Yasmine Daniel Vargas previously worked for FHI 360 managing the Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Center for American Indian and Alaska Native programs. With a rich career in early childhood, she also worked with Marion Wright Edelman for the National Children’s Defense Fund as director of the Early Childhood Development Division.

Ms. Vargas received a master’s of public administration from Drake University and a bachelor’s of arts from Rutgers University.

Since 2002, Jeanette Boom has experience in developing custom leadership and management training programs designed to strengthen the managerial capacity of non-profit executives whose agencies provide health and human services and early childhood education to low-income children and families nationally and internationally. These programs include the UCLA Head Start Management Fellows Program, the UCLA-PMFO New Directors Mentor Initiative, the UCLA Health Care Institute, the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program, the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Management Development Institute for Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Management Development Program for Early Childhood Educators.  Jeanette is also a coach for NIKE Starting Block for Head Start, a management program for Head Start leaders.

Ms. Boom earned a bachelor's of science degree in biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Jacqueline Davis brings years of experience as a director, project manager and training, and technical assistance specialist for early care and education. Ms. Davis assumed a lead role in developing and publishing a suite of products for emerging leaders in early childhood as well as a series of interactive homelessness lessons for staff who work with families. Recognition by the California State Senate, the City of Los Angeles and Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence emphasize her passion for building partnerships and collaborating across organizations. Ms. Davis’s work took her to the Outer Pacific regions including Guam, Saipan, Yap, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Pohnpei where she had the opportunity to work with programs to support their growth specifically focused on family and community engagement.

She earned a master’s in public administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills and a bachelor’s of science from Louisiana State University.

Pamela Dion is experienced in the areas of finance, accounting, auditing, payroll while working in such varying industries as non-profit, retail, and construction. Her professional career has included seven years at each at The American Red Cross as the Director of Finance and Conservation Services Group as an Internal Auditor and Accountant. 

Ms. Dion has a bachelor’s of science in business administration from Nichols College.

Louise Eldridge served as the Regional Program Manager for the Region 1 (New England) Office of Head Start for nearly 20 years. Previous positions in her 35-year federal career at the Administration for Children and Families, USDHHS and the US Department of Agriculture included management responsibility for the Child Welfare, Child Care and Food Stamp Programs. 

Ms. Eldridge earned a master’s of science in management from Lesley University and a bachelor’s of arts from Clark University.

Vernex Harding has 28 years of education industry experience spanning public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Ms. Harding most recently served as a program director for Head Start, and an Early Head Start Child Care partnership agency, where she provided direct program oversight to approximately 2,000 Head Start staff, children and their families. Other leadership positions in education included an executive director for a non-profit Head Start/Early Head Start, director of a for-profit childcare agency, elementary school assistant principal, director of early childhood education, director of early learning and school-age programs, education consultant, and COVID-19 team supervisor. 

Ms. Harding received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stony Brook University and master's degrees in early childhood education and school administration & supervision both from The City College of New York. 

Elsa M. Hernández has served Head Start and Early Head Start since 2003. She began as an assistant center director and later the executive director responsible for 1,600 children. As an Office of Head Start Monitoring Team Lead, she organized and led all phases of the monitoring review process for four years according to the OHS monitoring system and Head Start Program Performance Standards. She has been sharing her knowledge with the grantees and federal staff at Head Start regional level providing training and technical assistance as a  grantee specialist for the past five years. In her new role, she will provide expertise in the areas of governance and program management. 

Ms. Hernández possesses a bachelor's degree from CUNY-College of Staten Island and a master's of business administration from American Intercontinental University.

Kai Holl assists the project team by managing the IACET accreditation process and handling of a wide range of program coordination tasks. Ms. Holl has gained experience in project management, event planning, and technical assistance through her previous work in several collegiate administrative positions.

She earned her bachelor’s of arts in psychology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 

Nicole Holman-Alexander has over 20 years of experience in human services and early childhood programming as a director, manager and training and technical assistance provider. She has extensive knowledge and expertise in the Head Start management systems and services. Previously, Nicole served as the grantee specialist manager for the Region VI Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Network, where she led, coordinated and provided training and technical assistance to grantees throughout the region to support compliance, continuous improvement and professional development.

Nicole holds a master's of science in family relations and child development from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor's of science in psychology from the University of Central Missouri.

John Mathews, P.E., has over 45 years of experience managing and directing over $5 billion in project development, design and construction management of capital projects for both public and private sectors for architectural engineering and consulting firms, a large regulated utility company, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Naval Facilities Engineering Command. He managed project management professionals, architects and engineers, planners, and contractors/construction managers in the planning, design, estimating, construction, start-up and commissioning of significant private and public sector projects, most recently in Education. 

He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in civil engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and a master’s in public administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts.

Mark Mazon has over 30 years of experience serving in various leadership positions in local government and the nonprofit sector.  His city management experience included oversight in the areas of court administration, human services administration, human resources, budget, finance and audit. Mark also served as president & CEO of one of the longest-standing nonprofit organizations in Arizona offering services in charter school education and workforce development.  As an executive coach, Mark worked with nonprofits on leadership development, board governance and fiscal management oversight.

Mark holds a master’s degree in public administration and bachelor’s degree in business administration, both from Arizona State University. 

Charles McQuillen began his career in education teaching in a Yupik village on Alaska’s Yukon Delta. For over 20 years Mr. McQuillen has worked in the educational publishing industry developing and promoting a range of literacy curricula that make best practices accessible and scalable.

Dr. McQuillen earned a doctorate in education at Boston College and a master’s in fine arts from the Museum School of Fine Arts.

Robert Edward Pfeffer is a former Grantee Specialist for the Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Center for American Indian and Alaska Native programs. Mr. Pfeffer is also a former Head Start, childcare, and after-school director of twelve years in upstate New York. He also served as a steering committee member on the Tribal Early Childhood Research Center at the University of Colorado Denver, regional alternate for the National Indian Head Start Directors Association board, and participated in various research projects and consultations within Head Start.

Mr. Pfeffer holds a master’s in English and a bachelor’s in education from the State University of New York at Fredonia. Currently, he is pursuing his MBA at St. Bonaventure University.

Bradley Powell is dedicated to innovation in education using technology. With nearly 10 years of experience in enriching learning experiences, he seeks to advance the educational landscape through innovative and interactive tech solutions. 

He earned his master’s degree in technology management & cyber security from Eastern Kentucky University.

Cristian L. Quiñones Figueroa has over 10 years of experience in Head Start & Early Head Start and Child Care Partnerships. During this time, he has been in the roles of director, Ffscal officer, health & safety, and facilities coordinator at the recipient level in Region II. Mr. Quiñones Figueroa is also a former program director with interim management CDI Head Start in Region VI. He was recently a grantee specialist for the Region IX Head Start Training and Technical Assistance network. In this role, Cristian has supported multiple recipients in the areas including but not limited to fiscal, facilities, governance, human resources, ERSEA and others.

Mr. Quiñones Figueroa holds an MBA in management from Universidad Metropolitana and a bachelor's in Commercial Advertising from the Universidad de Puerto Rico Carolina. Currently, he is pursuing his Ed.D. in educational leadership at Ana G. Mendez University Online.

Arnold Ramirez has over 37 years of Head Start experience at the local, state, regional, and national levels in grants management/administration, contract negotiations, community partnerships, governance, fiscal management, program planning/development, and human resource management. Mr. Ramirez has worked with Head Start Program Performance Standards from a service delivery standpoint, as a technical assistance provider, and an advocate for change. He has directly operated programs and assisted agencies in meeting both program and fiscal compliance standard requirements.

Mr. Ramirez received a master's of public administration and a bachelor's of arts, both from Arizona State University.

Ametta L. Reaves has over 30 years of experience working with Head Start and Early Start programs. She has extensive knowledge in the areas program governance, leadership, data management, human resources, and fiscal management. Ametta is a former Head Start director and most recently a lead grantee specialist in Region V Head Training and Technical Assistance Network. In this role, Ametta was a coach for other grantee specialists, and supported recipients to develop continuous improvement and corrective action plans.

Ametta earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.

Camille Stanford has over 20 years of experience in human services and early childhood programming as a teacher, mentor coach, manager, deputy director and assistant director. She served as an adjunct instructor at Youngstown State University where she taught an early childhood assessment class for eight years. Previously, Camille served as a grantee specialist for the Rregion V Head Start Training and Technical Assistance network. In this role, Camille led the Management and Leadership Regional Implementation Team, New Directors Institute, was a representative for the Office of Head Start training and technical assistance regional professional development meeting and led other initiatives to support grant recipients. Camille is also a UCLA Anderson School of Management Fellow.

Camille earned a bachelor’s degree of applied science in education, a master’s of science in education in elementary early childhood and a master’s degree in special education, all from Youngstown State University.

Abigail Wendell was previously a graphic designer for the Office of Head Start (OHS) National Center for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness. She also previously served as a consultant for the Open Society Foundation designing curriculum manuals for Liberia and Bangladesh. Ms. Wendell has worked for numerous educational and non-profit organizations as a designer including Bank Street College, Dartmouth Medical School, American Breast Cancer Society, and the University of Pennsylvania.

She earned her bachelor's in political science and international studies from Wheaton College and completed further coursework in design and early childhood studies at Keene State College, NH, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and Bank Street College graduate school.

Natalie Williams's key focal areas are fiscal operations and organizational management. She monitors and interprets grant budget data and prepares financial projections within Head Start and Early Head Start. Natalie is a leader in developing comprehensive management systems to support compliance under 45 CFR Part 75 including facilities, nonfederal share, and the Uniform Guidance 200 CFR. Before joining the team at NCPMFO, Natalie was Fiscal Lead for the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Region XII Training & Technical Assistance Network since 2018. Prior to 2018, Natalie was the Chief Financial Officer for Washington County Economic Opportunity Council, a Community Action Program that operates a Head Start and Early Head Start program in Region II. 

Ms. Williams received her bachelor's degree from Skidmore College.

John Williams previously worked for the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) as a Senior Training and Technical Assistance Associate. Mr. Wiliams has also been active in early childhood systems building as a senior consultant with Development Communications Associates, Inc. and as a program director with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

Mr. Williams received a master’s of public administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

Brittany Wolcott was previously the finance and program manager for the institute's Nonprofit Funding and Fiscal Solutions where she managed the business unit’s finances as well as worked for the Head Start National Center for Program Management and Fiscal Operations. Ms. Wolcott has over 10 years in finance management and five years in project management. Before coming to the institute, she also worked for several years at the UMass Library as the library business manager where she developed a working knowledge of UMass practices and systems. Outside of her work with the Institute, Mrs. Wolcott also volunteers as regional director for SheJumps, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing female participation in the outdoors.

Mrs. Wolcott earned a master’s in resource administration and management from the University of New Hampshire and a bachelor’s in business from Champlain College.

Erin Zapata-Christie previously worked for the Tennessee Department of Education in project management and content development. She also has experience working with early childhood programs through New York City’s Pre-K for All initiative, the National Institute for Early Education Research, and Hunter College. 

She holds a master’s in child development from Tufts University and a bachelor’s in anthropology from Mount Holyoke College.