Coaches for Fall Strands 2011

Sustainability: Financial Management in Afterschool
Coaches: Jenifer Gager Holland and Rachel Scott
Jenifer Gager Holland is Senior Program Associate with The Finance Project, a national organization that supports leaders finance and sustain initiatives that lead to better futures for children, families, and communities. Jenifer conducts research and develops policy and technical assistance tools on financing for the organization. Jenifer holds a Master’s of Public Administration from Columbia University.

Rachel Scott is a Consultant with The Finance Project. Rachel comes to The Finance Project from the Iowa Department of Human Rights, where she was Executive Officer for the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, and advocated on STEM education equity, youth development, and juvenile justice issues. She also served as the Governor of Iowa’s policy liaison on Education, Workforce, and Economic Development. In addition to Rachel’s public sector experience, she has also led a number of issue management, planning, research and evaluation projects, including leading the Iowa statewide afterschool network, as Senior Program Manager with the State Public Policy Group (SPPG).

Video Production to Promote Afterschool
Coaches: Luke Stafford and Sara McKellogg
Luke Stafford is the founder and owner of Mondo Mediaworks, a marketing agency in Brattleboro, Vermont. Luke works with social media and made-for-the-web video, helping businesses, non-profits, and schools with promotion in the Internet age. With a background in reporting and writing, and a journalism degree from Saint Michael’s College, Luke brings his storytelling training to his work as a digital marketer.

Sara McKellogg is the owner and founder of Gypsy Carolina Mediaworks, based out of Denver, Colorado. Her professional experience and passion for telling stories make her a versatile editor and her focus on producing documentaries allows her to explore storytelling with  visual media.  Sara holds a BA in International Studies and Political Science from the University of North Carolina.

Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI)
Coach: Holly Morehouse with trainers from the David P. Weikart Center
Holly Morehouse is Director of the Vermont Center for Afterschool Excellence. Holly has over 15 years experience in project management, community-based decision making, and collaboration processes. Prior to her work with the Center, Holly was the State Coordinator for Vermont’s 21st CCLC at the Vermont Department of Education. Holly earned her PhD from Clark University and holds a Master’s in Systems Analysis and Economics for Public Decision Making from Johns Hopkins University.

The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality will provide training, support, and materials for participants in this strand. As the developers of YPQI, the Weikart Center is recognized for their expertise and extensive background supporting positive youth development. Weikart Center youth program quality improvement efforts are underway in more than 52 city or county-wide networks and 16 statewide initiatives. Trainers from the Weikart Center are dynamic individuals with a depth of experience supporting afterschool programs.

Create Capacity to Engage, Teach and Build Community
Coach: Jen Stanchfield
Jen Stanchfield owns and operates Experiential Tools, a Vermont-based company dedicated to the art of experiential group facilitation and teaching. In her 20 years as an experiential educator Jen has worked as a clinician in treatment programs for children and adolescents, a teacher, a professional trainer and as a challenge course facilitator. Through these diverse experiences with groups of all ages she has developed a repertoire of practical activities, tools, and teaching strategies that she enthusiastically shares with other educators and group facilitators in her professional development programs, team-building workshops, training sessions, and publications. Jen is the author of A Teachable Moment and Tips and Tools: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation and earned her Master’s in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Setting a Vision for Excellence in Summer Programming
Coach: Jennifer Brady
Jennifer Brady is an independent consultant  for afterschool and summer programs based out of Portland, Maine. Most recently, Jennifer served as vice president of program quality and member services at the National Summer Learning Association, providing leadership and strategic direction for program improvement initiatives and working to build a professional community by providing learning experiences and resources. Jennifer is a principal author of Making the Most of Summer: A Handbook on Effective Summer Programming & Thematic Learning and has consulted with summer programs nationally to facilitate program design, strategic planning, and staff training. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College.

Coach for Full-Year Strand

New Directors’ Strand
Coach: Lynne Feal-Staub
Lynne Feal-Staub is Senior Project Manager with the Vermont Center for Afterschool Excellence. In this capacity, Lynne works with programs across Vermont to support high-quality, sustainable programs and leads initiatives through the Center with these same goals. Lynne brings a wealth of experience around program development, evaluation, and sustainability to her work. Lynne’s experience in these areas stem from practical applications and have further evolved as she has provided extensive consultation and technical assistance to programs statewide.  Lynne is an experienced grant writer, securing $1.9 million in grant funds to date. Lynne holds a Master’s in Social Work and a BA in Social Work and Psychology, both from the University of Wisconsin.

Coaches for Spring Strands 2012

Raising Funds to Support Afterschool
Coach: Christine Graham
Christine Graham is a specialist in Nonprofit Management and Fundraising and the President of CPG Enterprises. Christine has worked with hundreds of nonprofit organizations over the past 40 years, specializing in fundraising planning and coaching, with a focus on capital campaigns and building new and advancing annual fund programs. Christine is the author of several publications focusing on fundraising, including: Keep the Money Coming: a Strategic Guide to Annual Fundraising, Asking, Practice Makes Perfect, and most recently Raising Money for Local Land Projects. She is editor and publisher of Nonprofit Vermont Newsletter, and founded and edited the Vermont Directory of Foundations for 20 years. Christine was the founder and first director of the Governor’s Institute of Vermont, and held the positions of Director of Special Projects and Director of Development at Bennington College. Christine currently teaches in the Masters Program at Marlboro College and holds a MEd in Organization and Management from Antioch Graduate School and a BA in Literature and Music from Bennington College.

Science, Engineering, and Technology in Afterschool
Coach: Sarah Kleinman
Sarah Kleinman is the University of Vermont 4-H Program Director, which focuses on providing positive opportunities for youth in the areas of healthy living, citizenship, and science, engineering and technology. Working in a variety of non-profit settings for the past 15 years, Sarah’s experience includes developing curriculum and evaluation plans for youth development programs, managing budgets and personnel, as well developing and managing volunteer programs. Sarah received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her Master of Public Administration from the University of Vermont. Sarah will be the lead coach within this ISS-AP strand and will be joined by three colleagues – Debbie Fajans, Lauren Traister, and Martha Manning.

Building Literacy Skills in Afterschool
Coach: Barb Russ
Barb Russ is the director of the 21st Century Community Learning Center in Winooski. Barb has over 30 years experience working within education and much of that work has focused on literacy. Specifically, Barb is the former director of UVM America Reads and Counts, has taught undergraduate and graduate level literacy courses at the University of Vermont, and presented numerous workshops around literacy and best practices in education throughout Vermont and nationally. Additionally Barb has worked as a classroom teacher, Language Arts Coordinator, and principal within various public schools in Vermont. Barb holds a MEd from the University of Vermont in Curriculum and Instruction, and her BS focused specifically on elementary education/ reading  and language arts.

Positive Discipline Techniques
Coaches: Mary Rice Boothe and Eric Gurna
Mary Rice Boothe is Senior Consultant with Development Without Limits, a NYC-based consulting firm specializing in supporting afterschool and summer programs. In addition to the consulting work Mary currently provides to nonprofit organizations, she has worked as a classroom teacher, principal, education coordinator, and afterschool coordinator. Mary holds certification in School Administration and Supervision from Baruch College and master’s degrees in both English and English Education from City College.

Eric Gurna is founder and director of Development Without Limits. Eric previously served as Director of Staff Development for LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program in Los Angeles, where he co-founded the LA Partnership for After School Education. Eric holds a MS in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School for Social Research and a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.