never the Same: Coming to Terms with the Death of a Parent (St. Martin’s Press, 2003), co-author of The Dougy Center Model: Peer Grief Support for Children, Teens, and Families (Dougy Center, 2021), among other publications. Dr. Schuurman has worked directly with families and communities impacted by large-scale tragedies and natural disasters, including as a trainer for the FBI and National Transportation Safety Board family assistance staff. She is a national trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and co-authored Children, Teens, and Suicide Loss, a joint publication of AFSP and Dougy Center.
Cristina Chipriano, LCSW-S
Director of Training and Program Equity
Cristina M. Chipriano, LCSW-S, has been in the field of childhood bereavement since 2015. Her work has focused on overseeing the programming for and outreach to historically marginalized children, teens and families. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Oregon and Texas. She currently contributes to the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Membership Committee, and the Multnomah County Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition, among others. Her previous roles include serving as a grief professional for Sesame Street Community Grief Project, she served on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief and the Executive Board of Latino Social Workers of Greater Houston.
Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW
Community Response Program Coordinator
Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW, has twenty years of experience coordinating peer grief support groups for children, teens, young adults, and adults. She also provides consultation and training for families, students, and community members who are grieving, as well as professionals locally and nationally. In her role as the Community Response Program Coordinator, Jana has facilitated numerous community responses for Oregon and SW Washington schools and community organizations after a death. Jana has co-authored many of Dougy Center's Tip Sheets, guidebooks, and workbooks for children, teens, and young adults. Jana also serves as the host and producer of Grief Out Loud, Dougy Center’s podcast. With more than 200 episodes, Grief Out Loud features interviews with other professionals in the grief world and those with lived experience of grief.
Ben Toledo, MEd
Training Coordinator
Ben Toledo, MEd, is the Training Coordinator at Dougy Center. With over five years of experience as a public school teacher, Ben has a passion for curriculum design and creative engagement strategies. He leverages these skills to develop and expand upon Dougy Center's innovative Online Grief Education Courses. As Training Coordinator, Ben is dedicated to furthering Dougy Center's mission by creating impactful training programs that equip individuals with the tools they need to support children and families who are grieving.
