Board of Directors
Kaitlin Hetherington Predota
Board President
Kaitlin Hetherington Predota became President of the Board in 2017. While she is new to the PPROM community, Kaitlin is passionate about working with people in need and enjoys serving populations of all kinds. She has been involved with the Down Syndrome and disability community and a champion of celebrating their accomplishments. Kaitlin’s professional background has been primarily in the Health and Human Services field, working in schools, government entities, and court resource systems. She is currently the National Director of Program Management for Palco, Inc, and a certified Person Centered Trainer. Kaitlin has been a volunteer for court-appointed supervised parenting time for families in need. In her spare time, Kaitlin owns and operates a small business; Grace and Stones specializes in customization including glasses, drink ware, home decor, signs, jewelry, wedding accessories and custom vinyl creations.
Rachel Moore joined the Board of Directors as the Secretary. Professionally, Rachel has worked in the social service field for over 15 years. Rachel is extremely passionate about participating as a Board Member for several reasons. First, Rachel is a preemie survivor born at 28 weeks when research and survival rates were minimal. Secondly, her son David was born unexpectedly at 31 weeks; he is now a thriving preschooler. Rachel is honored to be a part of the mission to help moms and families going through PPROM.
Rachel Moore
Board Secretary
Samantha Simmons
Board Treasurer
Samantha Simmons joined the The PPROM Foundation Board of Directors in 2017. Samantha experienced PPROM at 17 weeks with her second child. After finding information from The PPROM Foundation and other online support forums, Samantha and her husband decided to do expectant management and hope for the best. Their son was born at 28 weeks and despite very little amniotic fluid, he fortunately had a very good outcome and is now thriving as a toddler. It is an honor and privilege for Samantha to serve on the Board of The PPROM Foundation with the hopes of helping others experiencing PPROM and bringing attention to efforts and research around prevention of PPROM, expectant management and the impact of lifestyle and nutrition on both of these. Professionally, Samantha is President of the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine and aims to bring her experience in healthcare and nonprofits to her role on the Board.
Erin Thatcher
Executive Director
Erin Thatcher is the Executive Director of the American Alliance for pProm Support DBA The PPROM Foundation. Erin founded the non-profit in July 2013 following her own PPROM pregnancy. When Erin was just 12 weeks pregnant with twins, her water broke with baby B after a minor car accident. Erin and her husband were given instructions to watch and wait, and exercised Expectant Management under the care of a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist until the twins were born at 27 weeks. After several months in the NICU, the twins came home with minimal medical support related to their prematurity. Erin recognized the need for a specialized support option for PPROM parents, and worked to establish a network of volunteer Advocates to provide person-centered mentorship and support of moms and families. One of the most impactful projects established is the PPROM Registry, a patient observational database that aims to evaluate outcomes and treatment plans, measure statistics, and identify disparities and inequities patients experience when diagnosed with PPROM. Erin hopes to identify options for prolonging latency and improving outcomes, institute better tracking methods in PPROM, and focus on maternal health and nutrition to manage and prevent PPROM. By helping mothers advocate for their babies, teaching them to navigate systems and treatments during a stressful PPROM pregnancy, Erin is inspired to continue her work in this organization.