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Speakers
Ruth
Beaglehole, MA, has been an early childhood
educator for over 40 years. She founded the Echo Park/Silverlake
People’s Child Care Center. Ruth has developed and taught
anti-bias classes and founded the Teen Parenting and Child
Care Program at Los Angeles Technology Center. She is
nationally recognized for her innovative work with teen
parents and continues her advocacy work through The Center for
Nonviolent Education and Parenting, which she founded in 1999.
She trains and lectures to parents, teachers and agency
personnel nation-wide about nonviolent education and
parenting. 
Bridget
Chelf, BA, DC, CVC, is a chiropractor in
private practice in Solana Beach, California. Dr. Chelf is a
teaching assistant with the Upledger Institute and lectures on
the topic of Craniosacral Therapy in pregnancy and pediatrics.
Misty Dunn
is a Communication Skills Facilitator and Trainer for LLL
United States Western Division. She is an LLL Leader and lives
in Sacramento, CA.
Paul Fleiss, MD, MPH, FAAP, is Assistant
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, USC School of Medicine and a
lecturer at UCLA School of Public Health and the Lactation
Institute and Breastfeeding Clinic. Dr. Fleiss has a private
practice located in Los Angeles and is a member of the LLLI
Health Advisory Council and is an LLL Medical Associate. He is
the author of Sweet Dreams: A Pediatrician’s Secrets for
Your Child’s Good Night’s Sleep, which presents a much
needed viewpoint in a culture influenced by various “sleep
training” methods.
Melanie
Gersten is a certified Baby Signs®
Instructor. She has received training in language acquisition
and is excited to share an introduction to basic sign language
for pre-verbal children and their parents.
Miriam
Glueck, MS, is a retired elementary school
teacher and author of How to Get a Gifted Child When You
Didn’t Get One at Birth (self-published). She has written
many articles for OC Parent Magazine and LA
Parenting Magazine. She and her husband have raised two
responsible successful adult children. 
Jay Gordon,
MD, FAAP, emphasizes pediatric and family nutrition at his
private pediatric practice located in Santa Monica. He is a
member of the teaching and clinical faculty at UCLA,
Cedars-Sinai Hospital and the Lactation Institute and
Breastfeeding Clinic. Dr. Gordon is a member of the LLLI
Health Advisory Council, has been an LLLI Medical Associate
for 24 years and is an Attachment Parenting International
Advisory Board member. He is a monthly contributing author for
Fit Pregnancy magazine, a media consultant and has appeared on
numerous TV shows such as 20/20, and Good Morning America. Dr.
Gordon’s book, Good Food Today, Great Kids Tomorrow,
offers a life-changing plan for families who want to make
dramatic changes in health and fitness through nutrition. He
is the author of Good Nights, The Happy Parents’ Guide to
the Family Bed (And a Peaceful Nights’ Sleep!) and
Listening to Your Baby: A New Approach to
Parenting Your Newborn.
Linda
Kingsley, BA, IBCLC, is Coordinator
of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Lactation Services. She is a La
Leche League Leader and a member of the Professional Liaison
Department of LLL of Southern California/Nevada. Linda is also
the owner of a breastfeeding support website.
 Margie
Deutsch Lash, MSEd, IBCLC, is a parenting
and lactation consultant in private practice in Irvine, CA.
She has been working with breastfeeding families since 1982 in
a variety of settings including hospital, clinic and private
practice. Margie is a popular speaker at regional and
international conferences on breastfeeding-related topics. She
is a La Leche League Leader and Area Professional Liaison for
La Leche League of Southern California/Nevada. Margie is also
the founding President of the Orange County Lactation
Consultants Association and a past President of the Orange
County Breastfeeding Coalition. Her past accomplishments
include publishing a regular column and articles in Paths
of Learning, a magazine of education and parenting-related
topics.
Lisa
Marasco, MA, IBCLC, is the owner of a
private lactation consulting practice in Santa Maria, CA, as
well as a lactation consultant for Santa Barbara County WIC.
She serves on the board of Northern Santa Barbara County
Breastfeeding Coalition and is a La Leche League Leader and
member of the Professional Liaison Department of LLL of
Southern California/Nevada. Lisa's primary passion is for
understanding and solving breastfeeding mysteries, especially
those related to milk production. She is a sought after
speaker and frequent contributor to professional publications.
Her first book, Making More Milk: A Nursing Mother's Guide
to Milk Supply, co-authored with Diana West, is currently
pending publication.
Chele
Marmet, BS, MA, conceptualized the field of
lactation consulting (1977), created the first training
program (1979) and the first (BA and MA) programs (1985) for
lactation consultants. She was Adjunct Professor at Pacific
Oaks College (1985-2003) and is the Director of the Lactation
Institute and Breastfeeding Clinic (1979-present). She is a
founder of IBLCE, ILCA, WABA, the United States Breastfeeding
Committee, and the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater LA.
Chele has been a member of the Department of Health Services:
California Breastfeeding Promotion Advisory Committee (BPAC)
since its inception and is president of the California Network
for Breastfeeding. She is an LLL Leader (1975-present), a
member of the Professional Liaison Department of LLL of
Southern California/Nevada (1980-present) and the BOD of LLL
of Southern California, Inc. She is a member of the LLLI
Lactation Consultant Committee and the Program Chair of the
LLLI Lactation Specialist Traveling Workshop (1986-2006).
Chele is an internationally recognized educator, author and
speaker.
Nancy Mohrbacher,
IBCLC, is author of The Breastfeeding Answer
Book Pocket Guide Edition (2005) and co-author of
Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing
Mothers (2005) and The Breastfeeding Answer Book
(2003), a research-based counseling guide for lactation
professionals. A regular contributor to many publications and
an accomplished speaker since 1989, she has spoken at
breastfeeding conferences around the world. Nancy has been
helping breastfeeding families since 1982. Board-certified in
1991, she founded and maintained a large private practice in
the Chicago area from 1993 to 2003. She is currently a
lactation consultant for a breastfeeding products corporation.
She is also Chair of the Chicago Area Breastfeeding Coalition.
 James G.
Murphy, MD, FAAP, is Assistant Professor of
Pediatrics at F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine, Uniformed
Service University of the Health Sciences. He served 25 years
active duty as a physician with the US Navy and 11 years as a
contract pediatrician with the US Navy, his current position
at Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA. He is a Medical
Associate of La Leche League, a Member of the Academy of
Breastfeeding Medicine and is the current Treasurer for the
San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition.
Lois
Nightingale, PhD, is a licensed clinical
psychologist and licensed marriage, family and child
therapist. She is the author of the audio book, Overcoming
Postpartum Depression, A Doctor’s Own Story and the
relaxation CD, “A Quiet Time For New Mothers”. She has written
many published articles on postpartum depression and adjusting
to new motherhood. In 1991, Dr. Lois Nightingale set up an
innovative hospital unit to treat new mothers suffering from
postpartum depression without being separated from their
infants, the Nightingale Counseling Center for New Mothers;
she is now its director.
Karen
Peters, RD, IBCLC, LCCE, is a La
Leche League Leader, Communication Skills Facilitator (CSF),
and an LLLI Peer Counselor Training Specialist. Karen is the
Executive Director of the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater
Los Angeles. In addition, she teaches classes in breastfeeding
and childbirth education in her local community.
Ann
Russell, BS, IBCLC, RLC, is a La
Leche League Leader and is the CE Program Coordinator for the
Professional Liaison Department of LLL of Southern
California/Nevada. She teaches breastfeeding classes and also
has a private lactation practice in Poway, CA.
Pauline
Sakamoto, RN, MS, PHN, LS, is
Executive Director for the Mother's Milk Bank at Santa Clara
Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA. For ten years she has
directed the Mother's Milk Bank in a variety of roles,
beginning with her personal experience as a milk donor.
Currently Pauline serves as Vice-president of the Human Milk
Banking Association of North America (HMBANA).
Robert Sears, MD, FAAP, is a board
certified pediatrician in private practice with his
father, Dr. William Sears, and brother Dr. James Sears in Dana
Point, CA. He is an LLLI Medical Associate and the co-author
of Father’s First Steps: 25 Things Every New Dad Should
Know (upcoming in 2006), The Baby Book (Revised
Edition), The Premature Baby Book (2004), and
The Baby Sleep Book. He is the proud father of three boys,
ages 13, 10 and 4, enjoys speaking at LLL Area Conferences and
is also chief editor and writer for AskDrSears.com.
 William
Sears, MD,
is a well-respected
pediatrician and along with his wife Martha Sears have
raised eight children and were in the forefront of the
attachment parenting movement. They believe that "Attachment
parenting is like immunizing your child against emotional
diseases later on." They believe that attachment parenting
promotes mutual sensitivity, people who care, and that it
promotes trust, independence and intimacy. Dr. Sears is an
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University
of California, School of Medicine. He is a medical and
parenting consultant for many magazines and the author of many
books. Martha Sears is a registered nurse, a childbirth
educator, and a lactation consultant. She is the co-author of
24 parenting books and is a popular lecturer and media guest
drawing on her eighteen years of breastfeeding experience.
Sandra
Apgar Steffes, RN, MS, is President
of the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles. She is
Program Director Chair of the Education Council and a
Childbirth Trainer for Lamaze International as well as the
co-owner and director of a Lamaze-accredited childbirth and
labor support and labyrinth program.
 Marian
Tompson is one of the seven Founders of La
Leche League International. She has worked to promote
breastfeeding for 50 years and served as president of La Leche
League for the first 24 years. Marian continues to speak at
LLL Conferences around the world. She currently sits on LLLI's
Founders' Advisory Council and serves on the International
Advisory Council for WABA (World Alliance for Breastfeeding
Action.) Marian spends every spare minute gathering
information, raising critical questions and stimulating needed
research about breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS and is
the founder, President and CEO of AnotherLook, a
not-for-profit corporation. In 1999, she received the Ethical
Humanist Award from the New York Society for Ethical Culture
and the Today's Chicago Woman - 100 Women Making a Difference
Award. 
Jane Tuttle
is Chair of the LLLI Board of Directors. She is an LLL Leader
and is active with an LLL Group in Lawrence, KS. Jane is a
Communication Skills Instructor and has been Coordinator of
Leader Accreditation, Area Coordinator of Leaders, Area
Treasurer, Assistant Area Conference Supervisor and District
Advisor. In addition to her LLL work, Jane works in the Dean
of Students Office at the University of Kansas. She has a
doctorate in higher education administration, a master’s in
college student personnel and a bachelor’s degree in social
studies education. While LLL is her main volunteer activity,
she is involved in other community organizations that usually
center around her two sons.
Yvonne E.
Vaucher, MD, MPH, is a Clinical Professor
of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. At
UCSD she is an attending neonatologist in the NICU, Director
of the Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Program and past Pediatric
Director of the UCSD Family Maternity Care Center. Dr. Vaucher
has a long-standing interest in neonatal nutrition and
breastfeeding, particularly in high-risk infants. She is an
Associate of Wellstart International and is a perinatal/neonatal
consultant working regularly in developing countries.
Nancy
Williams, MA, MFT, CCE, IBCLC, is an
executive director of the pregnancy support agency of Lompoc
and Buellton, CA. She is an instructor in the Psychology
Department at Chapman University and is a consultant for a
pregnancy care center. Nancy is a marriage and family
therapist. She is also a La Leche League Leader, a consultant
with the Professional Liaison Department and a member of the
Board of Directors of LLL of Southern California, Inc.
Ilene
Val-Essen, PhD, psychotherapist, is the
creator of the Quality Parenting™
Program with instructors in the United States and Europe. She
is the author of Bring Out the Best—In Your Child and
Yourself: The Wisdom and Skills You Need to Create the Family
You Want. Dr. Val-Essen is a family therapist in private
practice in Los Angeles. |
