Board of Directors
Our organization is all volunteer based and the board is a "working board"
Andie McConnell, Director of Programs
Andie oversees all programs of FGP and serves as a voting member of the board. She also serves as Fredericksburg Area Coordinator. She has 2 years experience in fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and working with pediatric cancer families. Her nine years as a teacher in K-8 provides her with experience in community relations, planning, leadership and training. She holds a BA in Elementary Education and English Literature from SUNY Potsdam and an M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University.
Stephanie Johnson, Director of Photography
Stephanie manages the Fairy Godmother Project Photography Program and serves as a voting member of the board. She has 10 years experience in residential treatment, home-based services, and therapeutic foster care as a Therapist/Case Manager and 5 years experience as Owner/Photographer of a small portrait photography business. Additionally, she has volunteered her services to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and the Downs Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia for 3 years. She has a BA in Psychology from Radford University and an MA in Counseling from Marymount University.
Laura Leporati, Coordinator of Richmond Chapter
Laura serves as Coordinator of Richmond Chapter and serves as a voting member of the board. She has extensive experience working with children with chronic illnesses and disabilities and their families. Settings of experience include a children’s hospice, a pediatric unit in a hospital, a long-term behavioral hospital, camps for children with disabilities, schools, and low income homes. Additionally, she is a small business owner and therefore has experience in business development and fundraising. Ms Leporati has a BS in Psychology from James Madison University and an MS in Rehabilitation Psychology and Counseling from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Sue Ann Oltman
Sue Ann Oltman serves as a voting member of the board. She has over 25 years of experience supporting military personnel and their families. This experience includes acting as an adviser to unit families during deployments, mentoring military spouses, and managing family readiness volunteers. Additionally, she has been involved with organizing and managing fundraisers for various non-profits. She is currently a small business owner. Mrs. Oltman has a BA in History from San Diego State University.
Lisa Lapier, Volunteer Coordinator
Lisa carries out the responsibilities of Volunteer Coordinator and serves as a voting member of the board. Ms. Lapier began working with at-risk children and families in 1995, first in residential treatment, then as a therapeutic foster care case manager before working in the psychiatric hospital inpatient and intensive outpatient programs. Ms. Lapier is currently employed in private practice providing individual and family outpatient psychotherapy services to children, adolescents and adults. Ms. Lapier received her BA in 1994 from Indiana University of PA and her Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004. She obtained her License in Clinical Social Work in 2007.
Tanya Blosser, Ass't Director: Marketing and Fundraising
Tanya serves as Assistant Director of Marketing and Fundraising and serves as a voting member of the board. She has a professional background in sales and marketing, focusing primarily on new business development and strategic planning. Ms. Blosser has a BS in Government and Politics from George Mason University.
Jill Carroll
Jill Carroll was unexpectedly thrust into the pediatric cancer world in November of 2009 when her then 22-month-old daughter, Evelyn, was diagnosed with brain cancer. After a year of intense treatment, Evelyn's cancer is in remission, but the family's thoughts are never far from its specter. She serves as a consultant for the board regarding parenting a child with cancer and is a voting member of the board. In a previous life, Mrs. Carroll taught English in a middle school in Washington, DC. She has both a BS in History from the State University of New York at Oneonta and a M.Ed. in Secondary English Education from The George Washington University.
Erin Kessel
Erin serves as a voting member of the board. She practices law at the law firm of Spotts Fain PC in Richmond. She holds a B.B.A from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from the University of Richmond.
