Brooke Sulahian

Following a successful thirteen-year career in Human Resources and four years as a stay-at-home mom, Brooke’s eyes were opened to the suffering and injustice that afflict her brothers and sisters around the world. This occurred in June of 2010 after reading The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, and Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The plight of women and girls living on the margins of life captured her heart. She was specifically struck by the stories of women and girls who lacked access to medical care and suffered from or were at risk for fistula. As a result, she co-founded a volunteer group in October of 2010, which led to the founding of Hope for Our Sisters, Inc. in January of 2012. She is driven by her belief in the inherent value of each person and her hope that women and girls around the world will one day be fully cherished and valued by their families and communities, as God intended. Brooke believes our sisters have the ability to change the world! Brooke lives in the Boston area with her husband and two children.

Cara Brooks

Cara Brooks is a registered nurse who specializes in Neonatal Intensive Care. Upon graduating with her BSN and a minor in Thanatology from the University of Rhode Island in 2011, Cara continued to advance her studies through enhanced certifications in critical care nursing and lactation. In 2018 Cara earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health with a certificate in Maternal and Child Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Cara has worked in several developing countries for up to 5 months at time. She was first exposed to the tragedies of obstetric and traumatic fistulas when serving with Mercy Ships in Madagascar in 2015. Upon meeting Brooke Sulahian at a women’s gathering, Cara felt called to join the HFOS team and work on behalf of her beautiful sisters suffering from this terrible condition abroad. She has high hopes that with enough global outcry and improvements in healthcare delivery, fistulas can be eradicated in our lifetime.

Daphne Chan

Daphne first met Brooke and learned about Hope for Our Sisters at a Tea gathering in 2017. The stories of these beautiful women, their courage and determination to return to a healthy life despite their physical and emotional sufferings, touched her heart. She was profoundly affected by the fact that these women have lost their innate right to be mothers and to nurture children, and have suffered through an arduous physical process, due to circumstances that are out of their control. These stories ignited in her an immense desire to help these women to restore their lives and regain their sense of self-worth so that they can live loving and fulfilling lives. She began working with Hope for Our Sisters as a volunteer and then joined the Board of Directors in early 2018.

Daphne’s professional career is focused in the Financial Services industry in various capacities.  Her latest role was at State Street Bank in the IT organization. She most recently became certified as a Health Coach and works with clients through an integrative and holistic approach to transform their health and achieve wellness goals to create an optimal and balanced life. She is originally from Hong Kong and moved to New York when she was a young child.

Debra Angeloni

Debra joined Hope for Our Sisters in 2012, becoming the third person to join the HFOS movement, upon hearing Brooke speak at a women’s event about the horrific fistula crisis and lack of maternal health care devastating millions of young girls and women worldwide. Since joining the HFOS team, she has been involved in developing training, event management, providing outreach, raising awareness, and most recently, joined the Board of Directors in April 2018. She feels privileged and grateful to be part of a committed, dedicated, and dynamic team that strives to implement the change needed to eradicate the fistula crisis. She is passionate and committed to helping transform and empower the lives of young girls and women by providing prevention, treatment, and support resources they desperately need and deserve in order to live to their fullest potential, determine their own future, and restore hope in their hearts. Debra has an extensive background in healthcare, is a licensed clinical therapist, and works in private practice in Newburyport. She holds an MS from Boston University. She has previously been involved in several local and national nonprofit organizations in various roles. Debra resides in the Boston area.

Sue Goodnow-Ji

Sue has been an active volunteer with Hope for Our Sisters for the last decade and was thrilled to join the board in October 2023. Her passion for empowering women and girls manifests through her involvement with HFOS, where she is excited to contribute to creating lasting community change.  Before joining the board, Sue embraced the role of Ambassador for Noonday Collection, a position that merged her love for creating connections with her drive to support women entrepreneurs and artisans in underserved areas. A memorable trip to Guatemala to meet with artisans remains a poignant reminder of the impact of partnerships and collaboration.

Sue works as an occupational therapist with adults with disabilities and holds a BS in Occupational Therapy and a Minor in Psychology from Utica College of Syracuse University.  She resides in the Boston area with her husband and 3 sons.  Sue and her family actively support and volunteer with a number of local and global non-profits.

Joan McCalmont, Administrator

Joan was present the night HFOS was conceived back in 2011 and has been an avid supporter ever since. Through her own seeking journey alongside Co-Founder Brooke Sulahian, Joan was inspired to create a baby blanket ministry, sending handmade blankets and encouragement to mothers threatened by the former 1-child policy in China. Joan is thrilled to partner with HFOS in such a tangible way, using her organizational and financial skills honed over many years in the corporate world as well as in various ministries and volunteer positions. She looks forward to the day that prevention triumphs and fistula is completely eradicated from the face of the earth.

Chi Chiung Grace Chen, M.D., M.H.S.

Dr. Grace Chen provides comprehensive care for the evaluation and medical, behavioral or surgical treatment of women with pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic fistula, urinary and fecal incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse. She is well-versed in traditional surgical and non-surgical managements as well as innovative minimally invasive surgical techniques.

In addition to clinical and surgical responsibilities, Dr. Chen also incorporates educating students, residents, and fellows into her practice. She has received teaching awards and serves as a mentor for students, gynecology residents, and urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery fellows in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. She also leads the Johns Hopkins University Global Health Leadership Program which is an interprofessional global health learning experience for medical, nursing, and public health students and directs the Johns Hopkins University Global Women’s Health Fellowship which includes both physician and nursing fellows from the U.S. as well as from lower and middle income countries.

Dr. Chen is also active in scientific research, specifically in obstetric fistula and global health and surgical education with over 100 publications. She received training specifically in the care of obstetric fistula patients and fistula surgery in Ethiopia and has had clinical and research initiatives caring for fistula patients and patients with other pelvic floor disorders in Nepal and Rwanda. This has also led to presentations as well as leadership roles at national and international societies including the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Urogynecologic Society, the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, and the International Urogynecological association.

Robb Rosell

Robb first attended an HFOS event in 2015 along with his wife Patti. He arrived at the event with virtually no knowledge of fistula or its profound impact on women globally. He left that event deeply moved by the women’s stories of resilience and hope, and by the incredible life-changing work happening in Angola, the DRC and Nepal. In the years since that initial spark, Robb has continued to grow in his understanding of fistula, met caregivers and physicians working with HFOS, and deepened his desire to contribute directly to this amazing work of prevention and restoration. He provides HFOS with advisory input related to marketing and business. Robb graduated from the College of William & Mary and is a marketing executive at a global consulting firm.

Tim Sulahian

Tim Sulahian was first exposed to fistula during conversations with his wife, Brooke, while she was reading Half the Sky. His involvement in Hope for Our Sisters is in response to God’s love for each of His children and His command to care for the most vulnerable of them. Tim is blessed and honored to be able to play a role in the restoration of the lives of these women, who suffer from fistula simply because they are poor.

Tim is a graduate of Calvin College, holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from Dartmouth College and received his postdoctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is currently employed at Cell Signaling Technology, a world leader in the production of high quality antibodies for use in scientific research.