Your Chapter Board

President: Mary Ellen Killion, MSN, RN, CPNP-BC

Mary Ellen is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is also chair of the Advanced Practice Provider Council and a provider in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. She was a primary care provider to children with complex medical conditions for 20 years. Her interests include children with complex medical conditions, urban youth and families, and the impact of social determinants of health on child and family well-being. She has been actively involved in NAPNAP’s Massachusetts chapter since 1990.

Legislative Chair: Christopher Reeves, MSN, CNP, NPD-BC

Chris is a nurse practitioner and nursing professional development specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital. He brings extensive neurocritical care experience from Massachusetts General Hospital and now leads initiatives as a senior nursing professional development specialist at Boston Children’s, including the development of an accredited Transition to Practice Fellowship and APRN Grand Rounds. His scholarly work focuses on professional role identity and post-graduate training for nurse practitioners, and he has published and presented nationally on these topics. He is also interested in legislative engagement and health policy, with a commitment to advancing nurse practitioner practice and equitable access to care. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening.

CE Co-Chair: Hilana Bernheimer, CPNP-PC

Hilana  is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and a primary care provider at Boston Medical Center. She has training in developmental-behavioral pediatrics and works in a clinic for children with special education needs. She is director of the Teen and Tot program, which serves pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children. She also helped develop the clinic’s care management program and is engaged in research with multiple publications.

CE Co-Chair: Kelly Cavan, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC, CPN

Kelly is a pediatric nurse practitioner in inpatient neurology and epilepsy at Boston Children’s Hospital and in inpatient pediatric rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She graduated from Boston College’s nurse practitioner program in 2023, during which she worked as a nurse in complex acute care pediatrics. Her professional interests include caring for children with complex medical needs and improving access to equitable health care.

Membership Co-Chair: Valerie Bailey, MSN, NP-C

Val is a family-certified nurse practitioner (University of Massachusetts Lowell, 2011) with more than 25 years of experience caring for children and teenagers. Most of her career has been in pediatric cardiac intensive care at Boston Children’s Hospital, first as a bedside nurse and now as a nurse practitioner. She also spent two years as a primary care nurse practitioner in school-based health at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Her areas of interest and research in the pediatric CICU include promoting infant neurodevelopment, developing postoperative clinical practice guidelines, and advancing communication and support in bereavement and primary pediatric palliative care.

Communications Chair: Heather Grossklaus, MS, RN, CPNP-PC, CPN, CNRN

Heather has been a pediatric advanced practice registered nurse for 13 years and a registered nurse for 20 years. She works in a perioperative care coordination clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital. She has served as program chair for the Massachusetts chapter for the past six years and looks forward to continuing on the board as communications chair. Heather strives to bring joy and positivity to her daily practice and promotes a healthy work environment. She is passionate about education and health promotion while staying active in professional organizations and scholarly programs. Outside of work, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, hiking and spending time outdoors with her husband and their two children, ages 11 and 8.

Scholarship & Grant Chair: Marketa Rejtar, DNP APRN CPNP-AC/PC

Marketa is director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program and an associate clinical professor in the School of Nursing at Northeastern University. She has been lead acute care PNP faculty at Northeastern since 2010 and an acute care PNP at Boston Children’s Hospital since 2007, where she practices with the inpatient general surgery team. Rejtar is certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner in both acute and primary care. Her scholarship interests include pediatric surgical care, simulation experiences for PNP students, and improving the quality and efficiency of patient care provided by PNPs. She has held several professional leadership roles and service commitments. She was elected to the board of directors of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association as treasurer and executive committee member for 2023-25 and 2025-27. She has also been active in the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, serving as president, communications chair and treasurer. She is currently co-chair of the SRM Committee.
President-elect Elise K. Buckley DNP, RN, CPNP-AC/PC
Treasurer Jennifer D. Durning PhD, RN, CPNP-PC
Secretary Kathleen E. Carr DNP, MBA, APRN, CPNP-PC, FNP-C
Membership Co-Chair Kaylee Woods  
Scholarship & Grant Co-Chair Katherine Penny