Meet Our Board of Directors
Jen Koym, President
(Lily Koym, Inspiration)
Jen earned her Bachelor’s of Science from Virginia Tech. Soon after graduating, she completed a teaching certification program through Mary Baldwin and then dedicated over a decade to working as a science educator in the Virginia Public School System.
Currently, Jen is completing her Masters of Educational Technology at James Madison University where she also serves as an adjunct professor. When not teaching or learning, she freelances as a graphic designer specializing in surface pattern design and organizational branding. She is mom to, Lily, her CHD heart warrior and for whom LilyPads is named, and wife to Todd, her best friend.
Amy Wissekerke, Secretary
Amy Wissekerke is a science teacher and fiction writer. She earned a B.A. in Biology and Masters in Teaching from the University of Virginia, then spent thirteen years teaching Biology and Chemistry in the public schools of Prince William County, the city of Chicago, and Charlottesville. She has also served as President of the Board of Trustees of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church-Unitarian Universalist. Currently, she lives with her family in Charlottesville, VA, where she is working on a novel.
Peter Dean, MD
Peter is a pediatric cardiologist with expertise in transthoracic, transesophageal and fetal echocardiogram imaging, exercise stress testing and sports cardiology. He cares for patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Dr. Dean is the medical director of the Pediatric Exercise Stress Laboratory and is board-certified in general pediatrics and pediatric cardiology.
Born in New York, Dr. Dean spent his early childhood in Sydney, Australia, and Moscow, Russia, before moving to Vienna, Virginia, in elementary school. He completed his undergraduate studies at Washington and Lee University, where he played football and baseball. He earned his medical degree the University of Virginia, followed by a general pediatrics residency. Dr. Dean completed his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and then joined the faculty at UVA in 2014. Outside of work, he enjoys spending his time with his wife and four young children.
Susan Kruse
Susan has been advocating for environmental protection and justice for 25 years. After launching the Allegheny Defense Project in her native Pennsylvania in 1994, Susan helped to found the National Forest Protection Alliance and joined the staff as the Eastern Field Coordinator. She led their federal legislative efforts to protect national forests before ultimately serving as the organization’s executive director. In 2006, Susan pursued her passion for philanthropic work and became the Director of Development for the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. After 10 years of growing Legal Aid’s development program and becoming a major gifts specialist, Susan returned to environmental work in 2016 to join Appalachian Voices as their Director of Philanthropy. Excited to merge her passion for the planet and the community she loves, Susan became C3’s executive director in 2019. She was appointed to Virginia’s Clean Energy Advisory Board for a three-year term by Governor Ralph Northam in 2019, and she was named in Virginia Business Magazine’s list of 100 people to meet in 2022 as an Impact Maker in Virginia. Susan is a graduate of Clarion University in Pennsylvania and resides in Charlottesville with her husband Mike and their two nature-loving boys, Evan and Sebastian.
Ashley Hurst, JD
Ashley Hurst is an Assistant Professor at UVA’s School of Nursing. Her teaching focuses on ethical and legal issues in health care. She is also a member of the UVA Health Systems Ethics Committee and Ethics Consult Service. Her research interests include studying moral distress in clinicians and narrative ethics. Previously, Ashley was a partner in an Atlanta law firm practicing in employment law. Ashley earned a BA and JD from the University of Florida, a Masters of Divinity from Yale University and a Masters in Religious Studies (Ethics) from the University of Virginia. She resides in Charlottesville and enjoys hiking locally and internationally.
Carolyn Ruocco
Carolyn Ruocco is a writer and editor with experience in editorial and product operations. After earning her Bachelors in English from Tulane University, she worked in marketing and corporate communications before pivoting to the learning space. In her seven years at Nomadic Learning, she led the editorial and production processes for the Josh Bersin Academy’s 30,000+ global HR professionals and enjoyed exploring cutting-edge topics like remote work, equitable benefits, and caregiving in the workplace.
After the birth of her second son, who has complex congenital heart disease, Carolyn shifted her focus toward caregiving and advocating for improved hospital experiences for pediatric patients. She serves on the Patient and Family Advisory Council at UVA Health Children’s and lives in Charlottesville with her husband and their two boys.