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 Director

Mahri Lusby

Program Director

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, everyone had advice; what car seat to buy, which pediatrician to go to, or what sleep schedule to follow. While I received so much love and support from well-meaning family and friends, it all seemed so overwhelming. Enter, The New Mom School. A place where I could go each week for sound advice, guidance, support, and community. I will be forever grateful to the few friends who kept recommending this program, which admittedly, I was hesitant to join. From that first day — when I experienced the “NMS Magic” as we like to call it — I was hooked and knew that this community was the place for me. The experience was truly invaluable, and I still believe that joining was the best thing I did for myself as a new mom. Fast forward a few years and I now get to do something I love every single day – help create the New Mom School magic for other mamas to experience. Welcome to the most special community, I’m so glad you are here! Mahri is an Orange County native and has an extensive background in event and program management. She worked for local organizations like the YMCA of Orange County and Chapman University, prior to joining The New Mom School in 2020. She lives in South Orange County with her husband and two daughters.
Jami Suryan

Program Manager, Playgroups

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!
Kim Kased

Program Coordinator

Kim Kased

Program Coordinator

Kim Kased is a New Mom School Alum and a mom of two. She graduated from San Francisco State with a Bachelors in Liberal Studies and a multiple subject teaching credential. Since 2012, she has taught everything from math to special education to first grade. After having her daughter, Kim took the Newborn class and decided she wanted to stay home and spend as much time with her daughter while she is little. It wasn’t until she had her second and went through the series again did she decide she wanted a new career path. A job opened with The New Mom School Encinitas and Kim was thrilled. Kim is passionate about helping new moms and having them gain the tools and experience she did.
BRITTON LUNDE

INSTRUCTOR

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

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

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.
Bri Rhyne

Instructor

Bri Rhyne

Instructor

Bri is a New Mom School alum and a mother to a young daughter. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California, San Diego and continued her education at Concordia University, where she obtained a Single Subject Teaching Credential and a Master’s in Education. A former high school English teacher, Bri discovered a passion for supporting new moms after becoming a mother herself. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to combine her professional and personal experience in her role as parent educator and strives to help fellow moms build the connections and resources that are so crucial to thriving in motherhood. Bri is a Southern California native and currently resides in Eastside Costa Mesa with her husband and daughter. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys traveling, reading, watching baseball, working out and interior design.
Hayley Goldberg

Instructor, Parenting Toddlers Class

Hayley Goldberg

Instructor, Parenting Toddlers Class

Heart of Connecting
Stephenie Ilagan

Instructor

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.
Shelly Jacobs, IBCLC

Breastfeeding Support Group Leader

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.
Becca Zarrabi

INSTRUCTOR

Becca Zarrabi

INSTRUCTOR

Hi! I'm Becca and I'm excited to be joining The New Mom School! I recently became a mom and I am enjoying watching my daughter grow. I am a licensed and registered pediatric occupational therapist and I've worked in several areas, including clinical, school-based and community mental health settings. In my previous career, I was a director of youth programming here in Orange County. I love getting to know families and watching babies and kids thrive in their worlds!
Liz Gazin

INSTRUCTOR

Liz Gazin

INSTRUCTOR

Liz is often referred to as the "baby whisperer" by her family and friends. She has always loved babies from the second she could hold them and it has never been a question that she would find a way to turn her passion into her job. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Child Development. She worked as a preschool teacher, nanny, is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor and ultimately scored her dream job as a mom in 2022. She feels beyond lucky to be raising a child of her own and knows like all moms that it is the best and most challenging job in the world! She could not be happier to work at NMS helping mamas from all walks of life settle into their new role as a parent. She loves connecting with moms on a deeper level and nerding out about all things child development, baby products, and parenting. When she's not talking about babies or motherhood you can find her at one of the many local Costa Mesa coffee shops, walking at the Back Bay with friends or traveling with her family. If you want to make her day, let her hold your baby before or after class. :)
Newport Beach