Laura Linville has been a Certified Child Life Specialist for over a decade and is an active member in SACLP as well as ACLP.  She holds a Bachelors in Health and Exercise Science from the University of Oklahoma and has a native fluency in Spanish. Laura has also been a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. Laura began her career in 2013 at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas, and after working as a Certified Child Life Specialist on the Liver Transplant and Inpatient Rehabilitation units, she moved to Oklahoma. Laura then worked at The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma followed by INTEGRIS Children's Health in Oklahoma City. She has had the privilege to be a Practicum and Internship Student Coordinator and also assisted in creating special events, such as Fairytale Ball/Glow Ball, while also caring for children on varying units (i.e. Adolescent Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, Outpatient Surgery, General Medicine, Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and Disordered Eating unit). Laura was then offered the opportunity to assist in the building of a brand-new child life program at INTEGRIS Children's at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma while advancing and holding the position of Clinical Development Specialist for this team until the fall of 2023. Laura is excited to focus her time and efforts to continuing the strong work of SACLP to aid in the growth and development of the Child Life field within our region.

Elizabeth Mathews McCarroll is a Certified Child Life Specialist and a professor of child development and child life at Texas Woman’s University. Her research interests include social and emotional development and peer relationships in young children. She is also interested in the impact of hospitalization and chronic illness on development, peer relationships, and parenting. Dr. McCarroll currently serves as the Child Life Program division head, working with both undergraduate and graduate students as they pursue child life certification for their career. Her teaching interests include courses in child life, play, development, and the psychosocial impact of health.

Allie Martin is a certified child life specialist with eight years of experience supporting children and families through medical challenges and high-acuity care. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and completed her master’s in Human and Family Development, specializing in Child Life, at Arizona State University. Allie completed her child life internship at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in California.

She began her professional career in New York City at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, gaining broad clinical experience on a general medical-surgical unit and within a diabetes and endocrine clinic. In 2022, Allie relocated to Austin, Texas, where she joined Dell Children’s Medical Center as a certified child life specialist in the emergency department. There, she enjoyed serving patients and families in a Level I trauma center, strengthening her skills in fast-paced, acute-care environments.

Allie now works in the field of organ donation, applying her child life expertise to support families facing uniquely complex and emotional decisions. She also remains PRN at Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Outside of her professional work, Allie enjoys reading, baking, traveling, and spending time with her dog, Aspen.

Sarah Hibbeln is a Certified Child Life Specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin, where she supports patients and families across a range of outpatient clinics, including the Blood & Cancer Center, Craniofacial, Plastics, Cardiology, Orthopedics, and more. Originally from Colorado, Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a focus in Child Life from the University of Oklahoma. She completed her child life practicum at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colorado and went on to complete her internship at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

As Chair of the SACLP Outreach Committee, Sarah is dedicated to elevating the visibility of child life services and celebrating the work of both practicing professionals and aspiring students. She enjoys using social media as a creative platform to highlight meaningful stories, spark connection, and promote the impact of child life across the region.

Ruthie Davis serves as Clinical Assistant Professor and Interim Division Lead for the Child and Family Studies Department. Professor Davis graduated from Baylor University in 2003 and completed an MA in Community Counseling from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2006. Since 2004, Professor Davis has worked as a certified child life specialist, supporting hospitalized children and families in many capacities, including intensive care, emergency medicine, trauma, and Hematology/Oncology. Additionally, she has taught preschool at Baylor's Lab School, the Piper Center for Family Studies, and Child Development. Professor Davis has taught various CFS classes at Baylor since 2014.

Katie has always had a heart for supporting kids in healthcare and originally planned to study pediatric medicine. While at Abilene Christian University, she discovered Child Life through an academic advisor when she decided to shift from a pre-med degree. She earned her B.S. in Psychology and went on to complete a practicum at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and an internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

A Texas native, Katie returned after internship to start her career at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, where she worked for six years, primarily in the Hematology & Oncology Clinic. During that time, she also earned a Master’s Degree in Child Development from Texas Woman's University.

Eventually, the opportunity to return to her hometown of Tyler, TX led Katie to CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital, where she aimed to expand a one-person Child Life program. Today, the program reaches across the Pediatric Unit, NICU, pediatric surgeries, ER, adult units, and the adult cancer center on a consult basis and recently received funding for it's second Child Life Specialist. With additional certification from Wonders & Worries, Katie has also created a program to support children whose parents are navigating a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

While Katie loves her job, her favorite role is being a wife and mom to her two little boys. She enjoys baking, playing board games, and taking family vacations, making the most of time spent with her family.

Melissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s degree in Human Development & Family Sciences from Texas State University. She completed her internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, then moved to San Antonio where she began her child life career working at CHRISTUS Children’s in the emergency department. Currently, Melissa works as a Certified Child Life Specialist at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital (CMHH) in Houston, TX on the general pediatrics and behavioral health unit.

Melissa consistently strives to participate in opportunities and discussions dedicated to increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the child life profession. She currently serves as a member of the ACLP DEI committee and a member of the DEI committee at CMHH. Melissa is excited to serve as webmaster to aid in establishing a sense of unity within SACLP by ensuring the website is easily accessible to both students and professionals.