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our team

ALEXANDRA L. SPITZ

FOUNDER AND PARENT EDUCATOR

Certified Parent Educator
Certified Infant Care Specialist
Certified Happiest Baby Educator
Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator
Mom of two!

After having my first son in early 2011, I instantly became obsessed with everything baby! I joined a Mommy and Me group in Los Angeles where I met 11 other amazing women whose babies were born within weeks of my son. I had no idea the positive impact this group would have on all of us nor did I ever think that the women would become some of my best friends. I didn’t know it at the time, but this group would change my life.

ALEXANDRA L. SPITZ

FOUNDER AND PARENT EDUCATOR

Certified Parent Educator
Certified Infant Care Specialist
Certified Happiest Baby Educator
Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator
Mom of two!

I was born and raised in Los Angeles where I received a BA in Psychology from California State University, Northridge. I went on to be the Director of Operations of a real estate law firm and real estate development company in Los Angeles for over 10 years. After my son was born, I pursued my passion in child development and became a Certified Parent Educator and a Certified Newborn/Infant Care Specialist. As he entered the “terrible two’s” I found myself drawn to the Positive Discipline curriculum and have since become a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator through the Positive Discipline Association. I am now mom to two beautiful boys who enrich my life and have made me a better person and educator.

In early 2012, my husband was relocated to Orange County for work. The move happened suddenly which gave me the unexpected opportunity to move on to the next chapter in my life. Though I wasn’t sure what would come next, I was excited to experience the new journey. While searching for groups to join with my son during our transitional period, I researched and discovered many groups which offered activities for children, but wasn’t able to find supportive and educational groups for the moms, similar to the one I had belonged to. So it became clear what my next chapter would be. I combined my passion of bringing people together with my love of being a mom to create this program so that other moms could have the same life-changing experience that I had. And so I “gave birth” to a labor of love… OC Mommy and Me.

In 2016 after 4 years of classes and meeting over 1,000 of the most wonderful new moms and babies, we decided that we had become much more than your average mommy and me program. Our team had expanded tremendously and the topics in our classes now included such a variety of important and crucial information for new moms today. I decided that we needed a new name to describe what we really had become…a school for new moms. And so, a new chapter began as The New Mom School. I am so glad you are here and considering us to be a part of your journey. We would be honored to accompany you along the way!

our team

Mahri Lusby

Program Manager

Mahri Lusby

Program Manager
Katie Chubb

Community Manager

Katie Chubb

Community Manager
Jami Suryan

Program Manager, Playgroups

Newport Beach

Jami Suryan

Program Manager, Playgroups

Jami Suryan is a New Mom School alum and passionate mama to two youngsters. She graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Child Development, and continued her education with a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology. Prior to working at The New Mom School, Jami spent her time as an Early Childhood and Elementary teacher in Chicago and Los Angeles. As a self-described “life-long learner,” she had always been drawn to activities and books that furthered her learning. Therefore, after her first child was born, she was drawn to The New Mom School and was hopeful that it would help lead her out of the fog of newborn days. She was so thrilled with the program that she couldn’t wait to come back when her second child was born. Now, standing on the other side as an instructor, she hopes to help new moms find an outlet to connect and to vent; provide them with an opportunity to gain insight on unique techniques (hi baby massage!); and best of all, bring together a tribe of women who are on the journey of motherhood together. Jami lives in Long Beach with her husband, Kody and two children, Reagan and Harrison. She is thrilled that The New Mom School will be available for Long Beach Moms and help provide them with the knowledge, foundation and community for raising their littles!
BRITTON LUNDE

INSTRUCTOR

Newport Beach

BRITTON LUNDE

INSTRUCTOR

Britton Lunde, B.A., CCE, CPE, is one of our amazing group facilitators. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Social Science with an emphasis in Child Development from UC Irvine. She received her Childbirth Educator Certification and Postnatal Educator Certification through International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) and is a certified Kindersign Instructor. She has 12 years experience teaching Early Childhood, Kindergarten, Childbirth, Parenting and Postnatal classes. Her passion is to reach out to all new mothers and families and empower them to be the best parents they can be. She continues to support mothers and families with her fun, informative and helpful classes/workshops throughout Orange County. Britton is a proud mother of three daughters and can relate to all of the challenges that motherhood brings
Jeannie Elbing

Instructor

Newport Beach

Jeannie Elbing

Instructor

Jeannie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, wife and mother of three little ones, ages 5, 4 and 9 months. She works part-time at Children's Hospital of Orange County as a Mental Health Therapist and at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach as a Social Worker. Jeannie is passionate about helping children and new mothers, especially those who are struggling with anxiety, stress and adjustment issues. Jeannie was a former New Mom's School participant and is grateful for the friendships made and lessons learned, and is so excited to be joining The New Mom’s School team of instructors.
Brittan Cowhey

Instructor

Newport Beach

Brittan Cowhey

Instructor

Brittan is an Orange County native and Registered Nurse of over 10 years. She has extensive experience in women’s surgical specialties in the outpatient setting and finds helping women during vulnerable times to be the most rewarding. This New Mom School alum looks forward to combining her professional experience with her personal journey as a wife and mother to her daughters, ages 5 & 3.
Hayley Goldberg

Instructor

Newport Beach

Hayley Goldberg

Instructor

Heart of Connecting
Casey Rovetti

Instructor

Newport Beach

Casey Rovetti

Instructor

Casey Rovetti MS, RD is a functional and integrative nutritionist and postpartum doula. She is passionate about supporting new moms, and their families, by nourishing them with good food and caring hands. As a mom of two young children she understands that the saying “it takes a village” isn’t just referring to raising children, it is also about supporting women during their transition into motherhood. It also didn’t take long for her to realize that in our society, support is lacking and you often have to build that village yourself. She believes that supporting other mothers during this transformative time is what she was meant to do. Casey is committed to educating herself in hopes of being a knowledgeable resource for all things health, parenting, and motherhood. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC Irvine and a master’s degree in Nutrition Science from Cal State Los Angeles. She has completed training in integrative and functional nutrition, postpartum doula care, yoga teacher training, and is currently studying to become a Certified Lactation Educator through UC San Diego.
Stephenie Ilagan

Instructor

Newport Beach

Stephenie Ilagan

Instructor

Stephenie Ilagan, MA., is a playgroup instructor and group facilitator. She is a single mother of three children and understands the joys and challenges that comes with parenting. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders from Long Beach State University, a Master’s in Special Education from Chapman University, and Behavior Analyst course work from Penn State University. Stephenie has extensive knowledge in child development from birth through adolescents. Her passion is working with families by providing support and tools to help increase connection, cooperation, and discipline within the home and community. She continues to support families by providing in-home parent consulting services throughout Orange County. Since Stephenie was young, she has had a passion for children and understanding their world. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in clinical counseling, with the goal to continue to help children and their families process the ups and downs that occur throughout life.
David Kyle Bond

Instructor, New Dad School

Newport Beach

David Kyle Bond

Instructor, New Dad School

Shift Psychology

David Kyle Bond, PhD is a licensed psychologist and the director of SHIFT Psychology, a boutique private practice based in Orange County. In his clinical work with teens and adults, Dr. Bond draws on his background in Positive Developmental Psychology, expertise in Attachment Theory, and extensive training on several therapeutic modalities in order to reduce the negative impact of a wide range of mood and behavioral issues and to assist others in navigating through tricky interpersonal struggles, parent-child connection issues, life transition concerns, and difficulties in the areas of motivation, confidence, and meaning. Dr. Bond is a member of the California Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association and over the past decade has taught several courses at universities in the Southern California area, written about mental health for online and peer-reviewed journals, and presented for thousands of people on topics related to psychological functioning. Prior to working in the field of psychology, he earned an M.Ed. while serving as an intermediate school educator through Teach For America. In his free time, he spends time with his family and young son, embraces his inner nerd by reading and writing about topics related to mental health, and enjoys hiking, woodworking, and figuring out how to keep his indoor plants alive.
Shelly Jacobs, IBCLC

Breastfeeding Support Group Leader

Newport Beach

Shelly Jacobs, IBCLC

Breastfeeding Support Group Leader

Shelly Jacobs is an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant, as well as a certified lactation educator. Her passion for helping new moms was sparked in 2015 after she personally experienced complications with breastfeeding her first child. She was helped by the practical methods and simple techniques taught by her mother-in-law, Dr. Jane Morton, an internationally recognized expert in the field of human lactation. They began to collaborate, creating pathways for expectant and new mothers to protect their own breastfeeding experience and reduce the risk of complications, by focusing attention on the first hours after birth. Shelly earned her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was also born and raised. She began her professional career in Chicago, where she started a successful business in the fashion industry, eventually moving to Los Angeles to work as a visual merchandiser. She went on to receive her lactation certification from University of California-San Diego. She resides in the Newport area with her husband and two children.
SHIRA KFIR, LCSW

POSTPARTUM ADJUSTMENT SUPPORT GROUP LEADER

Newport Beach

SHIRA KFIR, LCSW

POSTPARTUM ADJUSTMENT SUPPORT GROUP LEADER

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who’s great passion is working with women and couples on their journey to becoming parents and in the transition into being a family. I received my Masters in Social Work at NYU and got licensed as an LCSW 10 years ago. I have had a private practice in both Newport Beach and Irvine for the past 8 years. I work alongside my clients as they prepare to start a family, throughout the challenges of pregnancy and postpartum, and during the transition into parenthood. Early in my career, I developed an interest in helping mothers through this emotional and physical transition into motherhood. While so much of parenthood is full of joy and excitement, there are also difficult periods of time when parents seek guidance and direction. I am here to provide that much-deserved assistance to help make this journey as smooth and joy-filled as possible.
Kimberly Didrikson

Working Moms Support Group Leader

Newport Beach

Kimberly Didrikson

Working Moms Support Group Leader

Learning Motherhood

Kimberly Didrikson is the founder of Learning Motherhood, a consulting agency and online community platform that helps women returning to work after having a baby from feeling overwhelmed with motherhood and career to thriving in navigating the changes that occur when becoming a mother and also pursuing a career. Kimberly spent 15 years growing her career at a Fortune 100 company and as a director managed teams with portfolios of over $20 million in yearly sales... yet nothing prepared her for growing and birthing a child and returning to work. Determined to change how mothers are supported through this transition back to work, Kimberly created Learning Motherhood. Her passion runs deep in transforming the workplace to support working parents by also providing programs to assist organizations in creating a work environment that embraces families to strengthen company values. She is a workplace advocate for family-friendly policies including parental leave for all and national paid leave programs. Kimberly’s work has been featured with many organizations, including The Riveter, Hey Mama, Boppy, and Totsquad.
Dawn Dickerson

Instructor

Encinitas

Dawn Dickerson

Instructor

Dawn Dickerson is the owner of Mamas & Milk, supporting families on their journey through pregnancy, birth and infant feeding with judgment-free and trauma-informed care. Dawn has been an educator for over two decades with a Masters in Education (M.Ed.) and Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential from Antioch University. After the birth of her first child, she knew that working with people during pregnancy and postpartum was what she was meant to do. She became a yoga instructor (RYT), certified in prenatal yoga in 2009, and continues to work with parents and their babies to find comfort through movement. She is also a birth doula (CD), a Certified Lactation Educator and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), a Birth Story Listener, and Childbirth Educator (CBE (BFW)). Dawn lives in San Diego with her family. When she is not teaching and helping parents feed their babies, she is usually building with blocks, playing games, having adventures, and sewing last-minute costumes with her two boys. She also enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, cooking, painting, and the ocean.
Melonie Baranov

Instructor

Encinitas

Melonie Baranov

Instructor

I am a Northern California girl, born and raised. I received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC San Diego in 1998 and became a Registered Nurse in 2003. Women’s wellbeing and the Maternal-Child Health arena have always been my passion. I have worked as a Case Manager at a battered women’s shelter, a NICU nurse, and a Labor & Delivery Nurse for nearly 15 years. Every opportunity I have been afforded has taught me invaluable lessons and has allowed me the honor and privilege of assisting women in their best and their worst life moments. Teaching classes for the hospital for many years ignited a new fire in me. It solidified my commitment to doing my part in fulfilling the essential need for prenatal and postpartum education and support. Childbirth and child rearing are life changing, constant learning experiences and are not meant to be done alone. I have an immensely supportive husband and three very energetic boys, all of whom (I am convinced) have made it their life mission to challenge me in new ways every single day. And I have been fortunate enough to amass an army of family and friends to help guide me through these challenges. It’s not always pretty, and I have flubbed many of these challenges, but I continue to try, to learn and to grow. One day at a time. With a village by my side.