Meet the Team
Elizabeth Naylor
Executive Director (AKA Chief Inspiration Officer)
Elizabeth was born in Great Barrington, MA the youngest child in a family of 13. She moved to Naples, FL where she graduated high school and went onto University of Florida. From there she moved to Yosemite National Park and lived for 5 years, before moving to Napa Valley, where she has resided for the past 27 years. She started her own event planning company- An Event to Remember in 1998 and for nearly 20 years she designed weddings and special events for clients all over the world.
The greatest event of her life came in November of 2004 when her daughter Sophia Madelyn was born. She made a decision in 2013 to close her doors and went to work at Goose & Gander Restaurant in St. Helena as their Event Director, she was with them for 8 years and than the world stopped due to Covid. She took that time to reflect on what she wanted to do moving forward and decided after Covid she would get involved with nonprofit foundations. Just as she was about to embark on her new career, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and everything shifted to her health.
A year and half later, multiple surgeries, 6 months of chemotherapy and 30 rounds of radiation she is now the Executive Director for Crush Cancer Napa Valley (CCNV).
“This is exactly what I wanted to be doing, and now I have the opportunity to give back and help others," says Naylor. It is her full time job and she works tirelessly. “This fills my heart like nothing ever has, and I look forward to taking CCNV to the next level…..stay tuned
Jenny Woltz
Co-Chair Extraordinaire
Hello! I’m Jenny. I moved here to the beautiful Napa Valley with my two cats in July 2016. I love living here! We have such a wonderful community with amazing people and resources, and we are surrounded by incredible beauty.
In March 2022, I was diagnosed with stage 1B medullary HER2+ breast cancer in my right breast. In April, I started chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In May, I found out I have a mutated BRCA-2 gene. In August, I had a bilateral mastectomy and oophorectomy, followed by reconstruction in November. I will finish my treatment plan in April 2023. I am very happy to report that the cancer is gone!
I am grateful to be part of Crush Cancer Napa Valley! I want to give back to the wonderful community that was, and continues to be, here for me in so many ways. Please check out our resources, attend our events, and/ or volunteer at certain events. Let us know how we can assist you or a loved one; we are here for you. Together, we will !
Kendall Pollart
Secretary (AKA Multitasking Rockstar)
Kendall graduated from Providence College in 2021 with a degree in Global Studies. Her research was primarily focused on women’s equality and reproductive healthcare. After graduating she took a job with AmeriCorps where she worked for a small non-profit whose mission is to end hunger in the state of Maine. After her first year of service, she transitioned into another position with AmeriCorps, working for the Department of Agriculture and Forestry as a program leader. She hopes to focus on gender equality and women’s healthcare in the future.
Meet the Founder Emiritus
Rayellen Jordon, retired founder of CRUSH CANCER NAPA VALLEY, is a lifelong resident of Napa Valley. Early in her working career, a training opportunity at Queen of the Valley Hospital allowed her to became a tumor registrar, documenting the clinical journey of all new cancer patients, from onset of symptoms through diagnosis and staging, treatment, annual follow-up, and then reported all statistics to the American College of Surgeons for national reporting. Later, she worked as billing manager of a large chemo-oncology clinic in San Francisco, witnessing the “other side” of cancer, where vulnerable patients undergoing toxic treatment were struggling to maintain home, work and family life. Those patients needed help.
In 2010, Rayellen and her family founded Sisters Crush Breast Cancer through the family-owned business, Sisters Boutique in Yountville, CA. This grassroots effort brought community and businesses together annually to raise funds for breast cancer fighters. After seven successful years, the goal of helping all cancer patients was realized by founding a non-profit and transitioning to Crush Cancer Napa Valley.
