Directors and Key Staff

Mindy Cassel, Ph.D.,C.T., is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Children's Bereavement Center® (CBC). She is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Thanatologist. As Executive Director, she oversees the CBC's operations, management, planning, and financial development. Dr. Cassel's professional career in the Miami community spans more than 30 years, during which she has worked with individuals, families, and children in the areas of loss, trauma, rehabilitation, and life transition.

Peter Willig, L.M.F.T., F.T., is Director of Operations and Marketing for the CBC. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Fellow in Thanatology with 20 years of clinical experience working with individuals and groups, including children, adolescents and families. Mr. Willig has worked with the CBC since its inception. He is responsible for coordination and facilitation of the CBC Peer Support Group services and orientations, and oversees CBC Marketing and Community Outreach programs. In addition to his work at the CBC, he is a therapist in private practice.

Kathy Kramer, L.C.S.W., is the Program and Training Coordinator for the CBC. Ms. Kramer is a Miami native and graduate of Barry University with a Masters in Social Work who worked for the Bertha Abess Children's Center for ten years prior to joining the CBC.


Cindy Amar, M.Ed
., Coordinator of Spanish Services
Mae Greenberg, L.M.H.C., Community Relations
Marilyn Milstein, M.Ed., M.S., Group Services Coordinator
Elaine Webb, Office Manager
Bonita Whytehead, Program and Development Assistant
 
Carol Berns, Psy.D., F.T., is Co-Founder of the CBC. She is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and a Fellow in Thanatology who has worked for more than 30 years as a bereavement specialist, crisis intervention consultant, and educator. She has written numerous professional articles and is co-author of The Instructor's Guide to The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying, 5th, 6th & 7th editions (McGraw-Hill).

Board of Directors


Nancy Ansley
- Treasurer and CFO, Batchelor Enterprises
Sandra Baker Feren
- Fundraising Consultant and Community Activist
Joan Blackman - Partner, International Corporate Art
Bonnie Blank, M.S.N., A.R.N.P.
- Nurse-Midwife
Jeanie P. Bonner -
Co-Owner, Kristine Michael
Tia Diaz-Balart - Partner, Gordon|Diaz-Balart
Edward Golden, J.D.
- Golden & Cowan, P.A.
Dale Goodman-Genet
- Community Activist
Valerie Katz - Teacher & Community Activist
Gary N. Mansfield, Esq. - President & CEO, First Health, Incorporated
Alex Montague
- First Vice President, Morgan Stanley
Larry Pimentel
- Co-Founder, SeaDream Yacht Club
Claudia Potamkin - Community Activist
Melissa Sardinia
- Retail Executive, Italian Renaissance
Phil Weinbach
- President, The Weinbach Group


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Volunteers
The Children's Bereavement Center® could not operate without its dedicated volunteers. Trained Facilitators offer their time and expertise to assist the CBC's small core staff, volunteering in Peer Support Groups for children, teens, and adults. Other volunteers provide office support, help with fundraising events, and serve on the Advisory Board or Board of Directors.


Lead Facilitators

Cindy Amar

Midge Blumberg-Krams

Barbara Davis

Mae Greenberg

Ann Leibowitz
Peter MacNamara
Margarita Mills

Marilyn Milstein

Iris Salzberg
Christine Spadola
Elizabeth Stadtlander

Kimberly Standiford

Natalie Tanen


Professional Advisory Board

Randolph B. Alfred, M.Ed., Crisis Management Specialist, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Susan Bennett, J.D.,
Professor, University of Miami School of Law
Lee Binder, Ph.D.,
Principal, Greenfield Day School
Elsa Goss Black, J.D.,
Community Activist
Midge Blumberg-Krams,
L.M.H.C., Mental Health Counselor
Adrian Dubow,
Community Activist
Robert L. Grossman, J.D.,
Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
T. Luther Jones,
Chaplain, VITAS Healthcare; Chairman, P.L. Dodge Foundation
Jennifer Kay, L.C.S.W., C.T.,
Licensed Social Worker, Certified Thanatologist
Deborah Longwill, D.O.,
Dermatologist
Carol Nudelman, Psy.D.,
Psychologist
Jose Pedro Redondo, Ph.D.,
Psychologist
Roger Rousseau, M.D., P.A.,
Fellow and Diplomate in Psychotherapy, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry
Fern Samek-Rosen,
President, Interior Motifs, Inc.
Donna L. Schuurman, Ed.D.,
National Director, The Dougy Center, The National Center For Grieving Children, Portland, OR
Terri Shikany,
Executive Vice President, Health Coalition, Inc.
Harvey Simovitch, M.D., F.A.A.P.,
Pediatric Professional Associates, P.A.
Edie Stark, R.N., B.S., C.T.,
Certified Death Educator/Grief Counselor/Thanatologist
Melaura H. Stein, D.B.A.,
President, MSI Organizational Consulting
Andrew Wenger, Ph.D.,
Psychologist, CBC Research Director, Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology, University of Miami
Beth Wheeling, Psy.D.,
Psychologist

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