Our Staff
Erin Nelson, ACTP
Executive Director
Erin is the founding Executive Director of Jessica’s House, which launched through EMC in 2011. Under her leadership, Jessica’s House has helped thousands of children, teens and young adults by providing a safe place to grieve for children and their families.
Erin is a trauma practitioner through the National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children. She entered the grief world when her late husband, Tyler, died when her children were five and three. Soon after Tyler’s death, she became a survivor of her mom’s suicide and began raising her 15-year-old sister. She learned the importance of grief support for families while raising her own children and sister who were grieving. In 2019, Erin’s son, Carter, died in an accident.
Erin and her husband, Bryan, live in the Turlock area and enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren. Since Carter’s death, Erin has been writing about child loss. She is co-writing a book with fellow staff member Colleen Montague for parents raising grieving children, to be released in Spring 2025 through Baker Books.
Program
Colleen Montague, LMFT
Program Director
Colleen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her passion for grief work began early in her career as she supported families through their unique grief journeys. Hearing their stories and witnessing their transformation along the way was truly inspiring and changed the course of her career.
Colleen first joined the Jessica’s House family as a volunteer in 2019 and immediately felt at home. She is passionate about our mission and committed to supporting the families we serve well.
Since she was young, Colleen has enjoyed writing. She now writes educational pieces for volunteers, families and other service providers. She also co-authored a book with our Executive Director Erin Nelson for parents raising grieving children, to be released in Spring 2025 through Baker Books.
Marlen Duran, MSW
Intern and Therapeutic Spaces Manager
Marlen is our Volunteer and Therapeutic Spaces Coordinator. Marlen joined Jessica’s House in 2018 as a graduate intern for two years before joining the staff. She oversees the therapeutic spaces, including the art room, music room, dramatic playroom, hospital playroom, volcano and sensory room. She also helps coordinate therapeutic sensory-based expressive art.
Marlen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and her master’s degree in Social Work from CSU Stanislaus. She has always had a passion for working with kids and previously worked as a Behavioral Technician for children with autism.
She enjoys spending time with friends and family and loves reading, watching movies, traveling, and most importantly, drinking coffee.
*Se habla espanol.
Erica Reis
Family Services Manager
As the family services manager, Erica makes the well-being of the parents and children her priority. Her work has helped her realize the importance of strong grief support and she says, “The best part of my job is knowing that I can make a difference for someone”.
Erica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services and has worked with children and families’ grief and loss issues for many years.
Erica is an avid reader and loves to travel, but the thing she enjoys most is spending time with friends and family.
Ellie Gonzales
Volunteer Coordinator
As a Volunteer Coordinator, Ellie truly enjoys working with volunteers and building connections with them. Also, supporting Spanish-speaking families brings a smile to her face and tremendous joy to her life.
Ellie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development, with a concentration in Child and Family Services, from CSU Stanislaus.
Ellie loves to read, hike, and travel on long road trips. Her favorite places to visit are Joshua Tree and Yosemite..
*Se habla espanol.
Yvonne Borges
Grief Support and Facility Manager
As the Grief Support Coordinator, Yvonne brings smiles to the faces of families who are going through some of the roughest times of their lives. Yvonne enjoys building relationships with the children, parents and the amazing volunteers at Jessica’s House. “They have a positive impact on my life, and what I hope for each day is that we do the same for them”.
Yvonne is a Turlock native and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from CSU Stanislaus. Experiencing the loss of her father at age 17, she understands the importance of cherishing the moments.
She loves the beach, camping, going to the park and playing games with her three children, Mia, Blake and Mylah.
Jennifer Ganser Bridges, MSW, MEd
Group and School Support Coordinator
Jennifer joined Jessica’s House in grief support, education, and outreach. Her personal grief journey began in the summer of 2012, when her husband, Chris, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and her father-in-law died from cancer. In 2018, her grief deepened when Chris died from cancer at the age of 40. After Chris’ death, Jennifer found support, strength, and growth through her faith, family, groups, books, and other young widows. In 2020 she returned to school to pursue her MSW, with the hopes of supporting others with cancer, death, grief, and loss.
In 2021, Jennifer and her son, Christopher, attended Climb For A Cure, a colorectal cancer advocacy event her late husband, Chris, co-founded. There she met Jim, whose wife had also died from colorectal cancer. The two connected over their stories of love and loss and soon realized that God had put them together for a reason. In the summer of 2023, Jim and Jennifer married and Jennifer moved out to California from North Carolina, joining their lives, homes, and 5 children, and continuing to carry their late spouses forward with them in life and love.
Jennifer now holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in addition to her Master of Education degree in Special Education and Early Childhood/ Development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Jennifer is an East Coast girl from Florida, but she loves California and all the West Coast has to offer. She loves spending time with family, traveling, running, and the beach!
Lisette Maciel-Hernandez
Group Support Coordinator
lmacielhernandez@jessicashouse.org
Lisette is our Group Support Coordinator and joined our staff in 2024. She has her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stanislaus state and is working towards getting her master's degree in professional clinical counseling.
Lisette enjoys providing support in any way possible. Lisette brings experience from the human services field as a case manager for adults and families experiencing housing instability, and most recently as a clinician trainee, providing therapeutic services to adults and families in need.
Lisette enjoys spending her free time with her partner, her dog and her cat. She also loves the fall, reading, puzzles, and going on hikes.
Jessica Madrigal
Housekeeper
Jessica enjoys helping people feel comfortable and safe by providing a clean and organized environment. Prior to joining Jessica's House, she worked at a retirement/skilled nursing facility where she helped maintain the cleanliness of the resident’s rooms and upkeep of the building. Working there and getting to know the residents taught Jessica about the importance of not only building a relationship of trust but also knowing how important it is to be kind and help others because you never know what someone is going through.
Jessica was born and raised in Turlock by two hardworking parents. She has two sisters and two dogs. Jessica enjoys listening to music and reading. She is also a big animal lover and enjoys being outdoors during colder seasons.
Marketing, Development & Outreach
Courtney Morse
Director of Marketing and Development
Courtney joined Jessica's House in September 2024, bringing her six years of experience in nonprofit marketing and fundraising with her. As the Director of Marketing and Development, she is dedicated to elevating the organization's mission and expanding its reach within the community. Courtney focuses on crafting impactful marketing strategies, building meaningful partnerships, and driving fundraising initiatives supporting Jessica's House's vital services.
A passionate advocate for community well-being, Courtney finds inspiration in the work Jessica's House does to support children, teens, young adults, and their families through grief—something everyone experiences at some point in their lives. She is the President-Elect on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), CA-Yosemite Chapter.
A Modesto native, Courtney holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from CSU Stanislaus. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring new places, hiking, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Nancy Daley
Grief Support Facilitator and Heart Circle Chair
Nancy’s life passion is children. She is a professional facilitator, and the former tutor of Jessica Everett, the namesake of Jessica's House. “Jessica taught me the value of life through her journey of cancer.”
Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education and Child Development from Fresno State. She is certified in Critical Incident Stress Management training and the Chaplaincy program, through the Association of Christian Schools International. Nancy is also a trauma practitioner through The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. While working for Emanuel Cancer Center, she founded the Monkey Business support group for family members living with a loved one’s diagnosis of cancer.
In her free time “Grandma Nan” enjoys spending time with her children and seven grandchildren.
Amanda Patino
Data and Social Media Manager
Amanda joined Jessica’s House in September 2023 as our Data and Social Media Manager. She oversees the critical data systems that allow Jessica’s House to effectively intake, report and communicate the day-to-day work we do. Her goal is to share the mission of Jessica’s House with a broader audience. Amanda is always looking for creative ways to share activities, quotes and tips in the hopes that someone may find them helpful.
Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from CSU Stanislaus.
Amanda loves to explore the outdoors. She enjoys going hiking with her husband and their two dogs.
*Se habla espanol.
Adrienne Gillespie
Outreach Coordinator
Adrienne is our Outreach Coordinator and joined our staff in 2024 after volunteering in groups for a year and a half. She was a schoolteacher for the last 28 years and enjoys engaging and encouraging children and people of all ages. Being a pastor’s wife gives her a heart for grieving people. “I love being a part of Jessica’s House staff and hope to get to know our volunteers and our families and be a steady, non-anxious presence for them.”
Adrienne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Psychology from Pensacola Christian College.
She enjoys walks with friends, pickleball, traveling, and reading, but especially spending time with her husband, Chris, and her three adult children whenever she gets the chance.
EMC HEALTH, INC.
Linda Stuhmer, CEO
EMC Health, Inc.
Linda M. Stuhmer is President and Chief Executive Officer of EMC Health, Inc., the nonprofit organization that founded Jessica’s House. Her wealth of knowledge helps guide Jessica’s House’s fiscal and legal responsibilities. Concurrently Linda serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Covenant Ministries of Benevolence.
Linda is a graduate of University of Puget Sound and received her law degree from University of San Diego. She is licensed to practice law in California and Illinois.
Linda is committed to her community and volunteers her time with Turlock Christian School where she serves as Chairman of the Board.
She and her husband Steve have one son, Brian, three cats and two dogs.
Cortney Hartsfield
Director of Operations and Administration
Cortney Hartsfield is the Director of Operations and Administration for EMC Health, Inc. and has been with the company since 2006. She has been part of the fundraising team for Jessica’s House since its inception in 2012.
She works behind the scenes in providing overall administrative direction, management, and coordination for EMC Health, Inc. as well as administrative support to the President and CEO. She is blessed to work with such a wonderful team at Jessica’s House and is honored to be part of this amazing ministry for the community.
Cortney and her husband, Richie are ordained ministers and pastor a church in Modesto. They have three children and a golden retriever, named Muncy.