About UFH Staff

Sue Weldon

CEO & Founder

Sue Weldon is the CEO and Founder of Unite for HER. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39, it was her children she thought of first. She wanted to be there to raise them, to see them grow up, and to be strong for them. After surgery and chemotherapy treatments were complete, she was told that she was cancer-free. Despite this wonderful news, she hardly recognized the depleted woman she saw in the mirror. Determined to regain some control of her health, Sue discovered that an abundance of research had shown that integrating complementary therapy could significantly improve patient well-being during treatment and beyond. She began incorporating acupuncture, massage, yoga, exercise, and nutrition into her recovery plan, and experienced significant reduction in pain, an increase in her energy, and improvement in her overall wellness. Sue recognized that very few breast cancer patients in active treatment and/or recovery have both the time and the energy to do the research, and the financial means to commit to the treatments. Fueled by the powerful impact that complementary therapies had on her, in 2009, Sue founded Unite for HER.

Unite for HER’s mission is to bridge this gap between the medical and wellness communities, and bring complementary therapies to all breast cancer patients, regardless of income. In just over 12 years, what started as a small program at Paoli Hospital, has grown expanded with partnerships with over 30 hospital partnerships that has served more than 10,000 breast and ovarian cancer patients in the Philadelphia, NJ and DE regions.

During the Covid 19 challenges in 2020, her and her team were unwavering in their commitment to serve, shifting the hands-on integrative program to the safety of patients homes, innovating a virtual, empowering experience, leaving no one behind who was newly diagnosed and in need.

As of May 2021, UNITE for HER can serve anywhere in the nation, and we are expanding services throughout the country.

Sue is a respected leader in the community and an effective proponent of integrating traditional and holistic modalities to provide a comprehensive plan to treat the whole woman.

Sue is a guest speaker at various events throughout the area, inspiring both men and women with her compelling survivorship story, how she built a national non-profit, and educating many on the power of integrative care and therapies.

Sue has received numerous awards for her impact on the breast cancer community. She was named a Top 23 Power Women Local Game Changers by Main Line Today in 2013, and one of the Top 20 Philanthropists Who Care in Main Line Today in April 2016. She had the honor of being named the 2016 Health Hero by Philadelphia magazine for her work as a wellness advocate. Sue was named one of three 2018 Distinguished Alumni at West Chester University and named honoree of the 2020 March of Dimes Salute to Women of Achievement. She and Unite for HER has also been featured in several NBC News segments serving the Greater Philadelphia, NJ, and DE Region. In 2021, Sue has been named a finalist for the National C2 Awards, Catalyst of Care Award.

Sue and her husband Chip have three grown children and reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Gail Kelly

Vice President of Operations

Joining Unite for HER in July 2014, Gail is responsible for providing administrative and execution support for UFH’s outreach programs. She manages the Wellness Day program and the network of professionals that provide therapy services. Prior to this, she spent 25 years in various business development and management positions in the chemical industry. Gail received a B.S. in Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from Villanova University. She resides with her husband and two daughters in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

April Alarcon

Bookkeeper

April joined Unite for HER in 2023. As a member of the metastatic breast cancer community, when the opportunity to join the accounting team presented itself the only option was to jump on board and assist the organization that had already helped her so much.  April is a graduate of Delaware County Community College where she received her associate degree in accounting. She resides in Nottingham, PA with her husband and boys.

Joe Fratinardo

Financial Controller

Joe is a CPA and started his career in public accounting and has 30 years of finance experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Joe is currently retired and a board member and management volunteer at the West Chester Food Cupboard. Joe was the volunteer part time accountant at Unite for HER from January 2018 to June 2020. Joe joined the Unite for HER staff in October 2022 as their part time controller. Joe’s
wife Lori has metastatic breast cancer. Both Lori and Joe and utilize the incredible services, resources and knowledge provided by Unite for HER.

Cameron Cotrufello

Director of Special Events and Fundraising

Cameron is responsible for the special events of the organization. Her background developing and executing special events was just what Unite for HER needed as we continue to grow. Leading the Students Unite for HER program and coordinating the new events and fundraisers for the organization, Cameron is expanding Unite for HER’s awareness and markets. Cameron received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Drexel University. She currently lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Corianne Armstrong

Director of Communications

As Director of Communications Corianne develops and manages all marketing and communications strategy, creative and branding, and web development. Corianne is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where she received degrees in Public Relations and French. She currently resides in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with her husband.

Erin Pellegrin RD, LDN

Director of Culinary Nutrition

Erin Pellegrin RD, LDN is Unite for HER’s Director of Culinary Nutrition. She joined as a full-time staff member in 2018 after working as a contributing dietitian for 5 years. As part of the Culinary Nutrition Team, she shares their nutrition mission and philosophy at their virtual wellness conferences and by providing education via a variety of offerings as part of the Wellness Program. This includes nutrition counseling during treatment and side effect management, education about healthy eating and grocery shopping, virtual cooking classes and as a contributor to the UFH blog and social media outlets.

Prior to joining Unite for HER, she worked as a clinical dietitian at a Philadelphia Hospital where she focused primarily on the inpatient and outpatient oncology population. She received her nutrition degree from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Journalism from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. She currently lives in Center City, Philadelphia with her partner, Jason, and their dog, Kiki.

Nina Ritrovato

Wellness Day Program Senior Manager

After volunteering with Unite for HER, Nina started her full time career with Unite for HER in 2019 as the Wellness Day Program Manager. She coordinates with our hospital partners and internal staff to deliver the Wellness Day program and events to the women in our program. She received her Master in Public Health with a concentration in Integrative Health from West Chester University in 2013 and lives in Avondale, PA with her husband and children.

Melissa Christie

Wellness Day Program Senior Manager

Melissa joined Unite for HER in 2021, after being in the in the Health and Wellness field for the over 10 years, where she served as the Director of Member Experience and Retention at Fitness and Lifestyle Club that was a Fitness Provider for Unite for HER Wellness Programs. She is the Sr. Wellness Program Manager, and is responsible for coordinating with hospital partners and staff, local communities and through strategic events to successfully administer Wellness Programs to women and men who are need of services.

Melissa holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting and Mathematics from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and she and her husband have 3 wonderful children.

Cathy Brosnan

Senior Accounting Manager

Cathy manages the accounting team and is responsible for maintaining the financial records and ensuring adherence to internal controls. She originally learned about UFH as a parent volunteer for student program fundraisers at her children’s schools. Due to a family history of breast cancer, she appreciated the need for, and the healing value of, the services UFH offers to breast cancer patients. Prior to joining UFH, Cathy worked in various auditing, accounting and project management roles. Cathy received a B.S. in Accounting from Fordham University in New York.

Michele DiCristofaro MS, RD, LDN

Culinary Dietitian, Senior Nutrition Associate

Michele DiCristofaro MS, RD, LDN is a Culinary Dietitian and Senior Nutrition Associate for Unite for HER.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from York College of Pennsylvania and obtained her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Immaculata University in Malvern, PA. As a Culinary Dietitian and Senior Nutrition Associate, she supports Unite for HER’s nutrition mission by providing nutrition consultations, hosting virtual cooking demonstrations, and contributing to Unite for HER’s growing library of nutrition education. She currently resides in West Norriton, PA with her husband and son. 

Peyton Pflug

Senior Communications Associate

As Senior Communications Associate, Peyton Pflug is involved in both strategic communication and creative projects at Unite for HER. She assists with social media and design work as well as digital marketing and fundraising for the Pink Invitational. Peyton graduated from Temple University after studying communications, public relations and Spanish. Shortly after, she joined Unite for HER in 2019. She currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Carol Nowrey

Volunteer Program Manager

Carol joined Unite for HER in 2018 as a volunteer and subsequently as a part-time staff member. She is responsible for managing the Volunteer program which consists of scheduling and coordinating individual or group/corporate volunteer efforts. Volunteer efforts enable the weekly preparation and shipment of Wellness Program materials (HER care box and education materials). The coordination of volunteer efforts also allows the staffing of UFH events and special projects. Carol is a retired Human Resource professional with over 35 years’ HR experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. She also spent 4 years as Sr. Director for a Finance Shared Services team during a period of business acquisitions and functional integration. Carol obtained her bachelor’s in business from Wharton School and holds an MBA from Temple University. Carol resides in West Chester with her husband.

Colleen Connor

National Development Volunteer

Colleen began volunteering for Unite for HER after having gone through our Wellness Program due to her own breast cancer diagnosis. With a complicated medical history, she attributes her ability to complete her therapy despite the terrible side effects, to the integrative care she received through our program. She supports National Partnerships as a volunteer and is passionate about helping other patients. She lives in West Chester, PA

Jessica Palmer

Bookkeeping Data Specialist Associate

Jess joined Unite for HER in May 2022 as the Bookkeeping and Data Specialist Associate. In this role she works closely with the finance and wellness teams to support data maintenance and analysis for UFH’s abundant integrative offerings.

Before joining Unite for HER, Jess worked as a non-profit program coordinator and cancer researcher, including serving as a Research Assistant in Radiation Oncology at University of Pennsylvania. Throughout her career, she has supported grant reporting and budget oversight, data collection and organization, and non-profit program database creation and maintenance. Jess holds a B.S in Cell and Molecular Biology from West Chester University. Her favorite part about Unite for HER is seeing the positive impact the integrative therapies provide to those diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer – including yoga, massage, nutrition, acupuncture, reiki, and counseling – to name a few!

Sarah Murphy, LPC

Staff Counselor

Sarah Murphy is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Unite for HER. She joined the staff in 2021 after serving as a provider since 2013. Sarah uses a holistic, mind-body-spirit approach in her therapy work, drawing on mindfulness, meditation, energy psychology. In addition to individual client work, Sarah leads counseling talks at Unite for HER wellness days and moderates support groups. She leads weekly online meditations for Unite for HER, and regularly contributes to the Unite for HER blog. Sarah serves on the board of the Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP). She received her counseling degree from Immaculata University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Alex Scipione

Care Box Administrative Assistant

Alex Scipione joined Unite for Her in 2021 after 17 years as an Activities Director.
Alex was looking for a position that would help others and give back after losing her mother to metastatic Breast Cancer in 2020.

Contributing to the community has always been an integral part of their family’s lives.
Alex enjoys, gardening, cooking, baking, volunteering, reading, and spending time with friends and family. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Hospitality Management with a minor in Business Administration from Drexel University.

Alex resides in Newtown Square, PA with her husband, daughter, and fur babies.

Katheryne Romero, RD, LDN

Bilingual Culinary Dietitian, Latino Liaison

Katheryne Romero RDN, LDN was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She completed her B.S in Dietetics and Nutrition at Florida International University. After her experience working as an inpatient/outpatient dietitian in the clinical setting and as a nutrition manager for a food bank in South Florida, she now serves as our Bilingual Culinary Dietitian and Nutrition Associate. Aside from providing individual nutrition counseling and grocery gift card appointments, she serves as a contact person for our Hispanic participants.

Rachael Petersen

Digital Content Manager

As Digital Content Manager, Rachael develops and produces digital content to support educational and outreach initiatives at Unite for HER. Rachael graduated from Temple University with a major in Media Production and a minor in Public Relations. She currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Aubrey Redd, MS RD, LDN

Culinary Dietitian, Senior Nutrition Associate

Aubrey Redd, MS, RDN, LDN joined the Unite for HER team as a Culinary Dietitian and Senior Nutrition Associate after her experience working in outpatient nutrition counseling, and as a community nutrition educator. She is a seasoned West Chester University alumna – attending the university for her bachelor of science in nutrition & dietetics, master of science in community nutrition, and supervised dietetic internship practice. As a Culinary Dietitian and Senior Nutrition Associate, she assists participants 1:1 with their nutrition needs, hosts group cooking demonstrations, and supports creative and culinary endeavors with the rest of the Unite for HER team. She currently resides in King of Prussia, PA.

Jan Nowell

Administrative Assistant

Jan is an administrative assistant for the UFH office. She was on the Unite for Her Board for 6 years as the secretary, as well as a volunteer. Her term of office was over in June and she joined the staff in July. In 2015, she retired from Chichester Middle School where she taught for 38 years as a math teacher. Jan met Sue in 2007, where both sons were playing lacrosse at Rustin. Jan graduated from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania with a BS in mathematics and earned a Masters of Education from West Chester University. She is the mother of four boys and resides in Thornton with her husband Tim and their dog Ravin.

Jessie Meakim

Development Associate

Jessie assists with special events and development of the organization. She assists with the Students Unite for HER Program, outside special events, and fundraising areas for the organization. Jessie is a current graduate student at West Chester University receiving her Master’s in Public Administration with a Nonprofit Administration Concentration. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and International Business from West Chester University where she was also a gymnast! 

Amy Molnar

Data Entry Specialist

Amy joined UFH in 2021 working part-time to assist accounting and operations with data management and process improvement. Prior to this, she spent over 20 years in various operations and finance roles at financial technology firms and in global finance for research and development in the pharmaceutical industry. She obtained her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business and a Russian language minor from Villanova University and holds an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University.

Kristin Vernisi

Wellness Program Administrator

Kristin is the Wellness Program Administrator at Unite for HER. In this role, Kristin works closely with our Unite for Her members to educate, guide, and support them through the Wellness Program. Prior to joining Unite for HER, Kristin spent over 15 years working in community health and corporate wellness as a health educator and worksite wellness consultant. Additionally, she has worked in the medical aesthetics industry as a licensed esthetician. Kristin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biobehavioral Health from Penn State University. She resides in Audubon, PA with her husband and children.