Leadership & Staff
Dr. Sean Daneshmand
President & Founder
Sean is an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB-GYN) who specializes in maternal and fetal medicine at Scripps Clinic. He is recognized as one of the San Diego regions top specialists for high-risk pregnancies. He was named a Top Doctor in San Diego by San Diego Magazine six years in a row, and was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2010.
Sean graduated from New York Medical College in 1995, completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA in 1999, and went on to pursue a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at UCSD.
Tina Liedtky
Board Member
Tina is an executive at Abbott, a global healthcare company that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Prior to Abbott, Tina was a commercial leader at various multinational medical device companies, including Medtronic and Boston Scientific. She holds a bachelors degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Tina is passionate about the vision and mission of Miracle Babies, having experienced the challenges that families endure when her twin daughters were born prematurely and were required to spend over a month in the NICU to ensure a healthy beginning.
Marjan Daneshmand
Treasurer & Co-Founder
Marjan is the managing partner of Bankruptcy Legal Group, a professional law corporation specializing in bankruptcy law and debt negotiation, where she has been partner for the past twelve years. In 2005, she and her husband established a medical spa, where she assists with the management of the business, interacting with clients, and managing day-to-day marketing and business operations.
Marjan graduated from UCSD in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a minor in Philosophy. She obtained her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from California Western School of Law in 1997.
Rob Heller
Board Member
Rob Heller has filled several roles in the world of marketing, including starting a boutique 4-person agency in college at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2001. After years of groundbreaking roles in his career, Heller founded his own agency here in San Diego, Heller, Inc. His agency has grown seven hundred percent in revenue in just two years.
Rob also founded Heller Studios in 2019, a creative space in downtown San Diego that serves as a resource for photographers, videographers, and other members of the artistic community. Heller has sought out and heartily supported numerous worthwhile causes over the last decade, providing pro bono marketing and promotional work to local nonprofit organizations.
Lance Stern
Board Member
Lance is Managing Director of DigMEE Partners Inc, which is a boutique Ecommerce and Digital Marketing consulting firm. Before that, Lance was an operating executive who ran Ecommerce and Digital Marketing businesses for large brands and retailers such as Nike, Quiksilver, SWELL, and Annas Linens. Lance and his wife, Morgan, founded the Orange County chapter of Miracle Babies in 2015 after their triplets were born prematurely and they experienced first-hand the importance of parents spending as much time as possible in the NICU with their newborns. Lance received his bachelors degree from Duke University and MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Micaiah Kenney
Secretary
Micaiah is a Director with Becton Dickinson (BD), a global medical technology company that is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. Micaiah has a very personal connection with Miracle Babies as she is a Miracle baby. Born almost 4 months premature, she spent the first 68 days of her life in the NICU using a pediatric respirator developed by Dr. Forrest M. Bird. This respirator, nicknamed the “Baby Bird” respirator, was developed specifically for premature infants and small children. Micaiah was the first baby to use the respirator at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances hospital located in Tyler, TX. This device saved her life and is credited with reducing the rate of breathing-related infant mortality from 70 percent to 10 percent worldwide.
Meet Our Team
Marianela's management and leadership experience in both for profit and not for profit organizations qualify her to be an effective leader in overseeing Miracle Babies administrative and programming initiatives. As a co-operator of three McDonalds restaurants she became proficient in a broad range of financial and operational best practices. Most recently, working at Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego she oversaw family care services and Ronald McDonald House operations.
Marianela has dedicated the last decade assisting families with critically ill children and she has been affiliated with Miracle Babies in various capacities since its founding in 2009. In 2015, Marianela came on board as program director working directly with hospitals, and patient families. Under her tenure Miracle Babies' outreach to NICU families has increased triple fold. Marianela created and implemented the MB Care Package Program and Miracle Hours at local hospitals.
Marianela is committed to the belief that as individuals we have a responsibility to give back to our communities. She is a graduate of California State University, San Marcos and Hamburger University. Marianela is a native San Diegan, where she currently lives with her husband, and two children.
Marianela strives to ensure that San Diego NICU families receive the unique support they need.
Heather joined the Miracle Babies team after several years of staying home caring for her young children. Heather is a results driven individual who thrives on making a difference through charitable work. Heather has had many roles in the non-profit sector over her years as a stay-at-home mom. She was on the executive board of the MOMS Club International chapter in Mira Mesa for three years and served on the Board of Directors for a local organization that gives grants to individuals pursuing a career in the arts.
After graduating from the University of California, San Diego with a B.A. in Human Development, Heather knew working with children was her calling. She knew her most important role was going to be raising her children. However, everything changed for Heather when she had her youngest son, Miracle Baby Kaelan, at twenty-five weeks. He weighed one pound and fourteen ounces at birth. Heather spent over one hundred days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with Kaelan and discovered a shortage of emotional support for NICU families.
As a past program recipient, Heather has a very personal connection to Miracle Babies. Heather has a passion for the support Miracle Babies provides to families going through one of the most difficult times in their life. She is dedicated to helping this organization grow to its fullest potential.
Elana is a native San Diegan, however she left after High School to attend the University of Arizona obtaining her B.S. in Merchandising and Marketing. After 30+ years of living in Arizona and raising her family, she decided to relocate home to be close with her parents (her father is also a long-time native San Diegan) and other family members. Upon relocating back to San Diego, Elana decided to retire from her career in Cosmetics/Retail and Sales and follow her passion to join Miracle Babies as the events and special projects coordinator. Elana has held several leadership roles with various non-profit organizations and has been planning events for the past 15 years. She is an active Sustainer with the Sonoran Centennial NCL chapter and has served on numerous boards including Har Zion Congregation and the Arizona Girls Lacrosse Association. She is committed to helping others, always finding ways to give back to her community. When she is not at work, you can find her volunteering around town, on the Pickle Ball courts, at the beach or enjoying all what San Diego has to offer.
