meet the team
JJ Kissinger (he/him)
Founder & Executive Director
JJ moved from Colorado to Seattle in 1998 to attend Seattle Pacific University. After six years working in higher education in both Admissions and Residence Life, JJ received his MDiv from Regent College in Vancouver, BC. For nine years, JJ served as Director of Side-by-Side, an outreach program in Seattle supporting for families who have a seriously ill child. Leveraging his unique blend of joyful enthusiasm, inspired creativity, and heartfelt empathy, JJ is committed to cultivating communities of hope with kids and families who are suffering. He lives in Lake Forest Park with his wife Lisa and their two children Jane and Leo. JJ enjoys cooking, road trips, and binging a great podcast or TV series.
Jess Muller (she/her)
Program & Volunteer Manager
A PNW native, Jess has always been fueled by a passion for connection and community. She spent more than two decades in college admissions and small business HR before joining the TLC staff in 2024, following years of service as a dedicated volunteer and board member. Guided by her own family’s experience with childhood cancer, Jess has devoted herself to raising awareness, volunteering, fundraising, and hosting an annual toy drive for Seattle Children’s. She and her house full of boys split their time between their home in Kirkland and their beloved river cabin in Index, where they recharge and stay connected to the beauty of the PNW.
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Tom Monahan (he/him)
Board President
Tom is a Campaign Project Manager for Integrated Marketing with T-Mobile. He has also worked in marketing for Starbucks, Amazon Go, Woodland Park Zoo, and PCC Community Markets. He graduated from Seattle U with a BA in business administration with a focus in marketing. His connection to childhood cancer is personal. As a parent, he's experienced firsthand the challenges of a childhood cancer diagnosis, treatment and beyond. Tom has volunteered with both The Light Collective and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tom lives in Issaquah with his wife, two children and their spoiled cats Rosie and Cooper. He loves spending time with his family, hiking the Issaquah Alps and playing drums.
Kristin Gard (she/her)
Board Vice President
Kristin is a Nurse Practitioner in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Seattle Children's Hospital. She holds clinical experience in adult and pediatric oncology, palliative care and survivorship. She now specializes in the care of patients with solid tumors, adolescent/young adult oncology, and oncofertility. Outside of work Kristin enjoys hiking, cross country skiing, travelling, and flower gardening. Kristin and her husband Arne live in Edmonds and enjoy spending time with their 3 adventurous adult children.
Autumn Monahan (she/her)
Board Secretary
Autumn Monahan has served her community – in a variety of roles – at the City of Issaquah for 17 years, currently as its Administrative Services Director. She previously worked in public relations and as a print journalist. She graduated in 2002 from the University of Washington with a bachelor of arts in communications and political science. Following her own child's cancer journey, she is committed to serving other families facing the same challenges. Autumn lives in Issaquah with her husband, Tom, and two daughters. She loves photography, cooking (especially Molly Baz's recipes) and exploring Trailhead City.
Kristin Montagne (she/her)
Board Treasurer
Kristin Montagne is a Financial Advisor with Eagle Strategies and a long-tenured New York Life Agent, passionate about helping families find clarity, stability, and confidence through life’s transitions. She has been married to Kurt Dyrhsen for 28 years and is the proud mother of three grown children and grandmother to one. Kristin feels deeply connected to The Light Collective’s mission of supporting children and families facing cancer and serious illness. Outside of work, Kristin loves hiking, skiing, singing, playing piano, and spending time outdoors with her dogs, Shiloh and Hans. She is honored to support TLC through compassionate service, thoughtful leadership, and advocacy for families in need.
Julie Metzger (she/her)
Founding Board Member
Julie is a pediatric nurse, author, advocate & educator for families. As the founder of Great Conversations, she has worked with teens and pre-teens and their grown-ups on topics of puberty, sexuality, and decision-making for over 30 years. Julie is the author of two books for preteens and has written health curriculum used in schools and communities across the west coast. Great Conversations is sponsored by Seattle Children’s Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital as well as several pediatric practices and has been featured in the NYTimes and on The TODAY Show. Julie and her husband Mike live in Seattle’s Wedgewood neighborhood and have three adult children—an actress, a doctor, and a teacher.
Gretchen VonHeeder Phillips (she/her)
Founding Board Member
Gretchen is a Mental Health Therapist in the Cancer and Blood Disorder Center at Seattle Children's Hospital. Gretchen has worked as a clinical social worker supporting young people and their families in multiple settings, and has loved being part of the oncology team at Seattle Children's. She holds clinical expertise in grief and loss, pediatric oncology, palliative care, and relationship violence. Gretchen lives in Des Moines with her husband, daughter, perfect dog Radar, and non-perfect dog Cheddar. As a family they love story-telling, dramatics, and dance parties.
Kate Drake (she/her)
Board Member
Kate is the General Manager at Le Panier Bakery in Pike Place. She has always had a love for people so the hospitality world called her name. She graduated from SPU in 2020 with a Business Administration degree with an emphasis on International Business. She has been a volunteer with The Light Collective since it started. She continues to volunteer as a leader during monthly Zoom Games with TLC families, and you may recognize her from the coffee cart at our in-person events! She thoroughly enjoys watching the joy TLC brings to families and volunteers alike. She believes people thrive in community, so being a part of TLC is a priority for her. Kate grew up in Shoreline and currently lives in Queen Anne.
Kelley Biastock (she/her)
Board Member
Kelley grew up in Colorado and spent 21 years in Alaska before relocating to Edmonds, WA with her family in 2023 after her son was diagnosed with cancer and received treatment at Seattle Children's. Grateful for the care and community that carried them through difficult times, Kelley is honored to give back alongside her son, now a survivor and TLC volunteer. She serves as the Director of Emergency Management at University of Washington, bringing nearly two decades of experience in humanitarian work, public health, disaster response, nonprofit leadership, and volunteer management. She and Talbot, along with her husband Marcus and daughter Maeve, love exploring and adventuring in the Pacific Northwest.
Doug & Laurie Bunnell
Parent Care
Informed by their own childhood cancer journey, Doug (he/him) and Laurie (she/her) have 20 years of experience facilitating hope-oriented conversational spaces where families who have a child with cancer feel seen, loved, encouraged, and supported...without any cheesy cliches. They live in Bellingham, WA where Laurie works as a preschool teacher and Doug serves as lead pastor at First Presbyterian Church.