Central Administration

Charlotte M. Brantley, President and CEO
cbrantley@claytonearlylearning.org
303.398-8578

Charlotte Brantley's career spans decades of leadership in early childhood education, with emphasis on teacher training, high-quality early learning environments, children's media, child and family policy, and state and federal program administration. Prior to joining Clayton Early Learning she served as senior director of the Public Broadcasting Service innovative Ready To Learn® television program from 2001 through 2006 led the Child Care Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1999 to 2001 in the Clinton Administration. During the 1990's Charlotte was director of child care and development for the state of Texas helping guide its child care system through dramatic improvements in response to a ten-fold increase in the annual budget to $350 million. Throughout the 1980's Charlotte was a member of the child development teaching faculty at San Antonio College, Austin Community College and the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Child Development from the University of Texas at Austin.

Barbara Sharp, Chief Financial Officer
bsharp@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5645
Barbara Sharp has more than 25 years experience in accounting and financial management, including work in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors.  Before coming to Clayton Early Learning in 2004, Barbara was Director of Administration and Finance for the Education Commission of the States, a national education policy organization based in Denver.  In addition to financial management at Clayton Early Learning Barbara also oversee the facilities and human resources functions. She is certified in management accounting (CMA) and holds a BA degree in Fine Arts from Earlham College and a Master of Science degree in Education from Indiana University. 

Helen Benson, Executive Secretary
hbenson@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5647

Helen Benson has more than 25 years experience in office support and administration, board and trustee correspondence, corporate records management and team-building in both the corporate and non-profit sectors.  Helen currently serves as the Executive Secretary to the President/CEO and Board Secretary to the Clayton Board of Trustees and Clayton Educare Board. Helen has specifically worked in the non-profit sector assisting executive management and boards for 12 years. Her ability to adapt, organize and communicate lends to the strong administrative team at Clayton Early Learning.
< br />Clayton Educare Management Team 

Catherine McCarty, Vice President for Clayton Educare
cmccarty@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5625
Cathy McCarty has over 25 years extensive management and human resources experience in addition to her teaching background.  Prior to joining Clayton Early Learning, Cathy served as Senior Vice President with Jefferson Bank & Trust, a community bank in Lakewood, Colorado where she had responsibility for varying functions including human resources and payroll, marketing and advertising, operations, and general services.  Since joining Clayton in 1994, Cathy has supported early childhood programs in diverse capacities including directing human resources, managing administrative services, and most recently, overseeing both Early Head Start and Head Start programs as Vice President for Clayton Educare. Cathy McCarty received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and elementary education credentials from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
Charmaine Lewis, Clayton Educare Senior Director
csmith-lewis@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5621
Charmaine Lewis has administered, directed and provided leadership in early childhood education programs for over 25 years.  She has worked specifically with culturally diverse children and families in Head Start in a variety of capacities such as pre-school teacher, family service worker, coordinator and manager.  Since joining Clayton Early Learning, Charmaine's responsibilities have included: Interim Director for Clayton Head Start and Director for Clayton Early Head Start.  She is currently responsible for day to day operations of the Clayton Educare programs.  Charmaine holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and a Master's of Social Work Degree from the University of Denver.

Jan Hommes, Professional Development & Education Coordinator
jhommes@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5619
Jan Hommes has worked in the field of early childhood education in diverse capacities for over 19 years.  Her wide range of experience include:  teacher for kindergarten and third grades, substitute teacher at all levels; program administration; training teachers through workshops and college level classes; and, consulting with programs on program quality improvement.  In her current position Jan is responsible for overseeing Clayton Educare teacher training, education, and credentialing; collaborating with higher education institutions relative to observation and practicum opportunities; and supporting curriculum training and enrichment within the Educare program. Jan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education,

Olga González-Robinson, Home-Based Coordinator
ogonzalez-robinson@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5616
Olga González-Robinson has 15 years of nonprofit experience and has served the community as a leadership, cultural competency, parenting and relationship consultant.  Prior to joining Clayton Early Learning she worked in other early childhood education programs as a family service worker and has been a program director working with underserved families.  Olga holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Chicano Studies from Scripps College in Claremont, California and a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. 

Liane Martinez, Center-Based Coordinator
lmartinez@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5624
Liane has worked in early childhood for 20 years and has developed specialized expertise in the infant/toddler age group. Throughout her career she has worked specifically with culturally diverse children and families in Head Start in a variety of capacities to include: teacher, center director, coach, and education coordinator.  In addition to Liane's professional credentials, her academic training includes a Zero to Three certificate from the American Montessori Society.  Liane has served on non-profit boards, graduated from both The Circle of Latina Leadership and Lideres Leadership training programs, and is an advocate in the Hispanic community.

Maureen Carney, Family Liaison Specialist
mcarney@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5605
Maureen Carney has nine years of non-profit experience working with diverse children and families in various settings, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation, community organizing, community health and mental health and relationship education.  Since joining Clayton Early Learning Maureen has worked to increase the utilization of mental health services for families by providing culturally relevant services to individuals, couples, groups and families. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Loras College and a Master's degree in Social Work from Colorado State University. 

Debi Flynn, Health & Wellness Coordinator
dflynn@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5612
Debi Flynn possesses a wealth of early childhood knowledge gained through more than 15 years of experience working in the early childhood education field including certification from the Head Start University.  Her expertise ranges from teaching in a preschool classroom to opening and directing a new private preschool facility.  For the past nine years she has worked in a variety of capacities for non-profit Early Head Start and Head Start organizations serving culturally diverse children and families.   Debi joined Clayton Early Learning in November 2002 and currently oversees health, nutrition, and wellness for the Educare program.   

Larcanne Allen, Information Systems Coordinator
lallen@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5603
Larcanne has over 15 years of experience working with computer information systems to include technical support for hardware, software, data and communication systems, and technology systems development and deployment.   In addition to her IT expertise, Larcanne is a seasoned trainer and supports the organization and enrolled families with technical training using a hands-on, multi-media approach.  Additional responsibilities include oversight of billing, record keeping, eligibility, enrollment, and purchasing systems within Clayton Educare.
 
Paula Smith, Early Intervention Coordinator
psmith@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5638
Paula Smith has 16 years of experience working with culturally diverse children and families in various leadership roles in early childhood education, including: kindergarten teacher, preschool teacher, assistant childcare director, and youth treatment counselor.  Since joining Clayton Early Learning, Paula's responsibilities have expanded to include coordinating education, disabilities, and the family and community component areas. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Indiana University.

Janaldo Mims, Center-Based Coordinator
jmims@claytonearlylearning.org
303.393-5626
Janaldo Mims has served in various positions at Clayton Early Learning for 10 years. He has worked with infants to preschool age children as a substitute teacher, substitute teacher coordinator, child family educator, and lead child family educator.  Prior to establishing his career in the education field, Janaldo served his country for twenty years in the United States Army as an Airborne Medic. Janaldo is also active with the development of children in his role as president of the Northeast Denver Optimists (Optimists International), whose mission is to bring out the best in children. Janaldo received a Bachelors degree in Behavior Science with a minor in Early Childhood Education from Metropolitan State College.

Clayton Institute Management Team

Nancie Linville, Vice President, Clayton Early Learning Institute
nlinville@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5659
Nancie Linville currently leads the Clayton Early Learning Institute. Nancie has an extensive background in early childhood, business development and technology. Nancie's 30 year career includes serving as the Vice President of Business Development at Educare Colorado during the initial statewide roll-out of the Qualistar Rating.  In her role as Director of New Business Development at the Community College of Denver she headed the college's effort to expand early childhood education programs and worked extensively with K-12 school districts across Colorado. Nancie was also Director of Corporate Relations and Coordinator of Best Practices in Education at the Education Commission of the States in Denver, Colorado.  During her tenure, she worked at a local and national level to promote positive large-scale systems change in early education and public school reform.  Her hands-on early childhood experience included serving as director of Russell Child Development Center, a Kansas non-profit early intervention special education organization serving 300 families.  Nancie earned her M.S. in Educational Leadership at Kansas State University and her B.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education at Emporia State University.

Lynn Andrews, Senior Director, Professional Development Services
landrews@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5659
Lynn Andrews is responsible for leadership development and coaching services to community early childhood education programs seeking to improve their quality, and for oversight of the Colorado Parent Information Resource Center.  She has more than 30 years experience in early childhood education and primary prevention program development and administration in Colorado and Connecticut.  Lynn has developed and taught curricula on diverse topics such as outcomes-based coaching, creating effective teams, action research, and strengthening parent involvement.  She currently serves as co-faculty and is on the program design team for the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program, a graduate level certificate program at the University of Denver.  As a Clayton staff member assigned to Educare Colorado, she had a lead role in developing the Qualistar Rating system and quality improvement model now being used statewide in Colorado to support children's school readiness.  Lynn holds a Masters of Science in School Psychology with an emphasis in early childhood from the University of Bridgeport.

Mary Maguire Klute, Senior Director of Research and Evaluation
mklute@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8556
Mary Klute has directed several multi-site research and evaluation studies, including evaluations of the Institute's two Early Reading First grants, the Denver Preschool Program evaluation project, and a validation study of a school readiness assessment called the ESTART.  She is an active member of the Early Head Start research consortium and the Bounce Learning Network. Mary's fields of interest and expertise include the examination of preventive interventions to support children's social and emotional development and school readiness, with a focus on children living in poverty, methodology, and statistics.  Much of her current work also focuses on how early childhood education programs can use data for quality improvement. Mary received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies in 1998 from Pennsylvania State University.

Brenda Cobb, Research and Evaluation Manager
bcobb@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5651
Brenda Cobb manages the Environmental Rating System that trains Early Childhood professionals to use the Environment Rating Scales to evaluate and build quality in early childhood programs across Colorado.  In addition to this project, Brenda is an evaluator for the BOUNCE Learning Network and conducts classroom observations and child assessments at Clayton Educare.  She is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector through the National Recreation and Parks Association and the National Playground Safety Institute.  Brenda served as the Reliability Manager of the Environment Rating Scales Project at the Center for Human Investment Policy at the University of Colorado-Denver from 2000-2004.  She earned her M.A. in Education from the University of Denver and her B.S. in Psychology from Colorado State University.

Tina House, Colorado Parent Information Resource Center (CPIRC) Program Manager
thouse@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5655
Tina House has been the CPIRC Program Manager for the past 3 years and has worked with the CO Parent Information and Resource Center since 1995 as the Training Program Coordinator  She has 21 years of experience providing direct services to young children and training of education personnel.  Tina has extensive experience working with educators and parent leaders and is a co-author of the training curriculum for parents to improve school-home connections.  She continues to develop state-wide partnerships to reach parents of children in Colorado's low-performing schools and districts.  Tina holds a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education with a specialization in Facilitation and Collaboration.

Geri Mendoza, Professional Development Program Manager and Professional Development Coach
gmendoza@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5656
Geri Mendoza has been in education for the past thirty years and began her career as a preschool teacher in the metro Washington, DC area.  The program enrolled children ages three to five, serving culturally diverse at-risk families.  Geri has a Bachelors of Science degree in Human Development, Child Studies from Colorado State University and a Masters of Education, Educational Leadership Certificate from Regis University.

Jeanne-Anne Moran, Resource and Business Center Manager
jmoran@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5659
Jeanne-Anne Moran manages the Institute's Resource and Business Center focusing on the development and production of training materials, scheduling EC trainings/meeting for the Clayton Training Center, grant support, and coordinating administrative support for the Institute.  She has worked as a Library Media Specialist, substitute teacher for PreK-8 and worked for a major corporation as a research and data collection analyst.  Jeanne-Anne's community involvement includes serving as Treasurer, Board of Director for the St. James Educational Foundation.  She has a B.A. in Psychology and Counseling Certification from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, and prior to relocating to Denver was working on her M.A. in Educational Technology at Texas A&M.

Caroline Ponce, Evaluation Manager
cponce@claytonearlylearning.org
Caroline Ponce is the Evaluation Manager for Clayton Early Learning Institute.  She has worked in Research development for the past 10 years in the health care field.  Caroline earned her BS in Psychology and Master's in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver.  She is currently pursuing her second Masters in Public Health from the University of Colorado at the Health Science Center.

Rebecca Soden, Early Reading First Program Manager

rsoden@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5654
Rebecca Soden has over fifteen years of experience implementing programs for children birth to five, including Early Head Start, Head Start and Early Reading First. She is responsible for the creation and implementation of a continuous improvement model for using data to effectively plan and monitor early childhood programs within these projects. She served as the Evaluation and Continuous Improvement Manager on a 2002 Early Reading First grant and as the Project Director on a 2006 Early Reading First Grant. In her current role, she provides day to day management of projects within the Clayton Early Learning professional development department. She has a special focus on supporting evidence-based programming, including teacher-child interactions, language and literacy development, and the innovative use of technology in early childhood classrooms. Rebecca strives to develop communities of practice within ECE programs in an effort to discover what researchers and teachers can learn from each other. Rebecca has a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Clayton Institute Professional Development Team

Shelly Anderson, Professional Development Coach
sanderson@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5657
Shelly Anderson is the Grant Coordinator for the Learning Through Relating (LTR) Project and works with the 0-3 Infant and Toddler Program.  Shelly began her career as a child development specialist with a Wave One Early Head Start Program in Iowa.  In the last thirteen years, she has worked as teacher, child family educator, and coach at Clayton Early Learning.  Shelly has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with an emphasis in Child Services

Joanne Dalton, Professional Development Coach
jdalton@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8553
Joanne is the Professional Development Coordinator at the Clayton Early Learning Institute. A member of the Quality Improvement team, she has provided direct support, training and technical assistance to child care providers in homes and centers as a coach. Joanne also has created and taught a variety of courses, trainings and workshops on topics such as Ethics for Early Childhood Professionals and Authentic Assessment, and most recently teaches Advanced Child Development and Approaches to Teaching Young Children in collaboration with the University of Colorado , Denver . She is a member of the Design Team and co-teaches courses for the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program Certificate in collaboration with the University of Denver. Prior to her return as an employee of the Clayton Foundation in 2001, Joanne, a native of Chicago, has worked as a child care home provider, preschool/kindergarten teacher, creator of two alternative schools , and trainer/educational consultant in both urban and rural settings. She is an endorsed trainer and worked for the High Scope Educational Research Foundation for 20 years. She holds a B.A. in Sociology - Northeastern Illinois Univ. in Chicago, a B.A. in Early Childhood Education - Metropolitan State College of Denver and an M.A. in Education in Whole Learning from Regis University in Denver.



Sofia Esteve-Sychla, Professional Development Coach and Statewide Coordinator for Family, Friend & Neighbor Initiative
ssychla@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5659
Sofia Esteve-Sychla coaches early childhood programs in the Denver Preschool Program and School Readiness Initiative.  In addition to this project, Sofia is the Statewide Coordinator for Family, Friend & Neighbor Project.  She has been in the field of Early Care and Education for the past twenty-five years, serving as a home child care provider, preschool teacher, and center director.  Sofia serves on the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Committee.  One of Sofia's greatest strengths is leading through relationships.   She has an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology, along with a certificate from the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program, a graduate-level program at the University of Denver.

Connie S. Green, Professional Development Coach
cgreen@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5654
Connie Green coaches early childhood programs in the Denver Preschool Program and School Readiness Initiative.  Prior to her work at Clayton she was the campus children's center director at Arapahoe Community college and Front Range Community college.  After 29 years of work in the field of ECE, Connie retired from the State of Colorado July1, 2007.  Connie brings more than 30 years of early childhood education experience and a passion for linking the provision of high quality early childhood services and early childhood instruction.  Connie graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland.

Melisa Jaen, Professional Development Coach
mjaen@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5656
Melisa Jaen coaches early childhood programs in the Denver Preschool Program and School Readiness Initiative.  Her experience in the early childhood field includes being a child care licensing specialist, a public health inspector, an early childhood career coordinator and advisor, as well as a trainer of the Expanding Quality of Infant and Toddler training.  Melisa has participated and coordinated professional development trainings for Spanish speaking child care providers.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Colorado at Denver, as well as Infant and Toddler Specialist Certificate from the University of Colorado at Denver.  Melisa is currently a graduate student in the Buell EC Leadership Program at the University of Denver.  

Toni Latronica, Professional Development Coach
tlatronica@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8562
Toni LaTronica works as a Professional Development Coach for Early Reading First and Denver Preschool Programs.  Prior to her work at Clayton, Toni was a center director in a community college child care center and a hospital based center.  She helped develop and implement the quality rating system for the State of Colorado and was an Early Reading First coach in a previous grant.  Toni received her Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education Program Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver.  She brings more than 30 years of experience in Early Childhood and a passion for creating quality learning experiences for teachers, children, and their families.

Paul Mezzacapo, Professional Development Coach
pmezzacapo@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8559
Paul Mezzacapo coaches for Clayton's Project REAL Early Reading First initiative, which targets language and literacy development in preschool children.  Additionally, Paul coaches for quality improvement at a site that is working to improve their Qualistar Rating.  He has worked as an Early Childhood Educator in a number of preschool classrooms, including Head Start.  Paul has a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education.

Sandy Minster, Community College Accreditation Project Coordinator
sminster@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8581 
Sandy Minster has more than 30 years experience in the field of Early Childhood Education.  She is currently adjunct faculty at Front Range Community College teaching the Early Childhood Classes and has taught for the community college system for 15 years.  Sandy has been an elementary school teacher, preschool teacher, assistant director and director for a center, as well as a multi-site director for School Age Programs and endorser for the School Age Accreditation System.  She was also the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship at Qualistar.  Sandy has a BA in Elementary Education and a MA in Early Childhood Education. 

Sheryl Robledo, Professional Development Coach
srobledo@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5661

Sheryl has over 30 years of experience within the field of education. She holds current teaching certificates in Colorado and Texas. Her classroom experience includes, early childhood, kindergarten and primary grades. Sheryl has participated in developing and implementing reading, cooperative learning, and computer science curricula. She is particularly skilled at applying curricular intentionality within developmentally appropriate practice. In her current role, she is a professional development coach and coaches for several initiatives. She helps create and facilitate various trainings for the early childhood community in the Denver area. Sheryl has an undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Elementary Education and 41 hours of graduate coursework in Education and Child Psychology. She is currently pursuing a Master of Education degree in Education and Human Resources with an emphasis in Adult Education and Training from Colorado State University.

                                                               
Laura Rothe, Professional Development Coach
lrothe@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-8573
Laura Rothe is a Professional Development Coach for the Learning through Relating Program at Clayton Educare.  Her experience as an Early Childhood Educator includes Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms as well as family education for the Early Head Start home based program.  Laura has a Bachelors of Science in Family and Human Development with an emphasis in early childhood and is currently working on a Master's Certificate as an Infant Specialist through the Erikson Institute. 

Claudia Rueda, Program Associate
crueda@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5653
Claudia Rueda works in the Institute's Resource and Business Center and assists in the development and production of training materials, supporting trainings/meetings for the Clayton Training Center, and provides administrative support for the Institute.  Claudia uses her bilingual skills to translate training materials, home link activities, and various Institute projects.  Prior to joining Clayton, Claudia worked as a Paralegal for a law firm for more than 11 years.  She received her Paralegal Certifications from the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc.

Clayton Institute Research and Evaluation Team

Deborah Gray, Program Associate and Trainer. 
dgray@claytonearlylearning.org
Deborah Gray is the Environmental Ratings System Program Associate and Trainer for and provides training to teachers, directors, and administrators on the ERS tools and playground safety.  She also conducts certification/reliability checks for Qualistar Rating Specialists and Quality Improvement Specialists throughout the state.  Deborah is a certified Playground Safety Inspector, is reliable on the Environment Rating scale tools, and is certified as a Parent Educator, birth to five, with the Parents as Teachers Program.  She brings 20 years of experience in the early childhood field as an educator in the classroom, a coach/mentor to teachers and parents, and a Child Care Licensing Specialist.  Deborah earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Family Studies from the University of Northern Colorado.

Diana Mangels, Research and Evaluation Associate
dmangels@claytonearlylearning.org
303-393-5655
Diana Mangels coordinates the Early Reading First Project REAL evaluation study and assists the BOUNCE implementation study.  She is responsible for the training and supervision of research assistants, and quality assurance.  Diana has been responsible for the coordination of several research studies, including the Early Head Start Longitudinal study, a previous ERF Evaluation Study and the Learning Through Relating research study at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas and is currently pursuing a Masters in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in research and evaluation at the University of Colorado at Denver

Renee McLaughlin, Environmental Ratings System Trainer
rmclaughlin@claytonearlylearning.org
303-329-5656 
Renee McLaughlin serves as the ERS Trainer for the project.  She is reliable in all environment ratings scales and brings twenty years of experience in the Early Care and Education field (teacher, director, coach, trainer, etc.).  Renee provides environment rating tool training and certification/reliability checks for Quality Rating Specialists and QI Specialists.  She is also a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and is certified by NPPS and NPSI.  Additionally, Renee is a local El Paso County trainer for child care professionals and organizes a year-round session of workshops in a variety of early childhood best practice topics.  She plays an active role in El Paso County by serving as a board member for Child Care Connections the local Resource and Referral agent and as the elected treasurer for the Pikes Peak District of CAEYC.  Renee has her BA in Organizational Management with an emphasis in Early Childhood from Ashford University

Luz  Mezzacapo, Research and Evaluation Associate
lmezzacapo@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8577
Luz Mezzacapo is responsible for the implementation of various standardized assessments in the Early Reading First Project REAL participating classrooms.  She provides data collection as well as Spanish bilingual support in the ERF Project REAL Evaluation study and other projects.  She has served as a Student Research Assistant as part of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center data collection team on a previous Early Reading First grant.  Luz's passion for Early Childhood Education began in 2002 when she joined an AmeriCorps team serving as a Family Service Worker for an Early Head Start and Head Start program in Denver.  She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Lori Robertson, Interviewer/Assessor
lrobertson@claytonearlylearning.org
303-398-8582
Lori Robertson is an interviewer/assessor for the evaluation of the Denver Preschool Program.  She has more than twenty years' experience in child assessment and program planning and is licensed as a school psychologist and professional counselor.  Her areas of expertise include children's social, emotional, and cognitive development.  Lori received her master's degree in School Psychology from San Jose State University