OUR TEAM
The Children's Airway First Foundation team consists of passionate individuals dedicated to addressing airway and sleep health issues affecting over 400 million children worldwide.
We are committed to providing comprehensive materials, resources, and education to empower parents, support medical professionals, and revolutionize sleep and airway health management for children.
Together, we strive to combat avoidable and treatable childhood sleep and airway disorders, making a significant impact on children's health globally.
Candy Sparks is an executive with decades of experience in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. She served as Executive Director for the non-profit A Smoke-Free Generation, which substantially reduced the start-up of smoking in children nine to fourteen. The program was endorsed by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. and funded by the Mayo Clinic, 3M, Med Centers Health Plan… with celebrity role models including the late musician, Prince, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Lisa Bonet from the Cosby Show.
As Director of Project Development for Tor Dahl and Associates, Candy was the project leader for Ontario Hydro, DynCorp International at Fort Irwin and Fort Rucker, AT&T GM&E- USA and Asia, AT&T 800 Service, ICI Films, SAS Airlines, Regence Blue Shield, Seattle School District, EDS, and the Marshfield Clinic. Under her guidance, her projects achieved dramatic improvements in quality, processes and systems, financial performance, and customer, stakeholder, and employee satisfaction.
She also served as the Executive Director of the non-profit World Confederation of Productivity Science (WCPS) from 1988 to 1993 creating World Congress and World Forum events in Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, and Sweden.
Now, inspired by her daughter’s long battle with a compromised airway and its devastating systemic effects on her health, Candy is using her broad experience to help end this silent epidemic of 400-million children worldwide who suffer from compromised airways.
As President and Co-Founder of the Children’s Airway First Foundation, Candy is fostering the development of new and breakthrough diagnostic techniques, greater innovative interdisciplinary clinician/stakeholder training and collaboration, and a massive celebrity public health education campaign. All will be focused on early childhood intervention (before the age of six) in order to prevent hypoxic brain injuries and long-term systemic damage to the body and mind.
Mrs. Sparks is a graduate of the University of Minnesota in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism, and a former guest lecturer from 1986 to 2000 at the U of MN graduate program in the School of Public Health. She and her husband, Bradley E. Sparks, live in Austin, Texas. They have five children and nine grandchildren.
Bradley E. Sparks has over 30-years of senior executive experience in publicly-held, multi-billion dollar, mid-cap, and development stage companies. As the VP-Treasurer and VP-Controller at a Fortune 500 Company, he led two successful IPOs.
A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Sparks formerly served as the Chairman of the NASDAQ Insurers Affairs Committee and served on the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Review Panel for 10-years. He has been a Board Member for software and oil companies as well. Additionally, he served three years on the Financial Reporting Executive Committee ("FineREC") for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("AICPA") and served as chairman of two AICPA national conferences for CFOs.
Mr. Sparks graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1969 and is a former Army Captain in the Signal Corps. He received a Master of Science in Management degree from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975.
As the father of Savvy Sparks, Mr. Sparks is personally committed to the mission of CAFF. His goal is to help drive success through CAFF educational programs and informational campaigns, ensuring every child has access to screening, evaluation, and treatment of all children's airway disorders prior to six years of age.
Cam Strong is an experienced Healthcare executive and consultant with an expansive background in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Strong served as the Vice President of Member Services for Regence Blue Shield and served as the Principle Contracting Officer and Chief of Procurement at OCHAMPUS (now known as TRICARE).
Mr. Strong has served on numerous “for-profit” and “not-for-profit” boards including corporations developing and providing EDI, PPO, and HMO services, information technology staffing, maritime education services, and the Children’s Trust Foundation.
Mr. Strong’s educational credentials include a Bachelor of Business Administration from Minot State University, a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and the ISP Graduate Program for Health Care Administration at the University of Minnesota.
A dedicated ECE professional with over 30 years experience, Shawn holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Shawn’s approach to early education is rooted in her passion for creating meaningful experiences for children, fostering a lifelong love of learning, and being the safe harbor that children can dependably turn to. For more than 20 years, she has served as the Director of a Seattle based birth-to-six early care program.
Shawn is a shamelessly proud mother of five and grandmother of five. She enjoys cooking, entertaining, playing word games, and sharing quiet cabin getaways with her husband Mark, where they indulge their mutual love of reading, watching old movies, listening to music, and playing the occasional game of Scrabble — when he’s feeling particularly brave.
Collin Shaffer is an experienced early education teacher with a decade of dedication to nurturing young children’s healthy development.
In addition to his teaching career, he enjoys playing guitar and drawing, two of his artistic talents. Collin is also passionate about rock climbing, which he views as both a physical challenge and a mental puzzle. It perfectly blends his adventurous spirit and love for the outdoors. His diverse interests contribute to a well-rounded approach to early childhood education and personal growth.
Hiroe has over 12 years of experience in the field of early childhood development, spending nearly a decade as a lead teacher in a birth to age six program.
Married to her husband, Kyle, for 15 years, they have one son, Kouya, who will be turning 13 in the coming year!
She maintains a strong connection to her native Japan, having grown up in Sendai, where her parents and two older brothers still reside.
Hiroe loves watching sports (she played basketball in college) — especially football — and spends as much time outdoors as possible. An avid amateur photographer, she enjoys hiking and camping with the family and their beloved Shiba Inu, Luna.
Her compassion and commitment to children influence all that Hiroe does to impact their lives positively.
ERIN FERNANDINI
Erin holds an Associate Degree in Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Anthropology & Global Health from the University of Washington. She has nearly eight years of experience in childcare and early childhood development, which reflects her desire to help others.
Outside of work, Erin cares for her two senior cats, Pumpkin and BK, and supports her sister through the ongoing health challenges that she faces on a day-to-day basis.
Chloé is a dedicated wife and mother. She and her husband, Tristan, have been married for 15 years and are raising their energetic six-year-old daughter, Ashlynn.
Deeply committed to wellness and mental health advocacy, she has her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Arizona State University and is a member of the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology.
Known for her remarkable ability to help others see the fullness of their light, Chloé embodies a spirited lifestyle that speaks to her belief in the perfect work-life balance.
SAVVY SPARKS
Brief bio
OUR MISSION
To ensure every child has access to screening, evaluation, and treatment of all children's airway disorders prior to six years of age.
Our vision is to end the evolutionary pandemic of children's airway disorders.