New Members Join Los Gatos Patch Moms Council of Experts

Two new faces have joined two members of the this month.

Freelance writer and and friend formerly headed the Council, formed in February of 2011.

Ratcliff and Binell served their one-year term and have now passed on the gavel to local fashionista Jennifer Croll and mom's coach

Croll and Vawter-Yousfi join Los Gatos community advocate and local psychologist who have been serving on the council since April and July of 2011, respectively.

Chan has worked in journalism and business communication for more than 20 years and has been a mom for 10 years and counting. She is co-owner of Lighthouse Blue Communication and Community Relations.

Her prior work experience includes a decade in corporate communication, public relations and corporate community affairs for a high-tech company. She also served as editor of the Sunnyvale Valley Journal, the precursor to the Sunnyvale Sun.

Wilbur is a new mother and works as a marriage and family therapist at . Since becoming a mother, Wilbur has added the topic of parenthood to her existing interests alongside working with teens, families, and those impacted by alcohol and/or drug abuse.

Vawter-Yousfi is the CEO and founding member of The Mommy's Coach, a business that offers mothers and parents personal coaching, either in person, online or on the phone and workshops.

After having two children, Vawter-Yousfi began her Mommy’s Coach business which grew out of her own struggle with motherhood and a Silicon Valley career.

Croll has more than 20 years experience in the fashion and design industry. She owned and operated as many as 10 retail stores for more than 10 years in key cosmopolitan demographic areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Silicon Valley, Dallas, Scottsdale/ Phoenix and New York.

The Council is a way for moms in Los Gatos to talk about the hot topic or question of the day and ask their own questions and get them answered with the help of other moms and members of the community.

Each week in the Moms Talk column, the Council takes readers' questions, gives advice and shares solutions.

The women hope moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up their community use the Council's work as a resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

One member of the Council writes the column each week. Council members serve as volunteers and don't receive compensation for their work. The Moms Talk column is published Wednesdays at 2 p.m., or earlier according to publishing needs.

The Council also has a new Facebook page where its members will be posting the weekly question or topic, soliciting queries for the coming weeks and offering support to local moms on latest parenting topics. The group will also work to improve Los Gatos Patch's coverage of family and children's issues.

If you would like to serve on the Council, please email Los Gatos Patch Editor Sheila Sanchez at sheila.sanchez@patch.com.