Our Faculty and Staff

Education:

• M.S. – University of La Verne – Child Life
• B.A.- California State University, Long Beach – Child Development & Family Studies

Cristie is a Certified Child Life Specialist, educator, curriculum reviewer, and course developer with over two decades of clinical, leadership, and program development experience in the hospital setting. Cristie is an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University, teaching child life courses within the Developmental Disabilities graduate degree. She is passionate about mentoring and supporting aspiring child life professionals by helping them bridge the gap between theory and practical application.

Her clinical practice encompasses a wide range of diagnoses and diverse patient populations, spanning the medical continuum of care from emergency medicine to long-term rehabilitation. As a child life leader, Cristie has piloted services in new patient care areas and has worked as a program director, department supervisor, and internship coordinator. 

Cristie has presented at regional and national conferences, published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing and the Journal of Child Life. She is a long-time active member of the Association of Child Life Professionals, currently serving as a reviewer for the Journal of Child Life and on the Executive Committee as Secretary for the ACLP Board of Directors during the 2022-2024 term.

Cristie is working toward her Ph.D. in Education with a Leadership Studies emphasis at Chapman University, focusing her research on perceptions of race, belonging, and homogeneity within the child life profession. She aims to become a better leader and educator for the next generation of child life practitioners.