Board of Directors

Gen Chamblee – President
Gen Chamblee had worked in Real Estate in California for several years, before moving to New Mexico in 2007 to settle down. She has two children and works from home with a Fortune 500 Wellness Company.

In January 27, 2010, life changed. The Chamblees’ 21 month old daughter Sierra was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. For 11 months Gen watched her baby girl fight for her life every day, and was holding her the moment she became an angel on November 23, 2010.

From that day forward Gen decided to keep Sierra’s memory alive and help so many others who are beginning the fight, or are currently fighting, by creating The Sierra Rayn Foundation.
Email Me

Charles Chamblee – Vice President

As co-founder of the foundation and father of Sierra, Charles Chamblee believes in educating the public, creating awareness and contributing funds to this most aggressive, awful cancer that claimed his daughter’s life in 2010.

Charles served in the United States Navy for six years, before being medically retired in 2005. He has a degree in AutoCAD, has sat on the Board of Directors for his neighborhood association, and is very involved with the community.
Email Me

Melissa Barnard – Secretary

Melissa Barnard is a stay at home mother of three children and currently works with a successful company as an independent consultant. She attended Kaplan University and received her Associates in Applied Sciences in Paralegal Studies degree, and intends to go back to get her Bachelors of Science degree in Paralegal Studies at a later date.She has experience in setting up fundraisers, and has also done a few through her home business.

Melissa wanted to be a part of the foundation so that she can do everything she can to help in this fight against childhood cancer.
Email Me

Caryl Iseman – Treasurer

For nearly 40 yrs Caryl Iseman has been an involved member of the San Diego County community. She is actively involved in charitable groups such as the Nice Guys, a local non-profit that serves San Diegans with a hand up. Through her real estate and mortgage consultant business, she has helped many individuals achieve their dream of home ownership. In addition, she has served as a leader in the real estate industry by serving as Chair of committees at the local, statewide, and national levels. Caryl is the Treasurer of the SDAR Ambassador Foundation. She is very involved at all levels of the political spectrum, and has had many political appointments by San Diego City Council and the State legislature for boards and commissions. Sierra Rayn touched everyone with her spirit and strength in fighting her neuroblastoma cancer. She feels that the best way she can honor her is to help her foundation be successful.
Email Me

Neha Butani – Marketing & Sponsorship Director

Neha Butani always had a soft spot in her heart for giving back to society. Her passion for non-profit foundations started when she had created a company (Paw’s Off Gear) to raise money for charity, as a project in her last semester of college. The experience, love, and joy that came out of the project made her realize how happy it made her to give back without selfish cause. After graduating from the University of New Mexico with a Marketing Management degree, and gaining experience from the real world she wanted to get in touch with her passion again. Subsequent to meeting Gen and Charles and hearing the touching story of Sierra, helping to get word out about childhood cancer, especially neuroblastoma, reminds her of her true calling. To join this foundation would be an honor to contribute her skills in public relations, and marketing to create awareness and educate others to finding a cure.
Email Me

Marlinda Holder – Event Coordinator

Marlinda Holder is a 33 yr old mother of two. She has been around children her entire life. She has worked in two day cares and loves being around kids. Marlinda volunteers her time at churches working VBS and standing in for Sunday school teachers when they cannot be at church. She also has experience with church and school fundraisers & coordinating events. It means a great deal to her to sit on the board for Sierra’s foundation and make a difference in childhood cancer.
Email Me

 
Theresa Vigil – Volunteer Coordinator

Theresa Vigil is a proud mother of one, originally from New Mexico, but was raised in a military household. She graduated from Eldorado High School in 1994, and earned her Associates of Science in Nursing from Central New Mexico Community College in May 2008. She has spent all of her time as a Registered Nurse working at the University of NM Children’s Hospital on the Pediatric Specialty Care Unit. She is very passionate about children’s oncology, and hopes to see the day when there is a cure for cancer. Theresa has volunteered with the Make A Wish Foundation, and has also volunteered with the 100.3 The Peak Radiothon that UNM has every year. She also got to know Sierra very well when Sierra spent time in the hospital.
Email Me

Advisory Board

Dr. Stuart S. Winters, MD – Chairperson

Stuart S. Winters, MD completed his medical school training at the University of Wisconsin – Madison before entering a pediatric residency at the University of New Mexico. With a long-standing interest in molecular biology and childhood malignancies, he completed his fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology at Duke University Medical Center in 1995. Since then, Dr. Winter has been on the faculty of the University of New Mexico until present. He is currently a professor of pediatrics, the T. John Gribble Endowed Chair, and chief of the pediatric hematology/oncology division. As a long-standing member of the Children’s Oncology Group, Dr. Winter is dedicated to advancing the science that drives better outcomes for children who suffer from neuroblastoma and other pediatric tumors.

Dr. Winters was also Sierra’s main oncologist, and went through the journey with her family. He was very touched by Sierra and highly impressed by the fight she put up, and was honored to sit on the board for the foundation.
Email Me

Shelly Palmer – Marketing Editor

Shelly is a married mother of two. Her youngest son is disabled and legally blind with a disease called Reiger’s Syndrome. She is a full time college student, in her second year, studying for her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She has chosen a different career path after seeing her son struggle through school, and her goal is to specialize in remedial education and vision impaired students. Shelly has had experience with writing and editing papers, as well as taking care of descriptions for listed houses in Real Estate.

Shelly was so touched by Sierra’s story and wanted to be a part of the foundation. She lives in a small town in Illinois, which in the 80’s, had an epidemic of neuroblastoma cases in several children. She has seen the suffering this terrible cancer causes and wants to give her time to a foundation that could save a child’s life.
Email Me

Jessica Waller – Director

Jessica Waller is a married mother of three. She met Sierra while working with Gen Chamblee. She fell in love with Sierra instantly, always thinking she looked like an angel. Jessica has worked from home for the last seven years so she could be with her children every moment possible, and feels blessed to be a part of this foundation.
Email Me

Peggy Branson – Director

Peggy Branson is an Associate Broker and has many years of customer relations, customer service and sales experience. She has always enjoyed a challenge, and when Sierra was sick, it really challenged her emotions and touched her heart to watch a baby go through such pain. Peggy has a very strong, personal interest in cancer research, but now particularly neuroblastoma.
Email Me

Monique Duke – Photographer
Monique Duke is an Albuquerque photographer specializing in family and child photography. Her passion for photography is driven by the story a good portrait can tell. During her photo sessions she attempts to reach the real love and personality of her subjects. Monique was able to do this for Sierra and her family when she was contacted by Tiny Sparrow that specializes in photographing children with illnesses. She believes that everyone should look for opportunities to use their skills to help others, and hopes to be able to continue to do this through work with Sierra’s foundation. She is a wife and a mother to three obnoxious redheads, and one rambunctious blondie. To find out more about her photography: www.moniqueduke.com.

Lidia Boicu – Photographer
Lidia Boicu is a Dallas based child & family photographer who began her journey into photography while fighting breast cancer. She now has a successful business, loves to spend time with her husband and young daughter, and founded Tiny Sparrow Foundation. Tiny Sparrow is a non-profit that provides professional photography, free of charge, to families of children with life threatening illnesses. She decided to be a part of Sierra’s foundation because she was so touched by her story, and helped with doing beautiful pictures for Sierra’s family.