We are fortunate to have a dedicated Board of Directors who share the vision for supporting parents and increasing access to parenting resources, regardless of income level.

Dr. Brian Bello, MD

Board President

Dr. Bello is double board-certified in General Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. He completed his residency and fellowship at Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center in 2017. Since then, he has worked in both community and private practice settings, most recently accepting a position at Amen Clinic. In his practice he believes that, while medication can significantly help alleviate suffering, for most people, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Because of this, Dr. Bello provides complementary methods when working with clients, such as parent training in behavior modification. In his free time, Dr. Bello’s enjoys spending time with his family and his interests include playing music, going to concerts, snowboarding, biking, and photography.

Mariliz Romero de Aquino, Esq.

Board Treasurer

Mariliz is an attorney licensed to practice in the state of California. She has a law degree from Southwestern Law School, a Master degree in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

After years of working with non-profit legal aid agencies, Mariliz opened her own law firm serving the various legal needs of immigrant communities in Los Angeles. Her firm has a unique and strong commitment to representing women, children, and those who have survived traumatic experiences with care that values each client as a whole individual and as a fellow community member.

Before her career as an attorney in the United States, Mariliz worked as a journalist in Brazil and documented the Bolivian immigrant community in her hometown of Corumba.

Mariliz enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and their dog (Bolinha), traveling, talking to friends, playing Sudoku, creative writing, and learning about world cultures and religions.​

Dr. Irmgard Tackie, MD

Board Secretary

Dr. Tackie is Board Certified in Pediatrics, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a professor at University of California, Riverside and runs her own practice in Fontana, California providing family centered comprehensive pediatric care to children from birth to age 21. In her practice Dr. Tackie has referred parents and caregivers of her patients to the free workshops and referral services at Mending Hearts. Having witnessed the impact of these services on her clients and their siblings even years later, Dr. Tackie has joined the Board of Directors at Mending Hearts to support the work and planned expansion of services to families of San Bernardino County. And when she is not making beaded jewelry, she enjoys spending time with her husband and young son.

Ebony Johnson

Board Member

Ebony has more than two decades of experience advocating for children and adolescents in her community. During her studies in social work at California State University of Los Angeles, Ebony began her career at Pasadena Alumni Support Center advocating for youth who were emancipating from foster care in their Independent Living Program.  She then accepted a position as an investigative social worker at Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles where she has worked for the last 19 years and continues to serve as a CSEC Case Manager advocating for child victims of sex trafficking.  Ebony also maintains a career as a vocalist and has toured with internationally known artists. She is also a resident of San Bernardino County and mother of a 4-year-old child.

DC Hamilton, JD, LMFT

Executive Director

DC Hamilton is our Executive Director with more than 20 years of experience providing mental healthcare to children with severely emotional disturbance and disruptive behaviors. Our director is also a clinical art therapist, a certified PCIT International therapist, and is certified by UC Davis Children’s Hospital as a therapist and trainer of PC-CARE, one of the newest protocols to evolve out of PCIT.

As a licensed attorney with a law degree focused in human and children's rights, DC also brings to Mending Hearts experience as a healthcare attorney and as an advocate in child welfare policy at the federal and international level.

On a more personal note, our director has parented a child with significant behavioral challenges. Having sought out parenting guidance personally when still a young therapist, our director has come to personally know the struggles that parents face raising strong willed children and the power of the PCIT principles to transform families.

DC has gathered the gems from a diverse education and life of experiences at home and abroad and has brought them back to our community to co-create with the Board of Directors, Mending Hearts Family Counseling Center, where “Our Passion is Supporting Parents!”

Ca. Bar Lic. No. 327822; Ca. LMFT Lic. No. 101375