Trina Averette has been a home-based early childhood educator since 1999. Her five-star rated program is based in Columbus and she serves children and families through rich holistic approaches that are child centered and developmentally appropriate. This exceptional program is also an Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership, integrating Early Head Start comprehensive services into the family child care program. Ms. Averette has been elected to serve as the Ohio State Representative for the National Association for Family Child Care and serves as a Board Member for the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children.

Mario brings a career of passionate advocacy for children to FR5, with over 20 years of experience leading successful transformative change efforts in schools and school districts across Ohio. His mission is to create a world where all children, regardless of their background, can dream big and achieve greatness in their lives. Mario earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cal State Fullerton, a second bachelor’s degree in social studies education from Northern Kentucky University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Miami University, Oxford, and a School Superintendent’s license from Xavier University. Before joining Future Ready Columbus, Mario’s career included service as a substitute teacher, junior high and high school teacher, assistant principal, principal, school law professor, senior vice president, and superintendent. Throughout his career, Mario has been honored to work closely with educators and community leaders to achieve big things for children. These include significantly increasing academic achievement for African American and economically disadvantaged children, creating and successfully implementing several strategic planning efforts, and establishing a training center for innovative learning practices.

Gloria Blevins is the President and Founder of the Black Child Development Institute – Ohio Affiliate, an affiliate of the National Black Child Development Institute. She also serves as the current Chief Executive Officer of Early Childhood Options of University Circle of 26 years. She holds a Master of Management from David N. Myers University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cleveland State University, as well as an HR professional holding SHRM-CP certification. Her expertise consists of strategic planning, business practices, child development, diversity and equity, and organizational development with a lifelong commitment to child advocacy.

MaryBeth Bush has been passionately dedicated to Early Childhood Education, particularly in family child care, since opening her own program, Mary’s Little Lambs Child Care and Preschool, in 1994. Early on, she sought local resources to expand her knowledge, earning her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential in 1998. She co-founded H.A.P.P.Y. Homes of Ohio, a non-profit family child care network, to connect and support other family child care educators, which led her to broaden her involvement in various organizations, including the local and state chapters of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In 2012, MaryBeth earned National Accreditation through the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), followed by achieving a 5-star rating in Ohio’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) in 2015. Motivated to deepen her impact, she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Early Education, graduating in 2018. With her degree, she joined a local Resource and Referral agency as an Early Childhood Specialist, supporting family child care educators across three counties in Ohio. In this role, she has engaged in numerous volunteer efforts at the local, state, and national levels.

Tonya has dedicated 22 years to the field of Early Education and Care, holding diverse roles that showcase her depth of experience and commitment to the profession. She has served as a teacher in Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms and held administrative positions within Head Start and childcare programs. Additionally, Tonya has contributed to higher education as an adjunct staff member in the Department of Early Childhood Education at Cuyahoga Community College (East Campus). Currently, she is the Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Early Learning at The Centers, where she continues to impact the development and education of young children. Tonya is also an advocate for the Early Childhood profession, serving as the current President of OhioAEYC and participating as a member of the Shaw High School Career Tech Early Childhood Advisory Board. Through her roles in advocacy and education, Tonya remains committed to advancing the quality and accessibility of Early Childhood Education across Ohio.

Jessica currently serves on the board of Downtown Akron Partnership and is a proud Torchbearers alumna. She received the 30 for the Future award from the Greater Akron Chamber in 2019. As Grants Manager, Jessica works with program staff and grantees to manage the Foundation’s grantmaking administration, evaluation projects, and learning initiatives. She has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector, working for many local organizations, including Leadership Akron, Project Learn of Summit County, and ACCESS, Inc. Jessica earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Ohio University.

Originally from Geauga County, Ohio, Michelle Corrigan relocated to Athens, Ohio in 2008 to pursue her MA from Ohio University in Geography. She served as a COMCorps/AmeriCorps member at Athens County Children Services and Live Healthy Appalachia before becoming a full-time employee at Live Healthy Appalachia and developing the Live Healthy Kids curriculum. With a strong interest in business and workforce development, Michelle then served as the President of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and as the Vice President of Jackie O’s Brewery before joining COAD as the COAD4Kids Division Director in January 2023.

Vanessa is the President and CEO of 4C for Children, a child care resource and referral agency that serves 40 counties in Ohio and Kentucky. She currently serves as the executive director of the Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation where she has worked for the past eight years. Prior to Freytag’s tenure at the Women’s Fund, she was the publisher of Women’s Business Cincinnati, a newspaper serving the Tristate. As the owner of W-Insight, a firm specializing in marketing to women, she has worked with some of the largest corporations in America. This built on her experience as senior vice president and director of Women’s Market Initiative at Bank One where she created and led one of the first national efforts to meet the banking needs of women business owners and women consumers. She has also held positions at Key Bank and Bank of Boston.

Lisa Garofalo is a career early childhood education professional with expertise working collaboratively with teachers, school administrators, parents, and community agencies with a focus on supporting early learning, development, and connections to support school readiness. Lisa has worked in a variety of roles including as a Preschool Teacher, Ohio Child Care Licensing Specialist, and Early Childhood Education Manager with Cincinnati Public Schools and School & Community Manager with 4C for Children. Throughout her career, she has served on multiple boards, associations, and state committees including Ohio AEYC, Ohio Help Me Grow Advisory Council. She has also served on a variety of Ohio Department of Education committees and workgroups including Ohio Teacher Licensure and Standards Revision, Ohio Regulatory Rules Revision Workgroup, and Special Education Rules Revision. Lisa is now retired and works as an independent coach and consultant.

Mrs. Steffy (Stephanie Geneseo) is the owner, Director/Administrator, and Lead Teacher of ANI FCC. She earned her Associates of Arts in Child Development from Mountain State University in 2010, while also earning her Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University simultaneously. Mrs. Steffy regularly participates in countless continuous education credits in the field far above the regulatory 10 HRs per year. Mrs. Steffy has worked on multiple advocacy coalitions throughout her years that further advanced not only her educational efforts but also her community outreach as well. From 2015 to 2018, Stephanie created the first, and only Family Childcare Conference in the tri-state area. From 2018 to current, Stephanie has participated in the Terri Lynn Lokoff Foundation as a past recipient winner and volunteer candidate reader. In 2019, Stephanie was a winning recipient of the Leading for Children Advocacy award, for her project on Parent Engagement and literacy. The award led to a publication in the NAEYC book, Families & Educators Together: Building Great Relationships that Support Young Children. In 2021, Stephanie was chosen to be an inaugural member of the NAFCC Leaders Shaping Leaders cohort to represent the state of Ohio where she then served as a fellow for the continued 2022 year. In 2022, Stephanie was appointed onto the board of WV TEAM, additionally, she was elected onto the board of OAEYC. She also became a member of ECE coalition, a member of Family Childcare Network, a member of the Farm to Table Coalition. She also serves on the Groundwork Ohio Council & Fellowship.

Bio to come

Liz Hibbs is the Director of the Early Childhood Education Alliance, also known as ECEA, and runs the SPARK program in Alliance, Marlington and Sebring. SPARK has been in Alliance since 2007, began in Sebring during December 2019 and Marlington during 2022. SPARK stands for Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids, and is a home-based program that focuses on kindergarten readiness. Mrs. Hibbs is in her seventh year with ECEA and has been in the field of education more than 20 years. Mrs. Hibbs holds Masters degrees in Educational Administration, Technology and Curriculum and Instruction. She’s currently a Doctoral student at Youngstown State University. In 2020, Mrs. Hibbs was selected to participate in the first ever fellowship program for Groundwork Ohio. Through this fellowship, Mrs. Hibbs collaborated with early childhood leaders and Ohio state legislators to address policy while driving change through amplified voices. She continues to do so today in her community and at the state and federal level. In her spare time, Mrs. Hibbs enjoys spending time with her family and attending local festivals. She and her husband, Jesse, have been married for 19 years. They have two daughters. Her mother, Patricia, also lives with them. Mrs. Hibbs believes in the mission of ECEA, which is to educate, advocate, and collaborate on behalf of quality early learning and experiences. At home, her mission is to put family first.

Dustin Holfinger has served as the Director of State Government Relations at the American Heart Association, where he is dedicated to Ohio’s statewide and local health initiatives. He provides policy leadership focused on addressing top health priorities of the state, including but not limited to water access, telehealth access for all Ohioans, state funding for important health initiatives, regulation of e-cigarettes and tobacco, healthy food access, complete streets, and more.

Margaret Hulbert is Principal at Hulbert & Associates. She served as Senior Vice President, Strategic Resources & Public Policy at United Way of Greater Cincinnati for nearly 20 years.

Bio to come

Chara Fisher Jackson is an advocate for children's education and equity. Appointed as Executive Director/CEO of Cincinnati Preschool Promise on October 1, 2019, Chara's leadership journey began after a successful term as Interim President & CEO of the Urban League of Southwestern Ohio. Her expertise in equity, social justice, and inclusion has reshaped early childhood education in Cincinnati. With a background in lobbying and litigation, Chara has spearheaded advocacy campaigns on crucial civil rights issues. Her commitment to children, youth, and parental engagement in education shines through her work. Her vision for Cincinnati Preschool Promise focuses on high-quality preschool access, ensuring children are well-prepared for school. Since taking the helm, Chara's impact has been evident, with Cincinnati Preschool Promise tuition-assisted children showing stronger kindergarten readiness. Chara Fisher Jackson's leadership continues to shape a brighter future for Cincinnati's youngest learners.

In fall 2020, Rev. John C. Jones was named HOPE Toledo president by the HOPE Toledo board, which is chaired by Wendi Huntley, Esq. As a Toledo native, Jones knows first-hand the impact quality education can make on an individual, a family and the broader community. Prior to taking the position with HOPE Toledo, Jones served as the community liaison for ProMedica with its Social Determinants of Health office. In that role, Jones served the community through the development of mentoring programs, as well as training and placement of youth, young adults and others. During his tenure, he also focused on education and was instrumental in developing the vision for HOPE Toledo. Previously, Jones served as the President and CEO of the Greater Toledo Urban League. John is also an ordained minister and serves as an Associate Minister at the Christian Temple Baptist Church under the leadership and pastorate of his father, Rev. Charles E. Jones.

Kari Jones, President & CEO at ElevateDD, joined the DSACO team at Elevated in January 2014. Prior to her start with DSACO, she served as Executive Director for Embracing Autism and Director of Supported Living at Goodwill Columbus. As President & CEO, Kari is charged with providing strategic direction, development, and ensuring membership needs are satisfied. Kari volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association, Franklin County Special Olympics, the Columbus Civic Theater, Pets Without Parents, and Mended Little Hearts. She resides in Clintonville with her husband (Scott), daughter (Evelyn) and dog (Ray). Kari has been connected to DSACO in some capacity since 1985, when her brother, Alex, was born with Down syndrome.

Bio to come

Katie Kelly serves as the Executive Director of PRE4CLE. In this role, Katie leads the implementation of the PRE4CLE Plan, provides strategic direction to PRE4CLE and The Early Childhood Compact, directs PRE4CLE's extensive advocacy work, leads fund development for the PRE4CLE Plan, and acts as a spokesperson and thought leader for early education in Cleveland and at the state level. Previously, Katie served as the Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio, a statewide advocacy organization focused on making early learning and development a top priority for Ohio. Under her leadership, the organization became a leading voice for high-quality early learning in Ohio by working with partners to increase state investments in early learning by more than $700 million, improve the quality of Ohio's early learning system, and provide research and advocacy resources to Ohio's policymakers, community leaders, and advocates. Ms. Kelly also served concurrently for seven years as a Public Policy Fellow at The Center for Community Solutions. Katie has served on the leadership committee of local and statewide initiatives, including the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Council, Advocates for Ohio's Future, and the Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Education Partnership. Katie currently serves on the board of the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, the Policy Committee of the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, and the Ohio Child Care Workforce Committee. A life-long Cleveland resident, Katie served in Cleveland's inaugural City Year corps before going on to receive a bachelor's degree in Sociology from John Carroll University. Katie is also a graduate of Leadership Cleveland class of 2017 and was named a Notable Education Leader by Crain's Cleveland Business in 2023.

Dr. Kathy Lawton, an experienced educator with both professional and personal connections to central Ohio’s disability and early intervention communities, has begun her new role as Director of Early Childhood Education at the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Before joining FCBDD, Lawton previously served as the Director of Early Childhood Education at the Ohio State University Nisonger Center, Assistant Professor of Special Education with OSU, Special Education Coordinator across all Upper Arlington school buildings, and, most recently, the Director of Burbank Early Childhood School (BECS) at Upper Arlington City Schools. She launched its first inclusive preschool model and significantly expanded the city’s peer modeling program for young learners. On a personal level, Lawton’s family helped to found the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio (DSACO) to advocate for her brother and so many other families in the region. She remains active across Ohio on multiple statewide boards devoted to inclusion and early intervention. Lawton received her PhD in Education from UCLA after earning multiple degrees at Vanderbilt University in Special Education, Child Development, and Psychology as an Ingram Scholar.

Robyn Lightcap is the founding and acting Executive Director of Preschool Promise, Inc., a nonprofit in Dayton, Ohio, committed to making Dayton a great place to be a young child. Preschool Promise’s vision is that every child in Montgomery County, Ohio is ready for kindergarten so they can succeed in school and life. Preschool Promise partners with schools, families, and community leaders to make sure all children have access to high-quality early childhood experiences from birth to age five. Robyn is passionate about bringing diverse groups of people together to develop a vision and implement a plan to improve the well-being of children and communities. She serves as Chair of Groundwork Ohio, the statewide advocacy organization for early childhood, and on the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council. Robyn also serves on the board of The Village Network, a nonprofit behavioral health organization working across Ohio to support youth and families; the Kindness Backpack program leadership team, and the Grants Committee of the Warren County Foundation.

Laura L. Maddox, Ph.D., BCBA, COBA is the program director of the Center for the Young Child and the new Early Childhood Inclusion Center of Excellence at OCALI. She has experience as an educator, administrator, and researcher. She has directed federal and state grants and contracts related to children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), children and youth in foster care, health care coordination, early childhood education and autism spectrum disorders in her roles as assistant director of the Boys Town Institute for Child Health Improvement, co-director of the Barkley Autism Research Project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, state coordinator of the Nebraska ASD Network, and as a faculty consultant on the Nebraska LEND grant. Maddox served as the Early Childhood Special Education coordinator for Lincoln Public Schools (Lincoln, NE) where she supervised early intervention and preschool service providers and ensured quality inclusive programming for children with diverse learning needs in homes, community child care settings and public preschools. She has collaborated across state systems and within local communities to improve the early care and education of young children. She is a past recipient of the Alice B. Hayden Emerging Leader Award from TASH and the Ruth J. Eichman Early Childhood Educator Award from the Lincoln Public School Foundation.

Nancy Mendez is a dedicated leader in the human services field, supporting community needs, such as poverty, childhood education, and youth development. She became president and CEO of Starting Point, a Northeast Ohio non-profit youth and family services agency, in 2021. Before leading Starting Pont, Nancy Mendez was the Vice President of Community Investment at the United Way of Greater Cleveland. Nancy was responsible for developing the department’s approach for the design, development, testing, implementation, and evaluation of community programs, and special projects. She was also responsible for ensuring an effective allocation process and grants management. Ms. Mendez also led the 2-1-1 Helplink line that connects individuals in need with services in the community. Nancy was named Crain’s Business “Woman of Note” and in a 2013 Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan by the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission.

Jamie is the Associate Director, Policy and External Affairs for the Crane Center and Schoenbaum Family Center. In this role she leads policy research and evaluation, serving as co-investigator on several projects to analyze state child care policies and birth-to-five programs to improve child care access, affordability, quality, and equity. Her expertise includes state and federal early childhood and child care policy, K-12 policy, legislative/regulatory processes, and communicating/disseminating research to wide audiences. Before joining Ohio State in 2018, Jamie worked in education research, advocacy, and policy analysis for a think tank and an Ohio community school authorizer and coalition. As a first-generation college graduate committed to equity for all children, she began her career in the classroom, teaching kindergarten in Camden, New Jersey, as well as tutoring high schoolers in Trenton, New Jersey. She received a bachelor’s in political science from Messiah College, earning a Truman Fellowship in 2004; a master’s degree in public affairs (MPA) from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, where she graduated with distinction; and will earn her Master of Public Health degree from The Ohio State University in summer 2024. Jamie is the recipient of the 2024 Ohio State Community Engaged Practitioner Award.

Shawna Rohrman, PhD, is Director of the Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood/Invest in Children, overseeing an early childhood service continuum from prenatal to kindergarten. She is a sociologist by training and brings this lens to her work to better understand how our social systems shape children’s early experiences and environments, and how we can improve these systems to ensure all children have opportunities to thrive. Shawna came to Invest in Children in 2017, serving first as Evaluation Manager and more recently as Associate Director. In each of these roles she has worked collaboratively with OEC/IIC’s lead agencies, community partners, and other County offices to help ensure a strong continuum of services for young children in Cuyahoga County. Shawna graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Sociology and Criminal Justice from Baldwin-Wallace University, received a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Akron, and has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Indiana University.

Bio to come

Julie Stone is the Executive Director of the Ohio Head Start Association, a professional membership organization that represents Ohio’s sixty Head Start and Early Head providers. The Association is dedicated to leadership, professional development, research and advocacy. Julie has been with Head Start for over 26 years and is committed to building and strengthening strategic partnerships that support Ohio’s most vulnerable children and families.

Kimberly has 40 years of experience as an early childhood educator, program director and executive leader in for-profit, non-profit, family childcare, Early Head Start/Head Start, faith-based and public sectors. Kimberly has been the Executive Director for Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC) for almost 20 years. In 2016, Kim began working closely with leadership expert, Dr. John Stahl-Wert to build her own leadership understanding and skills. This learning experience convinced her of the need to share the message of Serving Leadership in the early childhood community to position ECE (Early Childhood Educators) professionals to act on behalf of themselves; and the young children and the families they serve. Kim completed training to become a certified facilitator of the Serving Leader Model. In 2017, she established the National Early Childhood Leadership Center and collaborates with the Center for Serving Leadership to provide leadership development, coaching and consulting to the early childhood field.

Qianna Tidmore is the Co-Executive Director of the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children. She has worked in early childhood administration for over 16 years. She is passionate about early childhood advocacy on the local, state, and national level, empowering early childhood educators through leadership training, and ensuring equity in access to education and services for children and families. Qianna holds a M. Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with a PreK-3 Ohio teaching license and earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Akron. Qianna embeds the principles of being a Serving Leader as a PTA and Jack and Jill Erie Shores Chapter Executive Board member, as a member of several boards and advisory groups/councils, and as a Chaplin for the Greater Cleveland Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Bio to come

Katherine Walton, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Health at The Ohio State University. She is also the Director of the Nisonger Early Learning Program, which provides early education and early intervention services to young children with and without disabilities. Dr. Walton’s research and clinical interests focus on understanding, assessing, and improving early social communication skills in children with autism. She is also interested in supporting and understanding the experiences of family members of children with autism. Throughout her work, Dr. Walton focuses on integration of stakeholder perspectives and experiences, including actively involving autistic stakeholders and parents as research collaborators.