Lisa Foley – Executive Director

Lisa has severed on our Board of Directors until February of this year. At the end of February, Lisa retired from her job at Pinnacle Bank and agreed to take on the role as our new Executive Director!

Lisa’s banking and business experience has brought us the tools we needed to move us in the right direction! Please help us welcome Lisa to our team!

You can email her here: lisafoley@guidingstarmemphis.org

Ashley McCarty, CLC, SBD – Client Services Coordinator

I am a wife, mother of 4. After working in the medical field for over a decade, God called me to help women understand that there is better healthcare out there that works with their body to live WHOLE! 

I am a Certified Lactation Counselor, Certified StillBirthday Birth & Bereavement Doula, Behold Your Child Guide, Hormone Coach, Student FEMM Instructor, Billlings Instructor Trained and AAPC Medical Coder. 

It is now my mission to bring that knowledge to the women and families in the Memphis area.

I would love to walk with you on your journey!

You can email me here: ashley@guidingstarmemphis.org

Service Partners

Ginger Carney,MPH RDN LDN IBCLC RLC FILCA FAND
– Lactation Consultant/Board Member

Ginger is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).  Her current position is Director of Clinical Nutrition and Lactation at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.  She has worked many years in pediatric clinical nutrition and her areas of expertise include infant & maternal nutrition and clinical lactation support. Interests include improving breastfeeding education for health professionals, strengthening collaboration with community networks in breastfeeding support, and increasing the breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in Memphis and Tennessee. She is very active in many professional organizations related to nutrition and breastfeeding. 

Ginger has co-authored several book chapters related to lactation and breastfeeding.  In addition, she has written numerous articles on a variety of lactation and breastfeeding topics for professional publications.  She currently is on the adjunct faculty for undergraduates and dietetic interns at the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee-Martin where she gives lectures on clinical lactation management.

Ginger grew up in Memphis, attended Catholic schools, and married her high school sweetheart.  She and her husband, David, are the parents of 3 grown children, two who live in New Orleans, and one who is a dentist in the Army.  She also has one little granddaughter.  She is an alumna of the University of Tennessee and earned her master’s degree at the University of Memphis.  She is a big fan of both UT and UM athletics.  She and her husband are parishioners at St. Louis Catholic Church.

Emily Salao – CPST

I’m a mom and wife. My family is made up of my husband, who works in law enforcement and the military, and three sons. We own a small farm and I have worked in various positions in law enforcement for over a decade. 

I’m here to help parents with all of their car seat needs. I’ve been a CPST since 2017 and seek out all I can learn about car seats, installation, and supporting the families I serve. You’ll get judgment free, honest, and sometimes blunt, information on keeping your kids safe in the vehicle. 

Sheneka Bell, MBA, RN

I have been a nurse for 17 years and I absolutely love it. I have worked in a number of roles taking care of both adult and pediatrics patients including over 8 years of experience in NICU and Well Baby Nursery. 

In my spare time I spend a lot of time with my family.

I love to read a good book and traveling.

Morganne Skinner, BSN, FEMM Instructor

I’m Morganne. It’s pronounced just like “Morgan”, only spelled differently! I’m a Registered Nurse and a Fertility Awareness Educator. I’ve practiced nursing in the surgical-trauma ICU, rehabilitation hospital, public health, and maternal child health. For 2 years I lived in rural Zambia with the Lunda tribe as a Peace Corps Volunteer, where my love for women’s health grew. As a RN, I bring my experience and expertise as a healthcare professional trained in assessment together with my certification as a FEMM educator to provide you with the best evidence-based education.

Amber Ray, MNSc, FNP-BC, BSN, LCCE

Amber Ray attended Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where she graduated with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing degree in 2016. She has worked as a Registered Nurse in the specialty of Labor and Delivery since then, at a prenatal clinic intermittently, and even has some travel nurse experience. She is currently obtaining her Master’s of Science in Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and will be graduating in December of 2022 as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Amber began exploring becoming a childbirth educator in 2017 and made the formal steps in 2021. Amber Ray is the only Lamaze Certified Childbirth educator in Northeast, AR and one of few servicing the Memphis, TN area.

Amber has a 3 year old who she absolutely admires, the most supportive fiancé in the world, a mom who thinks the world of her, a dad that believes her opportunities are endless, and a dog that thinks that she created the world.

Amber Ray believes that education is the foundation to increasing the health and wellness of the community. By providing evidenced-based, culturally competent, and respectful maternity education to all childbearing persons, the community is not only enabled to make informed decisions regarding their maternity care, but throughout life.