Candy Payne – Founder and President
Candy worked many years as a high school guidance counselor, and as the program director for Families First foster care agency in California. She is a grandmother of a NICU Grad born at 25 weeks in 2017. She is passionate about serving and supporting other families through the challenges of having a medically fragile infant.
Carla O’Leary – Treasurer/Website
Carla retired after several years of work in healthcare, nonprofit development, and higher education. She left her most recent position as assistant to the Dean of Regis University School of Pharmacy to care for her aging parents. She is excited to be part of the efforts of Little Lambs of Hope to support NICU parents.
Lauren Payne
Lauren’s background is in education. She received her Master’s in Education from the University of Denver, and worked as an elementary school teacher before taking a position with an early childhood education nonprofit. She then chose to be a stay-at-home mom with her young son, and is the aunt of a miracle NICU grad.
Kristy Bright – Coordinator,
Little Lambs of Hope Peer Mentor Moms Resource Group
Kristy is a graduate of Colorado State University. She worked for over five years in sales before having her daughter, Austin, prematurely. After going through the experience of having a premature infant, Kristy became a stay-at-home mom. She is now the proud mother of a 2017 NICU Grad, a donor and supporter of the Mothers Milk Bank, and Coordinator of the Little Lambs of Hope Peer Mentor Moms Resource Group.
Tyra Ware
Tyra graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She went on to be a full-time nurse for 12 years. In 2019, her son was born with a short stay in the NICU. Tyra still works as a nurse, part-time so she can be a mamma the rest of the week. She is passionate about supporting families who have had any experience of fighting for their little one’s life.
Laudine Vallarta Canady
Laudine Vallarta Canady is originally from New York City and has been living in Colorado since 2020. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Drew University and a Master’s in Human Resources Management & Development from New York University. She was formerly the Global Head of Executive Talent Acquisition for Etsy, an online marketplace for unique handmade goods. Laudine’s son was born in 2022 at 35 weeks and spent some time in the NICU. She is also an aunt to twin NICU grads who are now grown up and thriving. Laudine is excited to support Little Lambs of Hope’s mission to provide comfort and hope to NICU families through challenging times.
