With 30 years in the private, public, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit sectors, William thrives on helping others succeed, exemplifying what is possible when communities come together to solve complex problems. His professional philosophy of service to others is an ideal match for Clayton as a place of opportunity for children to live into their endless potential.

William is a distinguished nonprofit leader with deep connections to the local and national philanthropy communities and brings a wealth of experience in strategic social impact development, program development, fundraising, change management, and business operations. Most recently, William served on the Global Business Advisory Services group at Slalom Consulting, leading global business implementations for social and private sector clients. Before that, he was the chief transformation and strategy officer for United Way Worldwide and also held a similar position for Mile High United Way in Denver. As the founder and CEO of the highly successful Denver-based consulting firm, Rebound Solutions, he designed and led significant systems improvement projects, including the transformation of Colorado’s benefits management system and the state’s first quality management system for early childhood education.

Sarah is responsible for prospecting, cultivating, and stewarding donors and grants on behalf of Clayton Early Learning. She also oversees internal and external marketing and communications, helping to advance the brand and recognition of the organization, as well as Clayton’s policy and advocacy work to influence systems leaders and advance the field of early childhood. Prior to joining the Clayton team in February of 2015, Sarah worked for the University of Northern Colorado as the director of corporate and foundation relations. Sarah has more than 24 years of experience in management positions with various industries, both for-profit and nonprofit, with skills in strategic planning, fundraising, program implementation, and community networking. Sarah attended Trinity College where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, and the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, earning an international master’s degree in business administration.

Becca is a mission-driven, equity-focused organizational leader with a track record of building and sustaining diverse, high-performing teams and positive and inclusive cultures. She has over 25 years of experience in education and non-profit organizations. Her specific areas of expertise include setting vision and strategy, talent management, leadership development, executive coaching, facilitation and teaching, and implementing strategies to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in both internal and programmatic work. Through her work with leaders across the country in hundreds of school systems, she has content expertise in issues of K-12 theories of action, governance, leadership, superintendent search processes, community engagement, and other core areas of school system performance.

Mark joined Clayton Early Learning in March 2020 to oversee finance, accounting, facility, and information technology areas. Prior to joining Clayton, Mark spent seven years as CFO with K-12 independent schools where he developed a passion for education and improving the learning environments for children. While working within independent schools, he was instrumental in restructuring labor and benefits platforms to help support and reward great teaching. Mark also spearheaded many transformational capital improvement projects such as a library redesign, commercial kitchen build-out, and construction of a state-of-the-art turf field. Before partnering with independent schools, Mark served nine years as CFO of the Vail Valley Foundation and played a key role in the acquisition of the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships. Prior to entering the non-profit sector, he worked in the accounting and corporate finance departments for T. Rowe Price and Vail Resorts. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lehigh University.

Paula has more than 25 years of front-line experience working in Early Head Start and Head Start programs, passionately serving culturally diverse children from birth to age five, and their families. Since joining Clayton, Paula has led and managed all aspects of education, health, mental health, early intervention, and child and family services to support school readiness and strengthen families. She has also directed and leveraged numerous community partnerships throughout the State, enhancing both quality and access to early childhood care and education programs, particularly for underserved communities. Paula currently provides leadership and oversight of Clayton’s school-based, home-based, and community-based early childhood programs with an additional focus on strategic initiatives that include professional development and coaching throughout Colorado. Paula earned a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Indiana University, and a master’s degree in early childhood studies, specializing in management, administration, and leadership from Walden University.

Melissa has 18 years of early childhood field experience, including seven years as an early childhood educator, 11 years of experience in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, and as a trainer for adult-learners. Melissa oversees Clayton's workforce initiatives including external training and services. Melissa currently provides leadership and oversight to Clayton's Quality Assessment Services, Coaching and Training, and Research and Evaluation Departments. Her specific areas of expertise include project design and management, instructional design, business development, leadership development, classroom assessments, and quality assurance. Melissa has a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Outside of work, Melissa loves to spend her time in the beautiful mountains of Colorado taking photographs, hiking, fishing, kayaking, or camping.