Early Childhood Policy Fellowship

Meet the Fellows

Meet our leaders from across the United States who are working toward creating high-quality, equitable early childhood systems.

Angela Barnes

Angela Barnes serves as director of early childhood-external partnerships for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. As the Lead Agency for Baton Rouge and the City of Baker, her department coordinates observations for 170 early childhood programs/schools as part of the state’s accountability system. With over 20 years of experience in the early childhood field, she has extensive knowledge and experience in early childhood program management, curriculum implementation, and early childhood assessments. Angela holds a master’s degree in Human Ecology from Louisiana State University and a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood from Florida A&M University. 

Angela Barnes

Jodina Clanton

Jodina Clanton serves as senior director of policy and program implementation within New York City Public Schools’ Division of Early Childhood Education. In this role, she leads policy development, strategic planning, and system-building efforts that advance equitable, high-quality early childhood programs. Jodina brings over a decade of experience in early childhood policy and program implementation with a focus on translating policy into practice to support children, families, and providers.

Jodina Clanton

Kalayaan Domingo

Kalayaan Domingo is a program manager within King County, WA in the Department of Community and Human Services. She is the lead for the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot, a $30 million investment supplementing the wages of select child care workers while studying the benefit of government investments in the workforce, including how wages impact children’s learning environments, worker well-being, workplace conditions, and more. Kalayaan has worked on innovative projects to address health, social, and economic inequities within local government for 10+ years. Kalayaan comes from a lineage of community and labor organizers, is a mother, and sees her strengths as a learner, connector and strategist. She also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington.

Kalayaan Domingo

Brittany Eaddy

Brittany Eaddy is the PHLpreK Provider engagement coordinator for the Office of Children and Families at the City of Philadelphia. In this role, she leads provider engagement and citywide initiatives that support quality in early learning programs across the City of Philadelphia and contribute to the implementation and continuous improvement of the PHLpreK program, the City of Philadelphia’s free, high-quality pre-K program. Prior to her current role, Brittany worked as an early childhood educator, teaching across age groups in both for-profit and non-profit settings, and later served as a quality coach supporting early learning programs through Pennsylvania’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Chestnut Hill College and an associate degree in Liberal Arts from the Community College of Philadelphia.

Brittany Eaddy

Caris Hall

Caris Hall is a planning and development coordinator for Early Childhood Development at Chicanos Por La Causa in Arizona, where she manages the organization’s primary Office of Head Start grants and leads statewide funding, community assessment, and planning efforts. She has extensive experience in early childhood systems, grant development, and public-sector finance, having previously served with the Arizona Department of Education and in leadership and faculty roles within higher education and early learning centers. Caris has led large-scale funding and planning initiatives supporting school readiness and family outcomes and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dubuque and a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies from Arizona State University.

Caris Hall

Tierra Harper

Tierra Harper, IMH-E®, is the manager of Omaha Child Care Partnerships at the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative and a credentialed Infant Mental Health Endorsed professional. She is a passionate advocate for sustainable, affordable, and high-quality child care with a strong background in early childhood development. Tierra focuses on addressing systemic gaps in early care and education, supporting Black Maternal Health, and promoting infant and early childhood mental health. Her community-centered leadership empowers families and early childhood professionals and strengthens equitable access to care across the Omaha-Metro area.

Tierra Harper

Eula Idemoto

Eula Idemoto serves as a director in early learning and care at FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, where she has worked for eight years in roles in communications, workforce strengthening, and family support programs. She has over a decade of classroom experience in various early care settings including subsidized, private, military, and care for unhoused children. She has served on the Local Planning Council, San Jose State’s Early Childhood Initiative Advisory Council, ParentChild+ Advisory Board, CDSS’ Equity-Centered Quality Rating Advisory Panel, and is a regional lead for EveryChild California’s ECE Voices.

Eula Lino

Michelle (Shelly) Jackson

Michelle (Shelly) Jackson is the preschool partnerships supervisor with Multnomah County’s Preschool & Early Learning Division in Portland, Oregon, where she leads systems-level initiatives to support equity-centered, inclusive early childhood programming. She brings 20 years of experience in education and early learning, with expertise in transformative leadership, systems thinking, strategic planning and policy development, and data‑informed decision‑making. Her work is focused on relational accountability, collaborative communication, and a commitment to transparency, adaptability, and results‑focused leadership. Shelly holds a master’s degree in Education from Washington State University and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin.

Shelly Jackson

Leslie McKinily

Throughout her 20 years within CPS, Leslie McKinily has served as a preschool teacher, instructional coach, professional learning manager, and director of Head Start and Preschool Programs. In her role as deputy chief officer, she led the Universal Pre-K expansion strategy and centralized the preschool application process for the district. Through a cross-departmental and cross-agency approach, she has launched the OECE vision and the preschool to 2nd grade strategy, including the creation of the P-2 Program Management Office.

Leslie McKinily

Kimberly Pena-Molina

Kimberly Pena-Molina serves as the early care and education manager for the Children’s Opportunity Alliance in Montgomery County, Maryland. Advancing the county’s Common Agenda for early childhood systems change, Kimberly manages the Access and Affordability Work Group, where she convenes partners to identify shared priorities, guide advocacy efforts, and drive coordinated action across the early childhood system. A former public school kindergarten teacher, Head Start contractor, and child care center director, Kimberly brings hands-on experience to her systems work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Towson University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Kimberly Pena Molina

Mary Scott

Mary Scott serves as the director of strategic initiatives at the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC). At NCPC, Mary helps guide statewide efforts to strengthen early childhood systems through innovation, collaboration, and policy alignment. With more than 25 years of experience spanning preschool classrooms, community initiatives, and state-level leadership, she brings a holistic understanding of what young children and families need to thrive. Mary holds an MEd in Leadership, Policy, and Advocacy in Early Childhood and a BS in Child Development as well as professional certificates in Non-Profit Management and Trauma & Resilience. Her work centers on designing strategic solutions that improve outcomes for children across North Carolina.

Mary Scott

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Jessica Klos Shapiro is senior director of policy and community education for the Early Care & Learning Council in New York State. Throughout her career, Jessica has collaborated with organizations, stakeholders, and lawmakers to build partnerships and advocate for the passage of funding and legislation to positively impact the lives of children and families. Jessica has served on the steering committees of Winning Beginning NY and the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, and on the Board of Directors of the New York Statewide Breastfeeding Coalition and New York State Network for Youth Success. She also served three terms on the public policy committee for Child Care Aware of America.

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Mathangi Subramanian

Dr. Mathangi Subramanian is the director of early childhood at the Colorado Children’s Campaign, where she advocates for statewide legislative, budgetary, and policy change. A neurodiverse, South Asian American writer and educator, she previously served as an assistant vice president at Sesame Workshop, senior policy analyst for the New York City Council, Fulbright Nehru Senior Scholar, and UNESCO Program Officer. She is also an award-winning author who writes for children, teens, and adults. She holds a doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Mathangi Subramanian

Beth Wallace

Beth Wallace serves as the director of engagement for Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, overseeing communications, membership, networks and advocacy. Previously, she was the assistant director for Bennington County Head Start. Beth has a long history of community engagement and leadership, and presently serves on several local school boards. She holds a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education Administration from Champlain College.

Beth Wallace

Giovanni Zuniga

Giovanni Zuniga serves as public policy manager at Pathways LA, a non-profit resource and referral agency in downtown Los Angeles. He advocates for policy and systems change to improve access to quality, affordable early learning for children throughout California. Giovanni collaborates with lawmakers and school board members to advance equity-driven policies and develops family engagement programs that elevate the voices of those most affected by systemic inequity. Previously, he was a field representative for Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson of California’s 64th Assembly District, where he managed issues related to homelessness, housing, education, and healthcare. Giovanni holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from California State University, Northridge, and a master’s degree in International Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California.

Giovanni Zuniga