Tracy Dailey is Co-Founder and Board President of Emma’s Footprints. Tracy and her husband, Bryan, lost Emma Kathryn Dailey on May 30, 2007; six years later she felt a tugging on her heart to “climb into the trenches” with families suffering pregnancy and infant loss. In 2013, Emma’s Footprints was born.

They have three handsome boys that also keep them busy, own two businesses, are very active in their church and love being able to bless others.

As Executive Director, Julie Swanson is responsible for Emma’s Footprints’ day-to-day operations, fundraising, grant writing, and event planning. While she was appointed to the position in October 2018, she is not a stranger to the organization. Julie and her husband, Mike, were served by Emma’s Footprints when they lost their 4-month-old son Gus to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in June 2016. Julie and Mike understand all too well the emotional, social, and financial challenges that families face after losing a child. Julie began actively volunteering and fundraising for Emma’s in honor of Gus soon after his death and is now honored to be serving in this new role. Julie and Mike are also the proud parents to two healthy boys; Walter(7) and Chuck(3).

Ashley Westgate is the Director of Operations for Emma’s. Perhaps more importantly, she is Emma’s Aunt and the #1 Cheerleader for Tracy, Emma’s Mom! As Director of Operations, Ashley builds organizational capacity to serve more families and serve them well by developing policies and procedures, establishing data collection processes, streamlining event planning primarily, and (most notably) supporting the amazing women that run the organization. She is also an SBD Doula and a volunteer with Erie City Moms. Ashley is called to serve others of all shapes and sizes by providing holistic care in many forms: a shared walk, a new piece of furniture, or a listening ear, just to name a few. Ashley is married to her partner in crime, Rich Ligo, lives in Erie, and has worked in community development since 2013. Besides her family and work, she loves organizing, cleaning, anything outside, board games, and prayer.

Falon Gervais is the Director of Intake and Grief Support. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and an SBD doula certificate. She is a mother to Owen, Corbin and Vivian. Falon and her husband, Erik, lost their first son Owen in April 2017 shortly after birth due to shoulder dystocia during delivery. Owen continues to make Falon brave daily by forcing her out of her comfort zone.

Falon became connected to Emma’s Footprints for financial support but found so much more when she started attending support group. Falon began leading support groups for Emma’s in 2019 and continues to watch families grow in their grief through the support and connection they receive through Emma’s Footprints.

Today, Falon supports new families reaching out to Emma’s by assisting with funeral expenses and providing essential grief resources. She is dedicated to ensuring that no family ever feels alone in their journey after loss.

Amanda Berk lost her daughter Aubree Hope Berk on February 22, 2010. After struggling with her grief alone for many years she became connected to Emma’s Footprints and became the Bereavement Coordinator in 2015. Amanda takes care of all of the new families by helping them with funeral expenses, provides them with support resources, and connects them to our care team as needed. Her goal is to make sure a family never feels like they are alone in their grief.

Meghan’s grief story started when she and her husband lost their first pregnancy on October 19, 2014. After almost 2 years and lots of emotional healing she was finally open to talking through her grief with Tracy and other moms.

When Meghan’s rainbow baby Jackson turned a year old she started a course to become a certified birth and bereavement doula. She knew in her heart that no mom should have to walk this road of grief alone.

Tracy Dailey is Co-Founder and Board President of Emma’s Footprints. Tracy and her husband, Bryan, lost Emma Kathryn Dailey on May 30, 2007; six years later she felt a tugging on her heart to “climb into the trenches” with families suffering pregnancy and infant loss. In 2013, Emma’s Footprints was born.

They have three handsome boys that also keep them busy, own two businesses, are very active in their church and love being able to bless others.

Kristen Banocy is Co-founder of Emma’s Footprints. Kristen founded Emma’s with Tracy Dailey in 2013. She has served the organization in every role imaginable but has most enjoyed fundraising and event planning. In June 2018, Kristen and her family moved to Cincinnati, OH. They look forward to seeing how this move is going to help further Emma’s mission.

When she isn’t serving Emma’s, Kristen can be found wrangling her three beautiful children, spending time with her husband, traveling around the country to visit family and organizing anything and everything she can.

Kristen is grateful to be part of an organization that not only provides support to families financially but emotionally, with an emphasis on personal healing for every member of the family.

Dr. James Hodge is the Director of Susan Hirt Hagen CORE, located on the campus of Penn State Behrend. James received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Vermont in Fall 2018, and he specializes in research design and statistics. James is an avid fan and supporter of Penn State Football, enjoys spending time outdoors, and serves on the worship team at Elevate Church. James and his wife ,Brianne, are expecting their first child in July 2020.

Joe Mineo is the Treasurer of Emma’s Footprints. Joe and his wife, Joyce, lost Michael James in 1986 and granddaughter, Josephine Noel, in 2016. As a bereaved parent, he has a heartfelt passion for the families that Emma’s Footprints serve.

Riki Hay's journey with pregnancy loss started with the life-limiting diagnosis and eventual loss of her daughter Eleanor Jean Hay in May of 2021. Riki did not immediately get connected with Emma's Footprints and walked that dark path along for a short while. After receiving services from Emma's her life and grief journey were forever changed for the better.

Riki began volunteering with Emma's in the summer of 2021 and joined the Board of Directors in January of 2022 as the Board Secretary. She and her husband enjoy being outdoors; hiking, backpacking, gardening, kayaking, and cross-country skiing.

Pamela Presler is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Private Practice in Erie, Pennsylvania. As a board member, she helped develop the “You Are With Me” peer support group for Emma’s Footprints, and is passionate about guiding parents through their grief in healthy ways. She also serves as a family mediator and educator and specializes in helping children who are experiencing conflict in their families. In addition, Pamela is the Vice President of the Collaborative Professionals of Northwestern Pennsylvania. She devotes her time away from work to her husband and three teenage children.

Peggy Boyd graduated from nursing school in 1983 with a BSN from Villa Maria College. She received her MSN from Gannon University in 1994 with a focus in Perinatal Nursing. Peg received her CNM certificate from Frontier University for Midwifery and Family Nursing in 2000 and has been practicing midwifery in Erie, Pennsylvania since her graduation. Most recently Peg received her DNP from Gannon University. Peg is the mother of two boys. Her hobbies include gardening, furniture refinishing, and reading when she is not attending births. She joined OB/GYN Associates of Erie in January 2015.

Bryan Griffin has been working within the rare disease community for over a decade by servicing patients as well as assisting the hospitals who treat them. After the loss of his son Brooks to SIDS in May of 2021, he decided to combine his acquired knowledge in healthcare as well as some hard learned life lessons to become an advocate for better mental health access within the loss community. After starting ‘Brooks Mission,’ his wife Leigh met the team at Emma’s which provided an established outlet to advance shared goals.

Bryan and Leigh honor ‘Brooksy’ by helping others in his name. The Griffin family, which includes there 5 year old son Landon, enjoy as many adventures together as possible ensuring they never take a moment for granted. If you look for them, you can most frequently find them at the beach, on the boat, poolside or on a plane traveling somewhere to enjoy those activities.

Courtney Frazier became familiar with Emmas Footprints shortly after losing her first son, Easton, when he was just 5 months old in 2020. Although she lives in Florida, Courtney was able to find and connect with the Emmas community via social media. They have helped guide her in her grief journey from over a thousand miles away.

Courtney hosted her first virtual memorial walk in Melbourne in honor of Easton in 2020 to raise money for Emma’s and their mission. The event has grown each year and will continue to serve loss families in Florida as it has become a permanent location for the Emma’s Footprints Annual Memorial Walk. Courtney also works as a Nurse Practitioner and enjoys spending time with her husband and their two rainbow babies, Hudson and Hadley.

Carol, Joanna Rose’s mama, knows the loss community firsthand. After losing Baby Bean at 6 weeks and Joanna Rose at 26 weeks in 2014, she connected with Emma’s Footprints through a care package. Since moving back to PA in 2017, Carol has volunteered tirelessly—helping with memorial walks, fundraising, digital marketing, and as a Care Team Mom.

Carol, her husband Bill, and their children, Leo and Calleigh, honor Baby Bean and Joanna by supporting Emma’s mission to ensure no family walks alone. We’re so grateful for Carol’s passion, dedication, and heart!