Meet the team
Heath Schechinger, M.Ed., Ph.D.
CO-FOUNDER
Dr. Heath Schechinger is a therapist, researcher, and organizer, known for his groundbreaking work within the realm of family and relationship diversity. He serves as the Founding Co-Chair of the American Psychological Association Division 44 Committee focused on relationship diversity, and an Affiliate Faculty at the renowned Kinsey Institute.
Dr. Schechinger’s work sheds light on the elements that cultivate healthy relationships and the rise of non-nuclear family and relationship configurations. He has authored multiple empirical publications and clinical resources and his work has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, Vogue, and Time Magazine.
Lily Lamboy, Ph.D.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER
Dr. Lily Lamboy is a social impact executive, educator, artist, and researcher. Her research and career has focused how we can arrange social and economic resources to ensure care for all people across their lifespans. Prior to founding Modern Family Institute, Dr. Lamboy led the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion functions at both Stripe and Blue Shield of California, where she designed and executed scalable strategies for long-term social change. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Stanford University, where she also served as a Lecturer in the Rhetoric and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies programs. She has authored peer-reviewed articles in publications including Cambridge University Press, Theory and Research in Education, and the International Panel on Social Progress.
Richard Louis Miller, MA, PhD
SENIOR FOUNDING ADVISOR
Dr. Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D., has been a clinical psychologist for more than 50 years. He is host of the syndicated talk radio show, Mind Body Health & Politics. The founder of the nationally acclaimed Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program, he has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan and Stanford University, an advisor on the President’s Commission on Mental Health, a founding board member of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, and a member of the national board of directors for the Marijuana Policy Project.
Dr. Miller is the author of numerous books, including Psychedelic Medicine, Psychedelic Wisdom, Integral Psychedelic Therapy: The Non-ordinary Art of Psychospiritual Healing. His most recent book is Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out.
Marlon Williams, MPP
ADVISOR
Marlon Williams is a public servant focused on improving the economic, social and physical wellbeing of all urban residents with particular emphasis on increasing access and opportunity for low income families and communities of color. He currently serves as the Vice President of Public Policy and Collaboration at Philanthropy New York, an organization dedicated to building a vibrant philanthropic ecosystem that strives to advance meaningful social change.
Prior to this role, Marlon served as the Assistant Director of Public Sector Innovation for Living Cities and the Director of Cross Agency Partnership for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and as a Policy Adviser for the Deputy Mayor of New York City focused on housing, economic empowerment and aging. He is a graduate of New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where he earned a Masters in Public Policy. A self-described "bureaucrat that thinks differently," Marlon is also an avid dancer.
Luke Pustejovsky
ADVISOR
Luke is an operations executive with over fifteen years of experience leading mental health, neurotech and climate tech companies. He started Tactogen to help commercialize affordable medicines that can improve lives. Before co-founding Tactogen, Luke was COO of Delta Separations (acquired by Gibraltar Industries) and CEO of Curian. Prior to focusing on mental health and neuro-related innovations, he concentrated on climate tech. Luke was Director of Business Development at View, and Director of Sales and Marketing at Calera, both backed by Khosla Ventures. He worked as an Analyst and Associate at Boston-based Echelon Ventures and Saturn Capital. Luke concentrates on fundraising and grants, cash flow, corp dev/partnerships, marketing, ops, team building, and culture.
Jessica Fern, M.S.
ADVISOR
Jessica Fern is a Psychotherapist, Coach, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Jessica is the author of Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma, and Non-Monogamy, The Polyseucre Workbook: Healing Your Attachment and Creating Security in Loving Relationships, and Polywise: A Deeper Dive Into Navigating Open Relationships.
In her international private practice, Jessica works with individuals, couples, and people in multiple-partner relationships who no longer want to be limited by their reactive patterns, cultural conditioning, insecure attachment styles, and past traumas, helping them to embody new possibilities in life and love. Learn more at JessicaFern.com.
Jenny Stefanotti, MPA/ID
ADVISOR
Jenny Stefanotti is the Founder and Steward of Denizen, a media platform and community dedicated to systemic change. Denizen produces content exploring topics across economics, democracy, culture, technology, consciousness, and justice. Denizen also produces events and organizes experimental programming for its audience and community.
Additionally, Jenny has 20 years of experience driving strategic initiatives for major technology companies, startups, high net worth individuals, nonprofits, and governments. Jenny was a fellow at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (also known as the d.school) and holds a Master's Degree in international development and economics from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
David Festa, MPP
ADVISOR
David Festa is the founder and president of Strategies for a Resilient World (SRW), a consulting firm that partners with clients in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, economics, corporate responsibility, and conservation. His is also a co-founder of the California Native Seed Supply Collaborative (CNSSC), a network of organizations and practitioners who advocate for the integration of native ecotypes into California's landscape.
David previously lead the Oceans Program at Environmental Defense Fund for 17 years, transforming it into a global force for ending overfishing and increasing sustainability. He also served as a senior official at the U.S. Commerce Department, a correspondent and stringer at The Economist, and a co-founder and partner at Turnstone, a boutique consulting firm. David holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in science and history from the University of Virginia.
Rachael Purtell, PhD
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LEAD
Dr. Rachael Purtell is a social scientist and advocate dedicated to unraveling hegemonic workplace dynamics and exploring underrepresented romantic relationships, while actively leveraging her positionality as a cisgender white woman to challenge dominant ideologies. In addition to her role at the Modern Family Institute, Dr. Purtell is also a member of the American Psychological Association Division 44 Committee on Consensual Non-monogamy and the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition. She conducts research on both hegemonic issues in organizational culture as well as experiences and dynamics within traditionally underrepresented romantic relationships, and focuses on collaborative research efforts among diverse scholars, working towards creating translational research that addresses the needs of communities.
In addition to her research accomplishments, Rachael has led and co-facilitated discussions and training sessions on various topics. These include controversial classroom conversations, intersectional awareness in service, overlooked forms of racism in predominantly white institutions, microaggressions, mistakes, and feedback in allyship, as well as addressing white silence.
Tori Immel
DEVELOPMENT LEAD
Tori Immel is a weaver of people, ideas, organizations and varied resources. She partners with nonprofit leaders on the bleeding edge of social transformation, blending over six years of event production experience with her efforts centering community capacity building, major donor development and fundraising strategies, and shifting zeitgeist through storytelling. Tori has a track record of designing and scaling impactful solutions for systemic opportunities within food and social systems.
As Director of Community and Partnerships at nonprofit Farmer’s Footprint, Tori had the privilege to focus time and attention to inspire will and build capacity to collectively accelerate regenerative food systems as a means to restore human and planetary health. Being a fellow of reNourish Studio, an inquiry and developmental community steeped in the lineages of Carol Sanford and ReGenesis Institute, has humbly fostered Tori’s contemplation and experimentation within the templates of living systems design.
Alex Satchenko, MBA
HEAD OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Alex is a seasoned business operations and people leader with 14 years of experience bringing operational and strategic acumen to mission-driven spaces. He currently serves as a fractional executive supporting People & Business Operations functions at a variety of community organizations while running his own company, Ream, which provides contract management tooling for small businesses. He previously served in Strategy & Operations leadership roles at technology companies including DoorDash, Square, and Riot Games as well as non-profit organizations including the Partnership for Public Service. He holds an MBA from Yale University, where he focused on organizational development and design. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Clear Creek, an aging-in-place residency for adults with developmental disabilities.