Member Committees
NASLEE’s volunteer committees actively work to support the association and its members, promote best practices, and advance our mission. Committee positions are open to all NASLEE members and provide excellent career development opportunities and national visibility in the field.
We always welcome new committee members! To learn about joining a committee, please reach out to the committee contact.
Member Committees
NASLEE’s volunteer committees actively work to support the association and its members, promote best practices, and advance our mission. Committee positions are open to all NASLEE members and provide excellent career development opportunities and national visibility in the field.
We always welcome new committee members! To learn about joining a committee, please reach out to the committee contact.
Communications
The Communications Committee works with NASLEE’s executive director, advising on and implementing our digital and print communications.
Janet Bock-Hager
West Virginia
Nicole Boone
North Carolina
Karin Garver
National Institute for Early Education Research
Rori Hodges
Oklahoma
Ami Brooks
Alabama
Sally Shepherd
DaSy
Nicole Madore
Maine
Kate Snedeker
NASLEE Comms
Ellen Frede
Retired
Neda Hall
California
Gisele Crawford
UNC FPG
Rocy O'Keefe
LENA
Kelly Isrow
Michigan
Samantha Bowen
Washington
Tara Phillips
Maryland
Jessica Buttles
Arizona
Brittany Kunzelman
Michigan
Leadership Development
Fulfilling a key benefit of NASLEE membership, this committee creates leadership development opportunities for our members, both within and outside the organization. The committee also identifies and recruits NASLEE leadership candidates.
Tonya Coston
New Jersey
Brenda Vronko
Michigan
Robin Wilkins
New Jersey
Lori Connors-Tadros
National Institute for Early Education Research
Alexandra Figueras-Daniel
National Institute for Early Education Research
Jim Squires
Retired
Lindy Buch
Retired
Buen Abo
DC
Ashley Walke
Indiana
Nicole Madore
Maine
Deb Adams
Connecticut
Neda Hall
California
Camille Stanford
UMass
Angela Shelton
Georgia
To learn more, email President Robin Wilkins.
Membership Support
The Membership Support Committee plays a key role in building our membership program and encouraging active representation from all states and territories. In addition, the committee facilitates regional communication and provides onboarding and professional learning opportunities for new members.
Janet Bock-Hager
West Virginia
Nicole Boone
North Carolina
Karin Garver
National Institute for Early Education Research
Rori Hodges
Oklahoma
Ami Brooks
Alabama
Sally Shepherd
DaSy
Nicole Madore
Maine
Kate Snedeker
NASLEE Comms
Ellen Frede
Retired
Neda Hall
California
Gisele Crawford
UNC FPG
Rocy O'Keefe
LENA
Kelly Isrow
Michigan
Samantha Bowen
Washington
Tara Phillips
Maryland
Jessica Buttles
Arizona
Brittany Kunzelman
Michigan
Program
Led by NASLEE’s vice president, the Program Committee organizes our Roundtable. This signature annual conference brings together early care and education state leaders from around the U.S. to explore strategies and resources to build capacity and increase collaboration across the association.
To learn more, email Vice President Dawn Kalkman.
Dawn Kalkman
Michigan
Allison Friedman-Krauss
National Institute for Early Education Research
GG Weisenfeld
National Institute for Early Education Research
Sharon Huang
MDRC
Robin Wilkins
New Jersey
Nicole Madore
Maine
Jennifer Alphonse
New Jersey
Jodi Whiteman
LENA
Ashley LiBetti
Pillars Research & Strategy
Tara Williams
Maine
Ami Brooks
Alabama
Laura Reid
Georgia
Brenda Vronko
Michigan
Tonya Coston
New Jersey
Janet Bock-Hager
West Virginia
Ellen Frede
Retired
Abigail Sylvester
FCF
Glenna Jones
Tennessee
Yvonne Rossiter
Oklahoma
Sharon Morgan
Oklahoma
Dawn Odean
Colorado
Annette Sutfin
Arizona
Public Policy
The Public Policy Committee plays an important role in furthering our work by developing policy resources and position statements as recommended by NASLEE Membership or leaders. The committee also reviews policies and position statements from other organizations for possible endorsement.
Jared Lisonbee
Utah
Anna Severens
Nevada
Noel Kelty
Michigan
Lori Connors-Tadros
National Institute for Early Education Research
Katherine Hodges
National Institute for Early Education Research
Amy Reyes
Wyoming
Amanda Peterson
Kansas
Jacqueline Jones
Retired
Melody Hobson
Nebraska
Steve Barnett
National Institute for Early Education Research
Michelle Levy
Connecticut
Tonya Coston
New Jersey
Ashley LiBetti
Pillars Research & Strategy
Amy Neal Bundy
Bingham Strategy Group
Deborah Wise
Pennsylvania
Chrisanne Gayl
Trust for Learning
Kristie Kauerz
National P-3 Center
Dawn Meskil
North Carolina
Ashley Walke
Indiana
Laura Bornfreund
New America
Katie Beal
MDRC
Winona Hao
NASBE
Tara Williams
Maine
Paola Andujar
NAEYC
Abbie Lieberman
FFYF
Annette Sutfin
Arizona
Abigail Sylvester
FCF
Kelly Dwyer
Maryland
Hatice Gursoy
Maryland
Nykia Washington
Maryland
Jennifer Crandell
Maryland
Sarah Parks-Reese
Indiana
Ami Brooks
Alabama
Sophia Lafayette-Lause
Michigan
Meet the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee guides our work. Experts in the field, committee members are elected by vote of the NASLEE membership. Together, they define our goals, identify new opportunities, and map pathways for realizing our plans.
Robin Wilkins is an Education Program Development Specialist with the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), Division of Early Childhood Education, where she develops policy, provides technical assistance, and serves on New Jersey’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) Leadership Team. Robin has also served as the Director of Professional Learning for Teaching Strategies and was part of the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) Leadership Academy in 2018. A versatile professional with over 20 years in the field of early childhood education, Robin has also worked in Head Start, community-based programs, and school district settings.
Dawn Kalkman is the PreK manager with the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Office of Early Learning and Family Supports. In her role as manager, she is responsible for administering the state-funded prek program, Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP). Dawn’s work is focused on Michigan’s PreK for All initiative and expansion of free prek opportunities for families. Dawn participated in the inaugural NASLEE Leadership Academy in 2024 and in Michigan’s 2019-20 Education Policy Fellowship Program.
Nicole Boone is the B-3 Policy Advisor/PDG B-5 Project Team Lead for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: Division of Child Development and Early Education. Nicole’s role at the division is to conduct research , analyze data and review policies related to best practices to ensure high quality services are accessible to children and their families, provide technical assistance and oversight to agencies receiving CCDF & PDG B-5 funding for the support of children in early childhood settings and provide ongoing communication and collaborative planning with internal and external partners related to early care and education quality initiatives. Nicole has diverse experience in coaching, consultation, planning and implementation of various techniques with both administrators and teachers as well as grant management, and compliance monitoring. Nicole remains dedicated to ensuring that North Carolina’s youngest children and their families receive access to high quality early childhood experiences and services. Nicole has an M.A. degree in Education from Ashford University, now known as the University of Arizona Global Campus.
Janet Bock-Hager is the Pre-K Coordinator at the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), where she has supported the state’s Universal Pre-K system since 2010. With more than 30 years of experience in early childhood education in West Virginia, she has served as a teacher, family services coordinator, and classroom coach. In her current role, she leads efforts to strengthen partnerships across state and local early childhood programs to support the collaborative and inclusive approach of West Virginia Universal Pre-K. Ms. Bock-Hager holds a Bachelor of Science in Child Development from Fairmont State University and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education from West Virginia University. Her career spans multiple early childhood settings, including child care, Head Start, and WV Universal Pre-K. She also studied abroad with the world-renowned preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Prior to joining the WVDE, she worked as an Education Specialist with Head Start, supporting administrators and educators within the collaborative WV Universal Pre-K system.
Noel has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2018 and has served as both president and vice president. She is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Saginaw Valley State University, where she focuses on family engagement, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for early childhood, and family literacy efforts. Prior to this position, Noel was the Director of Early Childhood Development and Family Education at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). She also supported the MDE as an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C program coordinator and an Early Literacy and Family Engagement Consultant. Noel has experience as a program administrator, classroom teacher, early intervention specialist, home visitor, and consultant. She earned a doctorate in early childhood education with a focus in special education from Oakland University.
Mandy Sorge works with NASLEE’s Executive Committee Officers to develop and implement the organization’s mission, vision, and goals. Most recently, she served as a Senior Policy Analyst for Early Care and Education in the Education Division at the National Governors Association (NGA). Prior to joining NGA, she worked in training and technical assistance for the Early Head Start–Child Care Partnerships grants. She began her career as an early childhood educator at Frank Porter Graham in North Carolina and Educare DC in Washington, D.C. Mandy holds a doctorate in leadership and learning in organizations from the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt University, a master’s in education policy from George Washington University, and a bachelor’s in early childhood education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Members lead at NASLEE.
State early education leaders in our community drive our work by serving in volunteer leadership roles.
OUR TEAM
