About Us

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Board Vice President

With over 25 years of experience as a professional manager in the 

pharmacy industry, Heather created and operationalized three successful health care businesses, Stellar Pharmacy Services, Inc., Stellar Health Services LLC, and King of Prussia Pharmacy Services.  

In 2000, Heather was a founder of King of Prussia Pharmacy Services, a Long-Term Care Pharmacy. Heather’s business acumen, knowledge of LTC operations and healthcare management skills were essential to the growth of the company.  In 2014, Heather also co-founded and co-owns Stellar Pharmacy Services, Inc. a novel company that delivers point of care medications utilizing a high tech patented dispensing system. Heather simultaneously co-founded and co-owns Stellar Health Services LLC, a company that supports patients by providing incentive programs designed to encourage healthcare adherence. Heather has a long history of implementing successful partnerships with managed care organizations to improve health outcomes while lowering cost. 

Heather and her husband, two children and two adorable Shih Tzus reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Heather is actively involved in her children’s school functions and sporting events. She and her family enjoy dedicating time organizing various charity events and fund raisers  for needy families in local communities. 

Treasurer

Dr. Messam is a Principal Scientist in the Oncology Department at Merck Pharmaceuticals. He received his undergraduate degree at Boston  University and graduated with his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Messam and his wife (Dr. June Elcock-Messam) are the original incorporators of ECC. Even prior to their marriage, they worked collaboratively on projects to improve the lives of children at risk.                                                                                     

Starting ECC together more than twenty years later is a natural next step to organize their work in order to reach and have a positive impact on more children. Dr. Messam brings his strength, his attention to detail, his vast knowledge and his experience starting successful organizations to ECC. He lives with his wife and their four

children in Delaware County. He can often be seen exercising with his trusty side-kick (and man’s best friend) Domino.

Board Member

Dr. Hayes is Swarthmore resident and mom of three amazing kids. She is a pediatrician who is board certified in General Pediatrics, as well as Pediatric Hospital Medicine. After growing up in Western PA and attending Pennsylvania State University for her undergraduate education, Dr. Hayes made the move to the Philadelphia region for medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Following her training, she had a number of positions in the Philadelphia metro region caring for children in the acute hospital setting, most recently settling in positions at the Nemours Children’s Health Emergency Department, as well as the Bryn Mawr Hospital Pediatric Inpatient Unit as a pediatric hospitalist.  

Throughout her career, Dr. Hayes has developed a strong interest in medical education, both for medical trainees as well as the community at large. In particular, she is strongly committed to incorporating the social determinants of health and health equity in positively impacting healthcare outcomes for children and families. She is politically active in support of children's and family health, having educated and interfaced both in Harrisburg as well as Washington DC on platforms including gun violence prevention and medicaid/CHIP coverage. She has volunteered her skillset in the global health arena, having worked in Botswana during the peak of the AIDS epidemic, as well as Haiti following the devastating 2010 Earthquake. She currently volunteers time with COVID-19 education and vaccination outreach throughout Delaware County, and is very excited truly to commit to our mission at EVERY CHILD COUNTS.  

Board Member

Michael and his family are staunch ECC supporters.  He is a lifelong Delconian, who is a Strategic Consultant who focuses on opportunities and sustainable solutions.  Michael has assisted multiple schools and programs with strategic planning and business development.  He is excited to join us as a Board Member, to lend his expertise to help us to get to the next level.      

Michael received his Bachelor in Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame in 1992.  In addition to his work, he is passionate about his family.  Whatever his two children are doing, that’s his favorite thing to do at that moment.  He has a great sense of humor, loves cars and golfing.  He is committed to improving the lives of children in Delaware County and that is why we are excited that Michael who is already a donor and volunteers at ECC, has agreed to join us as a Board Member.    

Board Member

Mrs. Parks is another education specialist who joined us this year. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College in Boston, MA. She then continued her studies, receiving her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Antioch University and her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and Reading Certification from St. Joseph’s University. She also holds Certifications of completion in Biblical Studies from formerly Philadelphia College of the Bible and from the Christian Research and Development Biblical Counseling Program.  

Mrs. Parks was a Special Education Teacher at Springton Lake Middle School and later, the Special Education Department Coordinator. She showed her versatility and later worked at Penncrest High School (PHS) as their Special Education Teacher. She then became PHS’s Student Relations Facilitator, blessing countless numbers of students and their families in Delaware County until she retired in 2019. Mrs. Parks was an English as a second language Instructor at the Evening School at Delaware County Community College. She was also a faculty member at the New Life Bible Institute Missionary Training School and a Home School Educational Evaluator supporting families in the Delaware Valley and Philadelphia vicinity.  

In addition to her educational achievements, Mrs. Parks was a Philadelphia Futures Mentor, she worked for eleven years as a Federal Prison Religious Services Bible Study Teacher, and since 2018 has been a member of CADBI (Coalition to Abolish Death by Incarceration), Delaware County Chapter. She is also a Ronald McDonald House of Delaware Volunteer since 2016.  

Mrs. Parks has been an ECC supporter since we became incorporated in 2018. She is supportive of our mission. She is full of energy and is ready to work. We are excited for her input as we move forward.  

Secretary

Ms. Messam comes to ECC with a long history of work in the non-profit arena. She has had the pleasure of serving various populations through her non-profit work: Jamaicans through her work helping to provide people without access to eye care via “Great Faith Vision”, a nonprofit whose mission is “to transform lives through the gift of sight”, Burmese migrants in Thailand as an English teacher, immigrants and refugees in Pittsburgh as a social media manager for the Global Switchboard, an organization that aims to provide a hub for Pittsburgh’s global community; and transgender people seeking to change their name through her work at the Name Change Project. She has also volunteered at ECC before becoming a board member.  

Ms. Messam received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently working as a paralegal on contract with the Bank of New York Mellon and as an English teacher. Her skills include project planning, presentation creation and delivery. She brings a unique prospective, incorporating lessons learned from her studies abroad and travel in Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Iceland. Julia has a giving spirit and a passion for service. She is dedicated to helping the children we serve at ECC.