Marin Ridge, overlooking Pasagshak Bay, Kodiak Island, Alaska

Experienced, Professional, and Caring

Our Team

KINDNESS People Power

The KINDNESS Team includes:

  • Founder (Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)
  • Executive Director (born and raised in Kodiak, 10+ years experience in nonprofit and for-profit business management)
  • Services Coordinator (Speech Language Pathologist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)
  • Multi-lingual Peer Counselors (trained using the USDA “Loving Support through Peer Counseling” Training Program)
  • Enthusiatic Program Volunteers (who help with events and behind-the-scenes jobs)
  • Multi-talented Volunteer Board Members
  • Expert In-house IT Support

  Heather Preece

Leadership & Service Providers

Founder

Heather Preece

MHSc, RDN, IBCLC

Raised and schooled in Ontario, Canada, Heather’s career in public health nutrition and lactation support has taken her from the Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic to Mali, Malawi, Tanzania, Vancouver, British Columbia, and, finally, to Kodiak Island in 1997. Heather was inspired to establish Kodiak KINDNESS Project when a kind neighbor helped her feed her first baby in 2000. After several years of development, KINDNESS was launched in 2006 and has grown to be a bedrock of infant feeding support for Kodiak families. Heather was recognized by the United States Lactation Consultant Association with the 2023 National Changemaker Award for her work with KINDNESS. After more than 20 years of passionate commitment to helping Kodiak families nourish their infants’ bodies and souls, Heather continues to serve on the KINDNESS board of directors and fills in as a volunteer whereever needed. She is thrilled to watch KINDNESS continue to grow and improve the health and wellbeing of generations of Kodiak Kids.

Executive Director

Kate Paulson

Kate is the Executive Director of the KINDNESS Project and mother to four sweet boys. A born and raised “Kodiak Kid”, Kate studied Art and Business at Portland State University. It was here that she began working for nonprofits and fell in love with mission-driven work. After nearly a decade living off-island while her husband Chris was in the Navy, Kate and her family moved back to Kodiak at the end of 2020. Their third son was born in 2021 and Kate was finally able to enroll him in the KINDNESS Project after hearing so many wonderful things from her peers. And in 2024, Kate’s youngest son became a KINDNESS participant. Kate previously worked for the Kodiak Arts Council, and was the Executive Director of Hospice of Kodiak for three years before bringing her nonprofit and business management experience to KINDNESS in the fall of 2024. KINDNESS is sure to reach new horizons with Kate’s capable hands at the helm and her focus on enhancing the lives of young families on Kodiak Island.

Services Coordinator

Jennifer Sheridan

M.S., CCC-SLP

Jennifer is a speech-language pathologist and the mother of two sprightly girls. Her family moved to Kodiak when their first baby was 3 months old, and she received so much invaluable help from KINDNESS that Jennifer wanted to give back by volunteering behind the scenes from 2014 to 2021. ​In 2021 she took on a more active role as lead Peer Counselor for newborns, and in 2023 began mentoring the Peer Counselor team and overseeing all program services. Jennifer enhances KINDNESS support with her knowledge and experience in oral-motor development. Jennifer loves connecting with and supporting KINDNESS parents now that her own kids are old enough to let her out of their sight!

Peer Counselor

Sara Brubaker 

Sara is lover of her husband Jeff, mother to their sons Jeremiah and Baer, daughters Wren and Hazel, and a transplanted Oregonian. Sara has been a part of the KINDNESS team since 2013.  First moving to Kodiak to coordinate the WIC program, Sara immediately heard of the beloved KINDNESS Project and was excited to be able to join the team shortly after her arrival.  She is passionate about all things to do with food, and loves being able to encourage fellow mommas as they offer first tastes and bites to their own “littles”! Sara teaches our monthly infant nutrition class, manages our inventory and is the lead KINDNESS coach for older babies (6 months +).  If she’s not in the kitchen creating, she is in mountains, in the pool, or on her bike. 

Peer Counselor

Marjourie Solano

Marjourie came to Kodiak from the Philippines in 2005. She first attended Main Elementary in 5th grade, and in 2017 circled back to join the staff at her childhood school as a certified first-grade teacher. Kodiak KINDNESS helped Marjourie with her nursing journey with her daughter Eliza, for which she is forever grateful. Marjourie and her daughter love to be outside in all kinds of weather! KINDNESS is equally grateful to have Marjourie join our team the summer of 2022.  She is fluent in Tagalog, which allows us to provide direct services to our Tagalog-speaking families in their own language.

Peer Counselor

Kerissa Barrey

Originally from South Africa, Kerissa moved to the USA in 2016. She lives in Kodiak with her husband, Jacob, their daughter Lauren, and their 2 guinea pigs, Lulu and Moose. She enjoys learning new things and has studied to be a reiki master, biologist, teacher, phlebotomist and now a KINDNESS Peer Counselor. She is very excited to join the Kodiak KINDNESS team (summer of 2022), as she is eager to help families the way Kodiak KINDNESS  helped her when she had her daughter. Keri tag-teams with Sara teaching our monthly infant nutrition classes, supports older babies, stocks supplies and applies her sharp eye for details to catch all the loose ends that that slip past the rest of us!

Danya Rios

Danya was born and raised in Mexicali Baja California, and moved to Kodiak in 2019, where she and her partner Rodney are raising their son Enzo. Danya feels the KINDNESS Project helped their family a lot to start in a good direction on breastfeeding when Enzo was born. Danya was inspired to take the KINDNESS Peer Counselor training course in 2021 and initially joined the team as a volunteer to help with anything at all! We were thrilled when she joined our team as a paid peer counselor in 2024 where her commitment and love for the program shine even brighter. Director’s note: We especially appreciate her fluency in Spanish for serving our Spanish-speaking families!

IT Administrator

Steve Dougherty

Steve Dougherty is IT support for the KINDNESS Project.  Raised in California, he joined the Marine Corps after graduation and took his lifelong love of computers along with him.  After his service, he started a career in the Oilfields of Wyoming/Utah and provided computer support while back at the shop.  Moving his family to Kodiak, he restarted a career in Healthcare Informatics.  He now supports his wife and 6 children in the wondrous beauty of Kodiak Island. Steve’s expertise in data analytics were indispensible when KINDNESS published an article in a peer-reviewed journal in 2019. Starting in late 2020, Steve built the KINDNESS IT system from the ground up and continues to ensure it runs smoothly for our 24/7 operations.