Meet the Team

Team Bios

Heath Schechinger, M.Ed., Ph.D.

FOUNDER

Dr. Heath Schechinger is a therapist, coach, researcher, and consultant, known for his groundbreaking work within the realm of family and relationship diversity. In addition to his role as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Modern Family Institute, he serves as the Founding Co-Chair of the American Psychological Association Division 44 Committee on Consensual Non-monogamy and as a Co-Founder of the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition. As Affiliate Faculty at the renowned Kinsey Institute and a Board Member for the Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-monogamy, he further amplifies his impact.

For over a decade, Dr. Schechinger’s sheds light on the elements that cultivate healthy relationships and the rising trend of non-nuclear family and relationship configurations, including polyamory and platonic co-parenting, among others. He has authored multiple empirical publications and clinical resources and his work has been featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, Vogue, Goop, and Psychology Today.

Lily Lamboy, Ph.D.

FOUNDER

Dr. Lily Lamboy is a social impact executive, educator, artist, and researcher with over 15 years of experience building complex systems to support human flourishing. She currently serves as the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Modern Family Institute and the Director of the Open Workplaces Initiative for the Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-Monogamy.

Dr. Lamboy’s research and career has focused how we can arrange social and economic resources to ensure care for all people across their lifespans. Prior to founding Modern Family Institute, Dr. Lamboy led the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion functions at both Stripe and Blue Shield of California, where she designed and executed scalable strategies for long-term social change. She has authored peer-reviewed articles in publications including Cambridge University Press, Theory and Research in Education, and the International Panel on Social Progress.

Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D.

SENIOR FOUNDING ADVISOR

Dr. Richard Louis Miller, M.A., Ph.D., has been a clinical psychologist for more than 50 years. He is host of the syndicated talk radio show, Mind Body Health & Politics. The founder of the nationally acclaimed Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program, he has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan and Stanford University, an advisor on the President’s Commission on Mental Health, a founding board member of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, and a member of the national board of directors for the Marijuana Policy Project.

Dr. Miller is the author of numerous books, including Psychedelic Medicine, Psychedelic Wisdom, Integral Psychedelic Therapy: The Non-ordinary Art of Psychospiritual Healing. His most recent book is Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out.

Jessica Fern, M.S.

ADVISOR

Jessica Fern is a Psychotherapist, Coach, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Jessica is the author of Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma, and Non-Monogamy, The Polyseucre Workbook: Healing Your Attachment and Creating Security in Loving Relationships, and Polywise: A Deeper Dive Into Navigating Open Relationships. 

In her international private practice, Jessica works with individuals, couples, and people in multiple-partner relationships who no longer want to be limited by their reactive patterns, cultural conditioning, insecure attachment styles, and past traumas, helping them to embody new possibilities in life and love. Learn more at JessicaFern.com. 

Jenny Stefanotti, MPA/ID

ADVISOR

Jenny Stefanotti is the Founder and Steward of Denizen, a media platform and community dedicated to systemic change. Denizen produces content exploring topics across economics, democracy, culture, technology, consciousness, and justice. Denizen also produces events and organizes experimental programming for its audience and community.

Additionally, Jenny has 20 years of experience driving strategic initiatives for major technology companies, startups, high net worth individuals, nonprofits, and governments. Jenny was a fellow at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (also known as the d.school) and holds a Master's Degree in international development and economics from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

David Festa, MPP

ADVISOR

David Festa is the founder and president of Strategies for a Resilient World (SRW), a consulting firm that partners with clients on vision and strategy, executive coaching and organizational development, and market development and stakeholder engagement in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, economics, corporate responsibility, and conservation. His is also a co-founder of the California Native Seed Supply Collaborative (CNSSC), a network of organizations and practitioners who advocate for the integration of native ecotypes into California's landscape.

With over 25 years of executive leadership and social entrepreneurship experience, David has a track record of creating and scaling impactful solutions for a climate-changing world. He is a skilled fundraiser and sought after speaker. He led the Oceans Program at Environmental Defense Fund for 17 years, transforming it into a global force for ending overfishing and increasing sustainability. He also served as a senior official at the U.S. Commerce Department, a correspondent and stringer at The Economist, and a co-founder and partner at Turnstone, a boutique consulting firm. David holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in science and history from the University of Virginia. He is passionate about bringing people together to solve problems, reading and writing, and his family's heritage.

Rachael Purtell, Ph.D.

COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Dr. Rachael Purtell is a social scientist and advocate dedicated to unraveling hegemonic workplace dynamics and exploring underrepresented romantic relationships, while actively leveraging her positionality as a cisgender white woman to challenge dominant ideologies. In addition to her role at the Modern Family Institute, Dr. Purtell is also a member of the American Psychological Association Division 44 Committee on Consensual Non-monogamy and the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition. With research activity in both realms of hegemonic issues in organizational culture as well as experiences and dynamics within traditionally underrepresented romantic relationships, she is a firm believer that impactful research emerges from collaborative efforts among diverse scholars, working towards creating translational research that addresses the needs of communities.

Rachael is deeply committed to transformative institutional spaces. Recognizing her positionality as a white, cisgender woman, she critically reflects on her privileges and strives to leverage them in challenging dominant ideologies and discursive forms of violence within academia and organizations. In addition to her research accomplishments, Rachael has led and co-facilitated discussions and training sessions on various topics. These include controversial classroom conversations, intersectional awareness in service, overlooked forms of racism in predominantly white institutions, microaggressions, mistakes, and feedback in allyship, as well as addressing white silence.