What We Do
Mission
George Mark Children’s House provides compassionate care to enhance quality of life for children with serious medical conditions and their families.
Vision
All children with serious medical conditions, and their families, live with comfort, meaning, and joy.
Our Founder
Dr. Kathleen Nicholson Hull
George Mark Children’s House was founded by Kathleen Nicholson Hull, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist who worked at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland for more than 25 years.
Working in a traditional medical environment, Dr. Hull witnessed firsthand how a life-limiting diagnosis, or the death of a child, had a devastating and life-long impact on the child, parents, siblings and the family’s community. She believed there was a better way to provide exceptional, loving palliative care to children with serious medical conditions in a home-like setting, and offer critical support to families when they need it most.
George Mark is named for Dr. Hull’s brothers, Mark and George, who tragically died all too early, at the ages of 16 and 30, respectively.
“When we opened our doors in 2004, I never imagined the scope of what we have become. No one has to make this journey alone. We are here – and we plan to always be.”
– Dr. Kathleen Nicholson Hull,
George Mark Children’s House Founder
Key Moments at George Mark Children’s House
Shekinah Eliassen
Eliassen’s first experience with George Mark Children’s House came in 2012. Shekinah and her husband Peter lost their first son, Lars, as a newborn to a brain condition. They spent the last 9 days of his sweet life at George Mark. Since then, Eliassen has served as a George Mark volunteer, speaker, fundraiser, parent resource and, as of 2020, a member of the Board of Directors. She lives in San Francisco with her husband Peter and two children.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CEO
“I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead this organization to provide more children and families with the same compassion and comprehensive care my family and I received,” said Eliassen. “The importance of George Mark Children’s House cannot be overstated. We have a tremendous opportunity to advance the pediatric palliative care movement and ground-breaking care with our dedicated team of professionals and volunteers.”
Our Team
“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
Board of Directors
Lynn Barsnick-Stickney
Vice President
President, Lynn Stickney Coaching and Consulting
Robin Matlock
Secretary
Independent Director,
Advisor and Former Executive
William Gisvold
Treasurer
Partner, Retired
Sensiba San Filippo LLP
Carolyn Chang, MD, FACS
Plastic Surgeon, Private Practice
Justin Baker, MD, FAAHPM
Oncologist and PPC Physician, Division Chief, QoL/PPC
Stanford School of Medicine
Tasha Faruqui, DO
Pediatrician TriHealth-Cincinnati, Author
Kendall Glynn
Founder, COO
Founder, COO Square Baby
Jonathan Healey
Chief Audit Executive Adobe
Kathy Hull, M.A., Psy.D,
Founder, Staff Psychologist George Mark Children’s House
Michael Martinson
Senior Financial Executive, Strategic Advisor, Board Director Ambry Genetics Corporation
Omondi L. Nyong'o MD
Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Crescendo MD
Kevin Smothers, MD
Physician
Jennifer Kennedy Park
President
Partner
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Jennifer Kennedy Park is a partner in Cleary Gottlieb’s Bay Area office. Her practice focuses on white-collar defense, enforcement actions, crisis management, and complex disputes. Jennifer has been globally and nationally recognized by Chambers and Benchmark Litigation and has been named to the “World’s Top 100 Women in Investigations” list by Global Investigations Review . Clients have been quoted saying “she is hard-working and all-around excellent” and “her skills and analysis are crucial to the overall strategy of a case.” She is also the recipient of NOW’s “Women of Power & Influence Award”.
Before moving to California, Jennifer held board positions at Legal Services of New York, an organization that provides pro bono legal civil services in civil matters related primarily to housing insecurity, and 914 Cares, an organization aimed at addressing issues of poverty in Westchester County, including food, clothing, period products and diaper insecurity.
Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Kathy Hull, M.A., Psy.D,
Founder, Staff Psychologist George Mark Children’s House
Kathy is the founder and staff psychologist at 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!
Our Team
Shekinah Eliassen
Chief Executive Officer
Theresa Cruz
Chief Financial Officer
Antoinette Mincey
Director of Clinical Programs
Michelle Collier
Senior Director of Advancement
Aubyn Redmond
Director of Operations
Kyle Amsler
Child Life Coordinator
Cindy Field
Medical Social Worker
Leo Keegan, MA
Chaplain
Thomas McNally, MD, MA
Medical Director
Katie Peña
Volunteer and House Systems Coordinator
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).
