Leadership

Phyllis Schantz has dedicated her life to family, faith, and making a difference in every community that she has been a part of.

A retired elementary school teacher, Phyllis taught Catechetical programs for sixteen years to 7th and 8th graders in preparation for Confirmation. She holds a degree in Lay Ministry and presently serves in ministries at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown where she is a Lay Trustee for the Parish. She is also a dedicated volunteer with the Missionaries of the Poor, serving in Jamaica and North Carolina.

Phyllis holds a BS from Cabrini College in Education and has volunteered on several local parochial school committees and boards.

Phyllis lives in Moorestown, NJ with her husband, Bill. A mother of five, and “Grammy” to twelve beautiful grandchildren, her heart is with her family and steeped in her faith.

Courtney is honored to bring more than a decade of fundraising and event planning experience to the board of Noelle’s Light. She currently serves as Development Director at Columbia Global Reports and previously worked at Public Art Fund, Artadia, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Courtney is a member of the New York Junior League and a mentor for the Earl Woods Scholars program.

Courtney holds a BA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in journalism and art history. She earned her MA with distinction in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Courtney lives in New York City with her husband, Charlie, and their sons, Teddy and Henry. She enjoys cheering on her favorite sports teams, going to concerts, and visiting museums (when she’s not exploring a new playground). She recently discovered a love for running and ran the 2024 NYC Marathon.

Simone Wood has more than a decade of government and private sector experience in law and public policy. She served in numerous roles in the United States Senate where she focused on communications, technology, and health policy issues. Outside the Senate, Simone has remained active, through volunteer work and other efforts, on local and national political campaigns. After graduating law school, Simone worked at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLC in media and communications law where she also maintained a government affairs practice. Simone currently works at Meta on privacy and data regulation issues.

Simone received her BA from the University of Virginia and JD from Georgetown University Law Center. She currently lives in Washington, D.C with her husband Brian and son Max. For fun, Simone enjoys working on her tennis skills and trying to keep up with all of the new restaurant openings in the city.

Jodi Laughlin is the Co-Founder of Noelle’s Light, where she combines her nurse practioner background with her deep compassion and empathy to implement the organization’s emotional support programs. Recently certified as a Grief Counselor by The AAGC, Jodi is particularly passionate about guiding recently-bereaved moms through the “light after loss”. Her goal is to one day open a grief counseling private practice specializing in child loss, that will work hand-in-hand with Noelle’s Light.

Jodi holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova University and a master’s degree in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University. She has extensive experience working in high-acuity settings, having previously worked in the Emergency Department and Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. She currently works as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Virtua Health in Moorestown.

A Moorestown, NJ native, Jodi resides there with her family. Outside of her professional and nonprofit work, she enjoys tennis, running, cooking, and jewelry-making.

Alex Laughlin is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Noelle’s Light, where he leads the organization’s operations and strategic growth. Since founding Noelle’s Light in 2017 with his wife, Jodi, their team has helped hundreds of families navigate the impossible. In recognition of their work, Jodi and Alex were recently honored as NPO Young Executives of the Year by the Nonprofit Development Center of Southern New Jersey.

Alex also serves on the board of The 1900 Foundation, the charitable arm of Riverton Country Club, which focuses on community initiatives in Burlington County, NJ.

Before venturing into the nonprofit sector, Alex built a successful career in commercial real estate private equity at Equus Capital Partners, spending nearly a decade specializing in acquisitions and asset management of office and industrial assets across the Northeast United States.

Alex holds a BS in finance and real estate from Villanova University, where he met his wife, Jodi. Originally from Hopewell, NJ, he and his family live in Moorestown alongside their three children – Noelle’s siblings – Lily, Alexander, and Leo. In his free time, Alex’s passions include golf, ice hockey, live music, and coaching his kids’ sports teams.