Flossy Calderon is the Program Director for ABCD Head Start at Roxbury St. and Lenox St. Within the last two years Flossy has successfully lead her program through Federal Review, renewal of State License by the Department of Early Education & Care and re-accreditation by NAEYC. Flossy graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2001 where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology.

 

Isabel Cartagena is the Education and DCF Coordinator at Child Development and Education, Inc. in Malden. She works with family child care providers to offer guidance to ensure children’s programs are in a safe, nurturing setting. She received her Associate’s degree in early childhood education from Aquinas College.

 

 

Isabel Gonzalez is the Central Massachusetts Organizer for Stand for Children. She works with leaders to strategize on effective campaigns and train on skills ranging from recruitment and building teams to public speaking and working with the media.

 

 

 

Cindy Horgan is the Family Support Coordinator of The Cape Cod Children’s Place Inc. located in North Eastham. She is also the co-creator of The Parenting Station. She received her Bachelor of Arts at North Adams State College in 1983 and her CAGS in Parent Education at Wheelock College in 1999.

 

 

 

Marianna Islam is an Assistant Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Central Massachusetts where she oversees community investments for youth development and early education and care programs. Marianna attended Syracuse University in New York where she earned her BA degree in Policy Studies.

 

 

Carolyn Minervino is the Coordinator and Resource Consultant for Young Children First! (Falmouth’s Community Partnership for Children Grant). She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Child Development and Family Relations and has a MS in Child Development and Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College.

 

Eric Mitchell is the Outreach and Policy Director for Head Start and Children’s Services, which provides Head Start and child care services for 2400 children throughout Boston. He received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and a Graduate Certificate in Human Services management from Suffolk University.

 

 

 

Sandra Bispham Parkin is the Director of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, Early Learning Center. She graduated from UMass Boston, where she received a BA in Human Services Planning, but has also completed numerous courses in Early Childhood Education at Roxbury Community College and Wheelock College. Sandra has been working within the early childhood field since 1979.

 

 

Tomas Reyes works as a technical assistance and training specialist for the Head Start Quality Initiative, Donahue Institute, University of Massachusetts. He holds a doctorate and a master of science on Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Carlos Albizu University in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He also holds a master of arts on Social and Community Psychology, and a baccalaureate on philosophy both from the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

 

Grace Richardson is a licensed large family child care provider and is also the Executive Director and one of the founders of the American Family Child Care Association. The AFCCA is a statewide family child care association. The Association works to enhance and improve FCC by protecting the rights of family child care businesses, promoting the service to the general public and assisting businesses to improve their sales and profits. She has an Associate Degree in Early Education and attended UMASS Boston’s CPCS Law Center.

 

 

Lourdes Sariol is the Vice President of Family Child Care Programs at Associated Early Care and Education. Lourdes has attended classes at UMASS Boston, Wheelock and is currently in a program at the BU School of Management for Non-Profit Management and Leadership.

 

 

Nancy Toso is the Director of Training and Program Development at Parenting Resource Associates, where she develops and oversees all aspects of the annual Professional Development and Parenting Education Open Registration series. She received her BS and MEd. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.