San Antonio

Brent’s love for organizations benefiting children started in college. While at Southwestern University, he spent his summers as the boys’ camp counselor at Peaceable Kingdom, a camp for children with chronic illnesses and special needs. Brent also interned at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston with the Child Life team, getting to experience all aspects of the hospital – ER, Cancer and Hematology, PICU, NICU, and Surgery.

After college, Brent went to work for Dell Inc in sales. During his 20-year tenure as a sales executive, he continued to give back to the community, helping create the Children’s Trust of Central Texas, serving on the board of Upper Ninety (now 4ATX Foundation), coaching and serving on the board of the West Austin Youth Association, and Wonders & Worries, where he served on the board from 2014 – 2023, with the last three years as Board President. Brent’s desire to help children and teenagers led him to join Wonders & Worries as our Director of Development for San Antonio.

Deanna Smith has been a child life specialist (CCLS) since 2005. She graduated from Lubbock Christian University. Deanna started professionally at Children’s Medical Center Dallas as a child life fellow and then permanently on the GI unit. Most recently, she worked at Children’s Hospital of San Antonio on the cardiac unit before joining Wonders & Worries in 2017. Deanna lives in San Antonio, but oversees the Austin, Houston, and San Antonio programming!

Deanna also teaches yoga. With spare time, she enjoys relaxing with her husband and two little girls—whether it’s hiking, reading, traveling, or just being outdoors! Deanna’s favorite indulgence is anything chocolate!

Denee joins Wonders & Worries with 16 years of hospital child life experience.  She worked at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth & Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio for most of those years. There she fell in love with and worked with HEM/ONC & BMT Pediatric patients. One of her favorite things about working with this population was helping the patients feel comfortable in their new everyday “normal” activities outside of the hospital. She is passionate about making children feel joy in the midst of hardships, even if its just a small smile. She has a BA in Child Psychology from UTSA.

Denee is married and has two children; a daughter who loves to cook and swim, and a son who loves reptiles & making others laugh.  In her off time she enjoys reading, listening to music, and working on any craft she can get her hands on. Her idea of a perfect night would be playing board games with her family & eating take out!

Francine has been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2011. She joined the Wonders & Worries team in 2019. Previously, Francine worked at Christus Children’s hospital in the Surgical unit and Emergency Department. She received a BS in Education and a MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling from UTSA. She obtained her temporary license and is working towards becoming an LPC.

Francine spends her downtime going on hikes, trying new breweries, and restaurants. She enjoys reading, drawing, yoga and spending time with her dogs Russell and Rex.

Jessica Mendoza is excited to join Wonders & Worries as the Director of Development & Outreach – San Antonio. With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Jessica is deeply passionate about helping organizations amplify their social impact and build lasting connections in the community.
Her journey with Wonders & Worries is rooted in personal experience. Growing up, Jessica saw firsthand the incredible impact of child life specialists when her younger brother was diagnosed with leukemia at just nine years old. This experience ignited her commitment to advocate for children and families facing health challenges, and it continues to drive her work today.
At Wonders & Worries, Jessica combines her expertise in innovative fundraising and partnership development to create tailored strategies that truly resonate with the organization’s mission. She believes in the power of data-driven insights and genuine relationship cultivation to fuel growth and strengthen donor relationships, ensuring that every effort is impactful.
Jessica is especially passionate about providing equitable support for families from all economic backgrounds, races, and geographic locations, ensuring that everyone has access to the care they need. She understands that a supportive network is crucial for families navigating difficult times, and she is dedicated to breaking down barriers to care. Jessica’s passion also motivated her to start a consulting business to support the nonprofit community.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Jessica is a proud mother of four, including a 19-year-old son in the United States Marine Corps, two daughters in college (ages 19 and 22), an active nine-year-old daughter, and her beloved dog, Lucky. She enjoys reading, river and beach days, traveling, and spending time with family.

Leah joins the Wonders and Worries team with 23 years of clinical child life experience providing support to children and families with a variety of patient populations including pediatric oncology, NICU, general pediatrics, and PICU. She has also worked with children of adult patients in ICU and Labor and Delivery. She is a graduate of Baylor University where she received her Bachelors Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences in 1998. Leah began her career as a Certified Child Life Specialist at The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. She came back home to Texas a few years later, joining the Child Life Team at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital.  Most recently she has been working with children and families at Baptist Children’s Hospital at North Central.

Leah enjoys running, traveling and spending time with her husband and three daughters. In addition to her professional work, Leah enjoys volunteering as a program assistant with Camp Discovery, a camp for children with pediatric cancer. 

Lori Novitski has 20 years of experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). She graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Administration with a Therapeutic Emphasis. Lori completed her child life internship at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, where she was then employed full-time for 15 years and PRN for five years.   Her primary units were Special Medicine and the Emergency Department. While working inpatient on the Special Medicine unit, Lori developed a passion for working with patients on physical rehabilitation and patients with Cystic Fibrosis. Lori also developed a love for the unpredictable and action-packed pediatric Emergency Department.

In her free time, Lori enjoys family game nights and traveling with her husband and twin daughters.