CHAIR

Caitlin joined the Board in July 2022. She is a small business owner in Kelseyville and an active part of her community. She has two kids who keep her on her toes and help out in her shops and at the community events she puts on.

Having grown up in Lake County, and now raising her own children here, Caitlin understands the need for connection and support for mothers firsthand.

She is excited to be a part of Mother-Wise and to help grow the reach and services in our rural community. It really does take a village and Caitlin is honored to be a part of this one.

VICE-CHAIR

Denise Orpustan-Love, Ph.D., MSW (Dr. Love) brings over 20 years of social work experience in community-based direct practice, program development, administration, and leadership to Mother-Wise. She has worked with diverse populations in a variety of settings, primarily in the areas of health and gerontology in rural communities. She has developed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in social work and sociology across the curriculum. Her primary research and writing interests focus on exploring how indigenous cultural values and traditions intersect with social work practice.

SECRETARY

Virginia is a founding Board member of Mother-Wise. She is a mom, grandma, business owner, author, poet, and former cross-cultural curriculum writer. She is 2nd generation Filipino-American and an OG SF Asian-American community activist.

DIRECTOR

Laurie is a full time Professor in the Early Childhood Education Department at Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College. She received her Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) at Mills College in Oakland in 2006, her MA.Ed from Sonoma State in 2002, and her BS in Early Childhood Education at Pacific Union College in 1999. Her research work is centered on children’s behavior and its influences, particularly media viewing. She is published in the journal of “Early Childhood Research and Practices” (ECRP, 2009). In addition, she published a book and children’s CD titled, “Let’s Have Fun!” She has been working in the field of Early Childhood Education for 40 years and her focus is the study of child development. She loves teaching ECE. It is her life passion.

DIRECTOR

A founding Mother-Wise Board member, Tom helped bring us to fruition during his tenure as Executive Director of Lake County First Five. He raised four strong women, and has an extensive public service and volunteering background (Peace Corps, Commission on Aging, and Jr. Giants softball coach to name a few).

DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR

Bee was born in Ukiah and raised in Lake County. She is a wife and mama to five kiddos, as well as a fantastic photographer!

DIRECTOR

Mia is a technology professional with experience in ed tech, nonprofits, startups, and partnerships. She’s currently a senior programs and operations manager at Google, working from her home in Lakeport. Mia was born and raised in Lake County and returned in 2019 with her husband after 10 years in the Bay Area. She is a mother of two who is excited to be part of an organization dedicated to empowering mothers through timely resources and community.

DIRECTOR

Casey moved to Lake County as a baby and graduated from Clear Lake High School, then got her AA in Business Administration, Accounting, and Management. She currently works for the Lake County Health Department. She had her first baby in January of 2019 and Mother-Wise was there to help pull her out of the darkness and provide a huge support when she didn’t know where to turn. In 2021 she welcomed her second baby and again we were there for her. The support Mother-Wise provided her and the community of Lake County is what made her want to join the board.

DIRECTOR

Lorena has been a nurse for 19 years working in labor and delivery, then a nurse practitioner working in ob/gyn for the last 10 years. She has lived in Lake County most of her life. She has a passion for helping women navigate their journey toward motherhood, however they may get there. Lorens became involved with Mother-Wise after seeing first hand how many patients experience perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.