Ramping up to satisfy parents' need for research-based information they can trust!

SEATTLE, June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Talaris Institute, a Seattle based nonprofit focused on supporting parents and caregivers in raising socially and emotionally healthy children, is investing in key new positions to help increase their distribution of Parenting Counts products and information nationwide.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090616/DC31762-a)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090616/DC31762-b)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090616/DC31762-c)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090616/DC31762-d)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090616/DC31762-e)

"Today's parents want the best for their children and are seeking parenting information and products they can trust. At Talaris, we are experiencing a great deal of interest in our research-based parenting materials. To help meet this demand, we are growing our organization. We are thrilled to be welcoming five highly talented new members of our team," says Katie Simons, Executive Director of Talaris Institute.

To stay ahead of the demand for quality products and information, Stacey Cooper, recently hired as the Director of Product, brings great strategic and innovative thinking to the product team. With strong experience as a Category Manager at Starbucks, Stacey understands the importance of identifying opportunities and developing products to meet the needs of consumers. Previously, Stacey had been a member of the Starbucks' global strategy team, a McKinsey & Company consultant, and a member of the Walt Disney Company's strategic planning team. Stacey has a BA in economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

In order to maintain the stringent standards and identify cutting edge research for all products produced by Talaris, Dr. Elizabeth Nelson joins Talaris as Director of Research and Communication. Based on her experience as Senior Research Scientist and Director of Special Projects & Research at the University of Washington and her clinical experience before that, she will help Talaris identify, sift, validate and translate research into practical products for everyday parenting applications. Elizabeth completed an internship in Family and Child Counseling at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and earned her Doctorate in Developmental Psychology from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She will continue some of her on-going research at the University of Washington.

Carolyn Bardon joins Talaris as Director of Finance and Operations from the Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she made systems improvements, and implemented policies and procedures related to finance, financial planning & analysis, IT, HR and facilities. Previously, she was the Co-founder and CEO of a small business and Director of Business Planning for an internet start-up. She also worked at the investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and in private equity. Carolyn has a BS in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Calvin Lyons joins Talaris as Director of Partnerships from Rainier Scholars where he was Executive Director. Calvin was responsible for all aspects of the educational non-profit including general business operations, fundraising, marketing and program operations. He has a BS in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University, an MBA from Pepperdine University and recently completed the Executive Leadership Program at Seattle University. Calvin is also an inventor with a U.S. Patent to his credit and the founder of a small company developed to introduce new products to market. Calvin will work with existing and new partners to take parent awareness to scale.

Rounding out our partnership team is Carolyn Pirak, formerly the National Director of Bringing Baby Home, a project developed by Dr. John Gottman and sponsored in part by Talaris. Carolyn was instrumental in creating and implementing the Certified Gottman Educator Training and Retention Program and recruited and maintained a network of over 750 international educators. As Partnership Manager for Talaris, Carolyn will be responsible for creating new partnerships in the medical industry and throughout the PBS network. Carolyn received her master's degree in Social Work from the University of Washington and is a nationally certified Childbirth Educator.

With the help of state agencies, military bases and childcare centers, Talaris is reaching families throughout the country. In the last six months, Talaris distributed over 20,000 Parenting Counts parenting guides to the State of Minnesota and over 1400 parenting kits to military families at McCord, Fort Lewis and the National Guard in Washington State. These are just a few examples of the demand for quality, research-based parenting information that Talaris is experiencing.

"Parenting is a big job...with tremendous implications for our society and our world. We had to staff up because now is the time that parents are looking for information they can trust. We believe that having the right information, delivered in the right way, presented at the right time can make a big difference in the lives of families and children. We are honored to play a part in this incredibly important work," says Simons.

About Talaris Institute - Talaris Institute was created by Bruce and Jolene McCaw and is funded by Apex Foundation, their family foundation. The goal of Talaris is to provide research-based information and products that are usable for busy parents. Talaris's vision is to create a world of socially and emotionally healthy children, supported by confident, capable parents.

Parenting Counts is a family of products for parents with children, birth to five. Focused on attachment, social-emotional and brain development, these products help parents understand the importance of parenting in the early years. Understanding that today's parents have little time to spend reading parenting information, we created informative, fun-to-watch DVDs with easy-to-read booklets and kits containing parenting tips. Each product encourages parents to use everyday parenting moments to respond, communicate, and connect with their children.

    CONTACT: Terry Meersman
    206-859-5600

SOURCE Talaris Institute

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.talaris.org