“We give children and families the chance to build memories as a family, outside of the rigidity and constraints of a hospital setting.”

Nurse
George Mark Children’s House

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Kathy Nicholson Hull, Psy.D, MA
Founder

Kathy is the staff psychologist and serves on the Board of Directors of the George Mark Children’s House. She has been active in clinical psychology for more than 30 years. She has devoted the last 15 years of her professional life to developing and sustaining the house, as well as working with our children and their families. Kathy is also an adjunct staff member of Children’s Hospital Oakland, where she spent five years as part of an interdisciplinary team that treated young oncology patients and their families. She has been a staff member at the Ann Martin Children’s Center, a local non-profit organization that offers low-fee counseling services to the culturally diverse Oakland community.

Kathy is a member of several professional organizations including the American Psychological Association, the Northern California Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and the Association of Transpersonal Psychology. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara; a Master of Arts in marriage, family and child counseling from Santa Clara University; and a Doctor of Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Kathy is married to Bill Gisvold and has seven daughters, one son, and eight grandchildren. Life is never dull at the Hull/Gisvold house!

Contact by emailCall 510-346-1270

Thomas McNalley, MD, MA 
Medical Director

Salina Patel, RN, BSN
Director of Nursing and Compliance Manager

Jenny Rhodes, RN, CNS
Nursing Recruiter and Educator

Kyle Amsler, MS, CCLS
Child Life Coordinator

Leo Keegan, MA
Chaplain

Anallanci Cardneas-Barragan
Clinical Admin Assistant and Medical Interpreter

TJ Nelson, RN
Palliative Aquatic Therapist

Dawn Constantine
Palliative Aquatic Therapist

Frankie Loayza, RN
Palliative Aquatic Therapist

Nancy Ricci, RN
Palliative Aquatic Therapist

Our Staff

Shekinah Eliassen
Chief Executive Officer

Shekinah has over 20 years of experience in Business Strategy, Brand Management, and& eCommerce. She is passionate about building brands and organizations with purpose. She has lived in Boston, New York, San Francisco, and London, where she developed teams to build brands and digital disruption at Unilever and Clorox.

She increased her involvement in philanthropy and service focused organizations since 2012 when she and her husband, Peter, lost their first son, Lars, at three weeks old to a terminal brain condition. Shekinah and Peter savored the days they had with Lars at the heartwarming George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro, CA. Shekinah continued her professional career while always staying connected to GMCH, including joining as a Board Member in August 2020.

In October 2022, Shekinah was named CEO of GMCH, where she’ll lead the organization in providing respite and palliative care for children and families in the Bay Area. Shekinah is blessed with an incredible husband and two energetic children, Finley (8) and Isak (6).

Contact by email Call 510-346-4624

Barry Slivinsky, MST, CPA
CFO and Board Member

Barry retired from Adobe in February, 2020, and now volunteers at George Mark Children’s House as its CFO and Board President. He worked for nearly 30 years in the world of Finance, primarily in the corporate taxation field. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree in Taxation from San Jose State University.
Contact by email

Alaina Spraggins
Human Resource Manager

Alice Burton
Grant Writer / Communications

Ricky Resurreccion
Marketing, Communication, & Events Coordinator

Katie Peña
Volunteer and House Systems Coordinator

Kathleen Norris
Database Administrator

Barbara Sardella, CDM, CFPP
Dietary and Housekeeping Manager

Cynthia Luy
Dietary and Housekeeping Manager

Sonya Cook
Kitchen Aide

Maira Marsh
Housekeeper

Breanna Wright
Housekeeper