Our team is passionate about improving the whole leadership skills of the early childhood workforce.

Our collective experience in early childhood leadership spans decades and continues to grow, as our reach and team expand.

Leadership Team

Jill Bella
Director of Professional Learning
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5059
Diane Boewe
Director of eLearning & Technology
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5315
Melissa Casteel, EdD
Director of Quality Assessment (City of Chicago)
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5483
Marsha Shigeyo Hawley
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3746
Donna Jacobson
Executive Director
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5233
Marie Masterson
Director of Quality Assessment (IDHS & ISBE)
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5109
Teri Talan
Senior Policy Advisor
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5060

Advisory Council

Eva Daniels
Family Child Care Consultant
Geania Dickey
Consultant, Arkansas State University Childhood Services
Luis Hernandez
ECE Specialist, T/TAS, Western Kentucky University
Kristie Kauerz
Director, National P-3 Center, School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado Denver
Tom Layman
QRIS (ExceleRate) Policy Director, Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development
M.-A. Lucas
Principal, Lucas and Associates
Karen Ponder
Distinguished Fellow, The BUILD Initiative
Cindy Rojas-Rodriguez
Executive Director, Together4Children
Kathleen Villano
Project Director, The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning
Margie Wallen
Vice President, National Policy, Ounce of Prevention Fund
Lana Weiner
Early Childhood Consultant
Cass Wolfe
Chief Strategy Officer, Child Care Services Association

Executive Support & Marketing

Marleen Barrett
Events Coordinator
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5267
Marina Magid
Research Associate
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5508
Kathy Wildman
Business Manager
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5148
Rachel Yen
Communication & Design Specialist
Chicago Campus
(865) 776-2956

Instructional Design & Technology

Julieta Alonso
Professional eLearning Associate
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5266
Amna Hasan
Professional eLearning Assistant
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5277
Heather Knapp
Research Associate
Wheeling Campus
(847) 707-1073
Nate Maldonado
Technical Support Specialist
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5697
Patrick Small
eLearning & Technology Manager
Chicago Campus
(847) 947-5268

Aim4Excellence

Jane Humphries
Aim4Excellence Specialist
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5468
Lorena Rodriguez
Aim4Excellence Manager
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5054

Professional Learning

Linda Butkovich
Report and Certification Manager
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5072
Iris Corral
Leadership Training Specialist
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5683
Robyn Kelton
Quality Training Specialist
Wheeling Campus
(630) 452-9052
Shuntae Richardson
Administrative Assistant IV
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5195
Barbara Volpe
Leadership Academy Manager
Wheeling Campus
(847) 947-5132

Quality Assessment

Erin Cetera
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3688
Wendy Connell
Report and Certification Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5133
Pamela Costakis
Quality Assessment Manager
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5212
Celeste DeGuzman
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5343
Michele Denton
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5778
Carla Everett-Turner
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3891
Katie Gaul
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3788
Wendy Guerrero-Rivera
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5748
Erika Hall
Administrative Assistant IV
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3768
Emma Hardy
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5329
Sarah Hasan
Scheduling Coordinator
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5221
Angela Hendricks
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5776
Jo Ann Hermanek
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5183
Kia Hill
Quality Assessment Coordinator
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3272
Winonah LaGrande
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3419
Sharon Lewis
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5264
Margaret Martin
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 621-3768
Nathalis Mosqueda
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5704
Cara Murdoch
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5648
Nasser Nabhan
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5814
Lauren Patton
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3428
Merlin D. Pero Soto
Report Review Specialist (CoC)
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3331
Catherine Rader
Quality Assessment Coordinator
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5764
Sherry Rocha
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5607
Daria Rymarzak
Report Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5057
Katherine Schmidt
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5199
Susan Schulhof
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5472
Phillis Shaw
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5708
Paula Steffen
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5136
Kimberly Taylor-Robertson
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3449
Khadijah Terrell
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3894
Ja'Re Thorn
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3791
Nancy Vazquez-Caban
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5463
Yvonne Williams
Assessor & Training Specialist
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5471
Melinda Young
Assessor & Training Specialist
Chicago Campus
(312) 261-3895
Migdalia Young
Quality Assessment Coordinator
Lisle Campus
(847) 947-5031

Careers

Join us, and use your skills to build a better future for children, one leader at a time.

View Open Positions

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