Meet the Board of Directors

As the principal consultant at Monk Works Consulting, Ms. Monk collaborates with healthcare organizations, including hospital systems and start-ups. Previously, she spearheaded VCU Ventures at Virginia Commonwealth University, tripling the number of university start-ups. Her visionary leadership extended to pre-acceleration programs, founder-friendly licensing terms, and a groundbreaking $7M healthcare innovation project at VCUH.

Before VCU, Ms. Monk served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Virginia Life Science Investments, evaluating diverse technologies for investment. She also excelled as Vice President of the Virginia Biosciences Commercialization Center (VBCC), guiding later-stage medical device companies in strategic marketing, reimbursement, and regulatory strategies.

Ms. Monk’s journey began at the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, where she directed marketing for over 30 early-stage life science ventures.

Ms. Monk’s impact on healthcare is truly remarkable!

Sarah Werner, a Richmond, Virginia native, transitioned from political consulting to healthcare leadership. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, she held numerous leadership positions at Amedisys Home Health and Hospice—one of the nation’s largest providers of skilled home care and home hospice.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah served as Area Vice President of Clinical Operations for the company’s New Jersey market, where she played a crucial role in establishing pandemic policies and procedures.

Passionate about health and wellness, Sarah graduated from Wake Forest School of Medicine with her Master’s in Healthcare Leadership. She now works at Beauty Awakened Medical Aesthetics & Wellness, helping patients achieve their well-being goals through IV therapy and holistic programs.

Sarah enjoys being a wife, mother, community volunteer, and activist. She, along with her husband and their 7-year-old son, Briggs, resides in Midlothian, Virginia.

Helen, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Registered Play Therapist (RPT), blends play therapy, neuroscience, and relationship-based approaches to strengthen parent-child bonds. Her certifications include being a Certified AutPlay® Therapy Provider and a Being With Practitioner.

With a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Helen’s educational foundation enriches her practice.

Helen specializes in counseling children, adolescents, and families, addressing emotional and behavioral issues related to anxiety, grief, trauma, and medical conditions. Her passion lies in supporting parents and caregivers, helping them understand their child’s behaviors and facilitating positive change.

Outside her professional role, Helen explores Richmond, travels, attends Pure Barre classes, and cherishes quality moments with family and friends.

Helen’s commitment to holistic care shines through!

Ben’s oldest child, Jimmy, was born in 2007 with a long list of medical complexities. Today, despite his challenges, Jimmy is an active and enthusiastic member of the community. He enjoys school, music, Inclusive Racing, Miracles in Motion dance, and cheering on his four younger siblings at their activities.

Ben is excited to contribute to the Board of Directors by applying his experience in strategy, predictive analytics, finance, and management. He has worked at the CarMax corporate office since 2007. Prior to that, Ben earned a BS and MBA from JMU, as well as a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.

Nora is leading a new team to design and launch this new program for the Richmond special needs community.  She plans to utilize her non-profit organization management experience as a member of the Board of Directors for Mercy Mall, as well as her 30 years of leadership skills in corporate business and marketing to fill a large gap  in the Richmond Special Needs Community. Nora identified this need while searching for a fun and inclusive environment for her high school graduate son Christopher, diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and his peers can thrive. 

Her years of study at Carnegie Mellon University have provided her with the analytical skills necessary to launch and manage a business.  Her heart as a mother inspires her to create a fun and inclusive program for those with severe intellectual and physical disabilities.

I am the parent of 2 young adults, one of whom (my 22-year-old son, Neil Lent) has been a member of Nest Academy RVA since January 2023. I recently coordinated the Silent Auction held in conjunction with the Nest Academy Family Fun Walk and enjoyed being able to help support this awesome organization. 

I previously served on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Down Syndrome Association (VDSA, formerly DSAGR) from 2015 through 2019, including 2 years as President during which time I oversaw a salary survey to guide realignment of staff salaries to be more competitive, revamping of the Executive Director (ED) performance evaluation process, and began development of an ED succession planning policy. I also served on the Goochland-Powhatan Community Services Board (CSB) for 9 years (June 2013-June 2022), including 2 years as chairperson, during which time I was a member of the search committee for a new ED to fill the role of the retiring ED of 20 years. 

I most enjoy one-to-one interactions with parents/caregivers of individuals with disabilities, networking and sharing information, advice on advocating, etc. I believe that parents often ‘don’t know what they don’t know’, and when they are provided with the necessary information, become even more effective advocates in securing the supports and services their loved ones need. 

I am a pharmacist by training and hold Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (’89, St. John’s University, Queens, NY) and Doctor of Pharmacy (’92, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond) degrees. I worked for 10 years as a Drug Information Specialist at VCU Health Systems (’94-’04) and have been a freelance medical writer for almost 30 years.  

After working in the financial industry, Cindy was inspired to change careers to pursue her passion for working with children. She earned her degree in Physical Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1999 and began practice at the Children's Hospital of Richmond. After learning about the intensive therapy approach and the great distances families were travelling to receive this care, Cindy established her own practice, Richmond Hope Therapy Center, in 2006.  To further support her mission and business, Cindy earned her Master of Healthcare Administration in 2017 from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Cindy is passionate about providing intensive therapy to the pediatric population, as well as an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to therapeutic interventions. Under her leadership Richmond Hope Therapy Center has grown significantly and, in 2012, the practice joined the Bon Secours Ministry. Cindy is thrilled to provide high-quality therapy to the pediatric population of Richmond and its surrounding areas. She is incredibly proud of her team and enjoys supporting the families she meets. Cindy’s enthusiasm is evident in daily interaction with the children, and her perspective in pediatrics is certainly heightened as a mother of four.

When she isn’t working, Cindy enjoys spending time with her husband and four children- especially if that time is spent somewhere tropical!

Jamie is a member of the Virginia State Bar and has been active in the RVA nonprofit community since her law school days. During law school, she interned at Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Legal Aid Justice Center, and the ACLU of Virginia. While at LAJC, she became involved with a brand-new community initiative and was instrumental in forming the nonprofit organization Colaborando Juntos, which connects resources within the Latino community in the greater Richmond area. She has been on the board of CJ since 2008. Jamie's first experience working with the special needs population was at LAJC, where she worked for the Just Children program. While working for Just Children, she had the opportunity to intervene in many cases involving area children in need of special education services within the public school system. A few years after working at LAJC, Jamie was able to put her learned skills to good use when her son was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Her experiences advocating for her son within the public school system led to a great passion for IDEA compliance, and for advocating for all children receiving special education services within the local school systems.  

Outside of the area of law, Jamie has been an active community volunteer for many years. She has been a Girl Scout leader for 10 years and has also served as an area director for volunteers in her community. She also volunteered for 6 years at her daughter's elementary school, serving as a weekly library volunteer as well as running a book fair for 5 years. Jamie has also served as church clerk and Sunday School director for her church. She greatly enjoys giving back to the local nonprofit community and is excited to bring her prior experience and personal knowledge to the Nest Academy board.