Tori Yepez

Tori Yepez, M.Ed., CTRS is a Project Coordinator with Family Voices. Her passion to advocate and empower children with disabilities and their families developed from her life experience of having a disability herself. She and her parents encountered all the good and bad of the healthcare system as she received therapies and medical treatment for her diagnosis. This provided her with the understanding, empathy, and determination to create a shift for those who would grow up with similar obstacles to face. Her faith gave direction for her to realize her calling and she pursued a degree at Middle Tennessee State University to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). After a decade of work in this field, she felt drawn to continue her education and grow her professional skills to better serve children with disabilities and special healthcare needs along with their families. She completed her Master of Education in Child Studies with an emphasis on pediatric healthcare at Vanderbilt University in pursuit of a certification as a child life specialist. She also received a grant from the Office of Special Education (OSEP) to further her knowledge and expertise in the field of disabilities. She had the opportunity to complete practicum and internship experiences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. She completed a practicum focusing on health literacy while working with the Patient Education department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and demonstrated mastery level understanding in her thesis presentation on this subject. Throughout all her experiences, she was able to see the need for improvement in healthcare services and policies for children. This drove her desire to become a team member at Family Voices where the values to promote social justice, health equity, family-centered care, inclusion, and connection all align perfectly with her own personal values. Tori, her husband, and dog enjoy spending time together outdoors, listening to worship music, cooking, and traveling.