Lisa Fournier holds a Bachelor’s degree in Office Administration/Accounting and presently works as an Accountant at Fire Inspectional Services, Inc. She claims Uxbridge, MA as her home with her husband Clay, where they raised their 4 children. Besides spending time with her children and grandchildren, Lisa loves her time with her dogs, crafting, and finding new restaurants with friends. She is so grateful to God for gifting her a servant's heart that she may help others.

Lisa’s youngest daughter Randi was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2002, when she was just 4 years old. Her daughter Jaimee was also diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as well in 2018. As it has always been Lisa’s dream of launching a non-profit that would serve the IBD community, the second family diagnosis was the motivation that was needed to get started. IBD Connect was formed to provide the resources to bring support groups and resources into all areas of the country as well as to provide services that were lacking for families. 

While Lisa does not hold medical expertise in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, she does bring with her the knowledge of being a parent to children with IBD and the compassion and empathy to help those living with it as well.

Emily Fournier currently writes a medical blog for IBD Connect called Emily’s Gut Check. Emily graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in May of 2020. She has experience working as a registered nurse in both a hospital intensive care unit and a community health center. Throughout her nursing career, she has had several opportunities to care for IBD patients of all ages. These interactions have allowed Emily to gain a thorough medical understanding of IBD. Emily draws on both her medical knowledge of IBD and her experiences from her close friendship to an individual diagnosed with Crohn's disease to write blog posts that focus on how IBD affects an individual physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. She hopes that Emily’s Gut Check proves to be a useful tool to encourage and support anyone affected by IBD, but especially useful to the parents of a child diagnosed with IBD. Emily also manages IBD Connect's website and social media platforms. In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband and the son they welcomed in November of 2022. As a family, they enjoy reading, hiking, and spending time outdoors. 

​Laura Castrigano joins us from northern Vermont as our newest support group leader, facilitating the Young Adult Support Group. She is a seasoned IBD patient and currently has a loop ileostomy due to ulcerative colitis. As an elementary school math specialist and mom to an energetic 1.5 year old, she keeps herself plenty busy, but is excited to be joining us in this role. In her words, "I'm really looking forward to meeting more people living with IBD, hearing your stories, and making connections based on our shared experiences." ​

Samantha Jones is a Senior at Uxbridge High School and is interning at IBD Connect Inc. Through this internship, Samantha is hoping to learn and grow her knowledge when it comes to graphic design and working in a real company! Samantha is committed to Fitchburg State University where she will be studying digital media and marketing and playing field hockey in the fall of 2024.