Our Team
Andrea Hickson, Founder & Executive Director
Andrea is two-time NICU parent; her first daughter was born in 2014 and is an ex-24 weeker who spent 111 days in the NICU. Her second daughter was born in 2019 and is an ex-30 weeker who spent 81 days in the NICU. After living in New York City for 11 years, working in Commercial Banking, Andrea and her family relocated to South Florida in 2020 to be closer to family. She understands that the end of the NICU journey is really the beginning of something that can be quite complicated and can feel overwhelming and lonely which is why she founded NICU Alumni, and is dedicated to increasing support for families once their child graduates from the NICU. Andrea serves on the NICU Family Advisory Council for Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and is a recent graduate of Florida’s 2022 Partners in Policymaking leadership and advocacy training program.
Ciara, Founding Board Member & Editorial Director
Ciara is a writer, editor, disability advocate and mother of two, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. As a 2022 graduate of Florida's Partners in Policymaking Program, she's passionate about supporting disabled people and their families through education, inclusion and universal design. She worked as a journalist for 15 years before transitioning to creating content for brands and organizations. As editorial director for NICU Alumni, she's excited to create valuable and accessible resources of information for families beginning their post-NICU journey.
Dr. Marta Grisel Galarza, MD, Founding Board Member
Dr. Marta Grisel Galarza is a neonatologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and has worked at Holtz Children’s hospital since 1997. She is the medical director of the Intermediate Care NICU, a 70-bed unit. More recently she developed a Neonatal/antenatal specific palliative care program for the division of neonatology.
She was instrumental and championed the Baby Friendly Designation of the entire Jackson Health System. She is also very proud of having developed the Kangaroo Mother Care program in their NICU. She has worked endlessly and passionately in these projects because they promote and protect mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding, her goal for all NICU mothers and babies.
She has been married to Jose Vazquez, also a physician, for almost three decades and is the proud mother of two, now adult children, both of whom sought the Performing Arts as their careers. Her motto in life has always been “Love what you do, and you’ll do it for life”.
Alexa Ortiz, Founding Board Member
Alexa is a mother of 3 children ages 14, 12 and 7. Professionally, Alexa is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She has been working as the Clinical Director for a private ABA agency in Miami, Florida for approximately 6 years. Previously, Alexa worked as a Substance Abuse therapist for a program named Dependency Drug Court where she worked with families who had been separated due to substance abuse and child neglect. Alexa’s thrives from helping others, her passion lives in being able to connect with people and assist them on their road to self-empowerment and independence. Additionally, Alexa is the founder of Your Beautiful Life, a motivational platform where she shares positive stories, poems and authors who inspire and motivate others.
Vilma Migenis, Founding Board Member
Vilma is the parent to a full term NICU Alumni. Her son Bradley, spent 54 days in the NICU which included a hospital transfer to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in April 2019. Along with her husband Jose, they navigate the journey of being parents to a disabled child with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Vision Impairment and together they serve on the Family Advisory Council at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. A graduate of Florida's Partners in Policymaking 2022 training program, Vilma is dedicated to raising awareness for children with disabilities, the mental health needs of NICU families, as well as increasing the support for families once they graduate from the NICU. Additionally, Vilma serves as the Community Building Coordinator for Dear NICU Mama.
Consuelo Kloosterman, Board Member
Consuelo Kloosterman is an experienced pediatric physical therapist with over 25 years of clinical expertise in the NICU, dedicating her work to two level III NICUs in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Consuelo’s main area of interest is promoting parental attachment from the very early start of the family’s journey in the NICU. She continuously presents lectures to staff members to improve the developmental outcomes of fragile infants and has obtained certifications in pediatric physical therapy, neurodevelopmental treatment, infant massage, and developmental care, to support infants and families better.
Consuelo holds a Bachelor’s Degree in physical therapy from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina and her Master’s Degree from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida, with her husband and three children.