Trusted Advisors
We are very excited to announce that IBPA has joined forces with some of the best known experts and professionals in the country. Our prominent Trusted Advisory board members are nationally known for their industry knowledge. All have been chosen specifically because of the passion, credibility, background and years of experience they bring to their field. Together, IBPA and our Trusted Advisory Board strive to bring awareness to the baby planning industry and strengthen the credibility of our profession. Our experts also help IBPA members to keep up with the latest research as related to their category which in turn always connects us to the best and most current information possible. Ultimately, having direct access to our expert panel helps our baby planners provide high quality service and up-to-date industry knowledge to help new families globally in areas such as but not limited to child/product safety, maternity, pregnancy, nutrition, non-toxic baby products, pediatrics, business and marketing.
We are extremely proud of our experts and their partnership with IBPA allowing us to bring you top of the line industry knowledge as baby planning professionals!
Our Trusted Advisory Board Members
Julia Beck, Founder of Forty Weeks – Marketing Leadership
Julia S. Beck, founder of Forty Weeks, is a prominent New York and Washington, DC based marketing strategist with a passionate focus on the maternity / juvenile category.Julia’s twenty year career can best be categorized as consistently vibrant, evolving and certainly exciting. Her signature enthusiasm, humor, natural leadership and genuine care for her clients and the world as a whole have led Ms. Beck on an exciting path. From her early days in magazine marketing and advertising sales, through her media consultant years and finally into her groundbreaking work with Forty Weeks Julia has remained committed to her core ideals: finding ways to bring the for-profit and the philanthropic worlds together for greater good. And even as she has become the noted voice of the trends shaping maternity and new motherhood – from Melrose and Madison Avenues to Main Street, Julia has continued her multi-decade commitment to building bridges between middle-class and at risk-consumers via philanthropic programs. She has worked with the What to Expect Foundation, R Baby Foundation, Little Kids Rock, The Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Susan G. Komen Foundation, BCRF, Breastcancer.org, Baby Love, Children’s Institute and others. Past and present clients include: Graco, Isabela Oliver, tuetonia, Bravado Designs ,Ingird & Isabel In Style Magazine, American Baby Magazine, Ingrid & Isabel, The Bumble Collection, Soho Parenting, The Parenting Group and Pink Lining (a full list can be found on www.fortyweeks.com). Julia’s work has been featured in such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, In Style Magazine and many others. Her signature candid and well considered commentary has been featured on an array broadcasts outlets including: VH-1’s The Fabulous Life, Good Morning America, and NPR. Julia lives in Chevy Chase, MD with her partner Robert and their children Matthew, Rebecca, Lila and Samuel.
Brenda Berg – Founder & CEO, Scandinavian Child – Juvenile Product Safety Expertise
After spending several years as a management consultant, Brenda knew she wanted to find a job that allowed her more time at home and less time traveling spontaneously to meet customer needs. While pregnant with her first child, Brenda and her husband Christer discovered the Svan High Chair at a store in Stockholm. They loved the bentwood design and the practicality of being able to seat a child up to the family table, while still being able to maintain the standard function of a high chair tray. The original business idea was to expand into other brands by doing what she and Christer had done with Svan; tour Scandinavia to find quality children’s products to bring to North America. It did not, in fact, work out that way. From the day Scandinavian Child launched, Brenda has been inundated with great products from around the world. Scandinavian Child’s family of products now includes innovative new products in classic Scandinavian design, timeless bassinets and changing tables from New Zealand, the innovative TORO stroller from the United Kingdom’s Micralite, the original Beaba Babycook from France, and multi-function sleep and travel products from lillébaby. Each of the products introduced to North American by Scandinavian Child must meet the company philosophy of “Designs Without Compromise.” Brenda currently serves as the Chair of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and has been involved with JPMA in a number of capacities since 2002. She has served on the board of directors since 2006, has volunteered on many task groups, and is a voting member of two ASTM committees. Brenda is a passionate children’s product safety advocate and has played an integral role in promoting the safety and marketing efforts of JPMA. A graduate of Georgetown University, Brenda has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Masters in Public Policy. Prior to founding Scandinavian Child, Brenda was the co-founder of TransTech Management, Inc., a boutique management consulting firm primarily focused on executive consulting for the transportation industry. She also has worked for the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Education. Her passion for Education Policy compelled her to be a Founder and Executive Committee member of the Great Schools in Wake Coalition.
Gigi Lee Chang – Founder, Plum Organics – Optimal Nutrition for Baby & Toddler Expertise
Gigi Lee Chang is the founder of leading baby and toddler food brand, Plum Organics. Launched in 2006, Plum was founded on the basic principles of creating organic meals that exemplify freshness, optimal nutrition and great taste without compromise. In just four short years, Plum Organics has grown its distribution to over 1500 stores in national retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Babies “R” Us and Target. Recognized as a leader and innovator in baby food, Plum Organics was selected for Entrepreneur’s 2007 annual “HOT LIST” and named “Brand Innovator 2008” by Brand Packaging. Gigi and Plum Organics have been featured in over 250 media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, MORE magazine, Yogi Times, KIWI Magazine, Cookie, Parenting, OK! Weekly, Celebrity Baby Blog, TODAY Show, Newsweek and Time Out New York Kids. Gigi proudly brought Plum Organics to its new home at The Nest Collective in 2008, and currently spends her time growing the Plum Organics Ambassador community and sharing her inspirational story with women entrepreneurs and new parents. Gigi often speaks on the topics of food, nutrition and entrepreneurship.
Lynette Damir, RN, Founder of SwaddleDesigns – Swaddling & Small Business Expertise
Lynette was inspired to create stylish and functional products to help parents care for their new babies. As a registered nurse and mother of two, she understood the importance of swaddling newborns. Lynette visited families with new babies in their homes and observed they struggled with swaddling for two reasons: 1) the blankets they were using were too small and 2) they could not remember how to make a good secure swaddle. Lynette used her nursing background, and her design education from the Art Institute of Seattle to develop the Ultimate Receiving Blanket with swaddling instructions sewn to the blanket (patent pending). Lynette designs SwaddleDesigns’ product line, SwaddleDesigns’ exclusive prints and she selects every component based on its color, texture, durability and quality. Today, SwaddleDesigns offers new parents not only an award winning Swaddling Blanket, but also fashion forward and eco-friendly baby accessories, such as Baby Lovie®, Baby Burpies™, zzZipMe Sack™, Hooded Towels, Washcloths, Bibs and Stroller Blankets.
Colleen Driscoll, Executive Director of the International Association for Child Safety – Child Proofing/ Safety Expertise
Colleen Driscoll serves as the Executive Director of the International Association for Child Safety (www.iafcs.org), an international trade association of professionals in the child safety industry. In existence since 1993, the IAFCS focuses on promoting the growing child safety industry through professional ethics, best practices, certification and ongoing education for members, parents and caregivers. The IAFCS has more than 150 members that represent companies, corporations, charitable foundations and non-profit organizations primarily in the United States and Canada. Prior to serving as the Executive Director of the IAFCS, Colleen was the principal of Baby’s Home Safe Home, Inc., a company providing professional childproofing and child safety services. As the owner/operator of Baby’s Home Safe Home for over ten years, Colleen and her staff assisted families throughout Maryland in providing safety tips, product sales, home installation and ongoing consultative services. A graduate of Villanova University, Colleen has also served as an officer and board member of the IAFCS for 8 years prior to becoming the organization’s executive director. Colleen is a member of the Maryland Safe Kids Coalition and ASTM International, an organization that develops standards. She and her husband live in Lutherville, Maryland with their three children.
Mike Dwyer, Juvenile Product Manufacturing Association (JPMA) Executive Director – Juvenile Product Safety Expertise
Mike Dwyer is Executive Director for the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), the national trade organization representing 95% of the $8.9 billion juvenile products industry. As Executive Director, Dwyer is responsible for the overall operation of JPMA, including regulatory affairs and oversight of the JPMA Certification Program. He works closely with the Board of Directors, JPMA President and the rest of the JPMA staff to ensure the association is operating effectively and efficiently, and that the voice of JPMA members is relevant to all publics served. Dwyer is an active member of ASTM (formerly the American Society for Testing Materials), where he works with the Technical Committee F15 on Consumer Products on the establishment of safety and performance standards for 20 juvenile product categories. The JPMA Certification Program, which certifies children’s products to each of these 20 ASTM standards, has been well recognized by the juvenile products industry, government agencies and all relevant publics since its inception in 1976 for the important role it plays in ensuring the safety of juvenile products. Currently, more than 2,000 products are JPMA Certified in 20 categories. Throughout his career, Dwyer has been recognized by many professional organizations for his extraordinary work. In 2001, Dwyer earned the designation of Certified Association Executive from the American Society of Association Executives, the highest achievement in the field of association management. In June of 2004, he was elected by his peers as President of the Board for the Delaware Valley Society of Association Executives. More recently, he was selected by Association TRENDS magazine as a 2006 Young & Aspiring Association Professional. This designation is awarded to the best of the present and future within the national association community. JPMA’s Executive Director is no stranger to the juvenile products industry. Dwyer and his wife Margaret (“Penny”) of 19 years have three children; Chandler is thirteen, Owen is ten, and their daughter Madeline is seven-years-old. Dwyer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science (Pre-Law Curriculum) from the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. Mike has 17 years experience in association management, with the last 15 serving as Executive Director. He is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives, and is a Past President of the Delaware Valley Society of Association Executives. In addition, he serves on the Board of First Candle, a national nonprofit health organization uniting parents, caregivers and researchers nationwide with government, business and community service groups to advance infant health and survival, as well as on the Board of Trustees for the Shamong Foundation for
Kara Forney, Founder, VP & Publishing Director, The Bump – Pregnancy & Baby On-line Media Expertise
Kara founded The Bump Media, Inc. in 2003 as a direct result of a glaring need in the marketplace. Her inspiration came from her own two bumps (now nine and six), along with the desire to simplify the maternity maze and directly connect soon-to-be moms with their local product and service providers. Under Kara’s vision and leadership, the company grew from one local guide in Phoenix, Arizona to 11 guides across the country including New York and Los Angeles, while developing TheBump.com online vehicle and partnering with leading industry experts to become the go-to local resource for new and expectant moms. Wall Street soon took notice, and in February 2008 The Bump Media was purchased by The Knot, Inc. as a part of The Knot’s strategy to expand into additional life-stages. Kara currently oversees The Bump division within The Knot Corporation and is thrilled to have The Bump be a part of The Knot’s family of brands. With a B.S. in marketing from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, Kara has 20 years in the sales, marketing, and advertising field. She honed her sales skills out of college as an account executive for IBM, and after graduate school moved on to be the Director of Marketing at The Del Webb Corporation as well as running her own marketing consulting company, KF Marketing Partners, before launching The Bump Media, Inc. in 2003. Kara lives in Phoenix with her supportive husband Greg and her two sons, who are excited to have a mom who “makes books for mommies with babies in their tummies.” She is a regular speaker at leading maternity/baby industry conferences and events such as Marketing to Moms and Mom 2 B.
Lisa Frack, Environmental Working Group (EWG) – Healthy/Safe Environments & Products Advocate
Lisa connects with parents online to share EWG’s research and activism opportunities on kid safe products, environmental health and toxics. She holds a BA in history from Princeton and a Masters in Public Policy from Duke. Lisa’s two young children inspire her to make choosing safe products a simple task for even the busiest of parents. When offline, Lisa enjoys gardening, the amazingly beautiful Oregon coast, and reading book after book (after book) with her kids.
Dr. Greene, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine – Nationally Recognized Pediatrician/Author
Dr. Greene is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, an Attending Physician at Packard Children’s Hospital and on the board of directors of Healthy Child Healthy World, the Organic Center, and the Society for Participatory Medicine. He is the author of many popular health and parenting books including Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Green. He has been featured in the New York Times and has appeared on CNN, The TODAY Show, Good Morning America – Health, the Dr. Oz Show, and all the major evening network news programs. Dr. Greene was honored as one of “the 100 most creative and influential innovators working in health care today” and was named the Children’s Health Hero of the Internet by Intel. He is the Founder of the pioneering consumer health Web site, DrGreene.com that has touched millions of lives since its inception in 1995.
Farel Hruska, National Fitness Director for Stroller Strides – Pre & Post Natal Fitness Expertise
Farel Hruska has close to 20 years experience as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She is the National Fitness Director for Stroller Strides® holding Stroller Strides certifications throughout the country and supporting hundreds of instructors nationwide. Hruska is a national educator and presenter in pre/postnatal fitness. Farel is also a Continuing Education provider for several national and international fitness certification organizations.
Alicia Voorhies, Founder of TheSoftLanding.com – #1 Non-toxic Feeding On-line Store & Children’s Feeding Product Expertise
Alicia Voorhies began her career as an RN with a specialty in developmental disabilities, autism spectrum, seizure and behavioral disorders. She spent most of her nursing career as a Director of Nursing for a non-profit organization that focuses on caring for people with developmental disabilities in a home-based setting. In 2006 her career took a radical change in direction when she became aware of the health risks of products made with Bisphenol-a (BPA). In 2007, after a year of personal research, she opened the online doors to The Soft Landing. Along with her mother and three sisters, Alicia set out to educate busy parents about the most prevalent environmental toxins harming children today and to provide a source where people can purchase BPA, PVC, and Phthalate-free products. Alicia is a mother of three.
