Board of Directors
Matthew Phillips
president, founder
Matt and his wife started The Fletcher Foundation from their kitchen in Des Moines, IA after the loss of their son, Fletcher. Matt and his wife Haley have three Earthly kids including Hudson, Quinn, and Sutton. Besides The Fletcher Foundation, Matt works in insurance claims. Matt’s passions including spending time with his kids and wife or watching sports with friends.
Charles Mersmann
Treasurer
Charles and his wife, Bridget, live in Wichita, KS. They have two beautiful children at home, Gianna and Gerard, and five lost to miscarriage. The Fletcher Foundation and its cause are close to their hearts. They enjoy being a part of an organization that’s focus is to support others through difficulty and that highlights the value of the life of an unborn child.
Brianna Piazza
Secretary
Brianna lives in Florida with her husband Angelo and their fur baby Lola (aka Miss Piggy). The couple discovered The Fletcher Foundation following the tragic loss of their daughter Avalee, who was stillborn after 21 weeks. The support provided by the foundation during this difficult period made a profound impact on Brianna and her family. Motivated by her personal experience and driven to honor Avalee’s memory, Brianna felt a calling in her heart to join the foundation’s board. Her mission is to bring hope and comfort to those who have endured similar heartache from a miscarriage or stillbirth. Through sharing her own journey, Brianna aspires to raise awareness about the importance of providing support to those navigating these losses. In her free time, Brianna enjoys traveling, running, drawing, singing, and volunteering with her church. She is excited to see the continued growth and impact of The Fletcher Foundation as it strives to help grieving families nationwide.
Annie Rivas
social media
Annie is a Mom of three. Her first son, Noah Annie is a Mom of three. Her first son, Noah Gabriel, was stillborn on March 24, 2018. When Noah died, she decided to make it her mission to help others with their grief. She facilitates a support group through EveryStep and connects with other loss families through our Instagram. When she’s not working as a full time a hairstylist or running around with her toddlers, she can be found in her kitchen baking. This became a favorite hobby during the pandemic shutdown in 2020. She lives in Urbandale with her husband Nick, two living children, Connor and Nora, and two Australian shepherds, Ernie and Winnie. Annie is passionate about helping others, especially those who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss.
Emma Schuler
Emma lives in the Ames area and works in Human Resources at Mary Greeley Medical Center. She holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Des Moines University and has worked in the healthcare and social services fields for ten years. Emma discovered The Fletcher Foundation while attending a Fletcher 5k in honor of her nephew, Jack, who was stillborn at 28 weeks gestation. Her passion for serving others, interest in leadership, and deep love of baby Jack led her to her role on the board. Emma enjoys reading, gardening, music, and spending time with Jack’s sisters.
Charles Chappelle
Charles is from the Kansas City area and he and his wife Melissa are raising their 4 kids in Ankeny, Iowa. Charles has a background in Information Technology and has been in the telecommunications industry for more than 20 years. He enjoys watching movies, smoking meats, and learning about new Internet trends. He and Melissa also enjoy traveling and watching their kids in dance, basketball, softball, and baseball. Charles learned of the Fletcher Foundation and its mission from a fundraising event and wanted to help as he and his wife also experienced the loss of a miscarriage.
Justin Bogers
Justin is a proud father, husband, coach, podcast host (Facing Tomorrow), and friend. He appreciates every opportunity to positively impact the lives of people in the community. Justin works in the education and learning field and has spent more than a decade supporting non-profits, including as a board member for The Fletcher Foundation and AFSP-Iowa. Justin loves baking. His joy of baking (Instagram: NeighborBaker) was borne out of challenge and sadness after the loss of his brother-in-law to suicide, and became his outlet to bring happiness to others. Justin and his wife Heidi experienced a miscarriage in 2008 and are thankful to support and be involved with the Fletcher Foundation. They have two amazing kids – Krista and Elisha.
Team Members
Haley Phillips
Haley Phillips works as the client relations manager for The Fletcher Foundation. She finds great purpose in helping other women navigate their miscarriage and stillbirth journey. As an earthly mama to three kiddos, Hudson, Quinn, and Sutton, she’s busy heading to the park, library and play dates. She enjoys being outside, a good book, coffee and spending lots of time with family and friends.
Celeste Coy
Celeste works with The Fletcher Foundation helping provide resources to clients as well as overseeing social media. She has been married for 30 years to the love of her life, Sean. She is grateful to be a mom to Haley and Ted; and thrilled to be grandma to Hudson, Fletcher, Quinn and Sutton. She was a stay at home mom while her kids grew up; homeschooled for many years; taught piano and currently cooks and serves lunch to high schoolers at a private school in Minnesota. Celeste is hoping to move back to the Hawkeye state to be near the grand babies some day!
Legacy Board Members
Phillip Ramsey
Kelly Fischer
Ashely Metz
Melissa Venter