Britt Zimmerman
Brittain Zimmerman has been a Preschool Director for the last 12 years, 6 of them being at The Learning Loft at Kid Time Children’s Museum. Her program has a specific focus on play-based learning, developmentally appropriate practices and modern forms of community involvement. She has two children who keep her incredibly busy and loves to be active outdoors.
Chelsea Hocker
Chelsea Hocker holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development from Southern Oregon University, and has served as an educator for the past ten years in Josephine County. After 4 years of teaching preschool, Chelsea now works as the Education Coordinator for the three sites of Imagine That… Creative Children’s Centers in Grants Pass. Chelsea is also a monthly contributor to the ORAEYC blog. As a Southern Oregon native, Chelsea loves exploring the mountains and rivers of the Illinois and Rogue Valleys, and worked for many years as a tour guide at the Oregon Caves National Monument. As a Ranger, as a teacher, and just for her own personal amusement, Chelsea’s favorite pastime is composing songs with her ukulele.
Cheryl Kirk
Cheryl Kirk, is a registered dietitian and manager of the OSU Extension Nutrition programs in Jackson & Josephine County since 2012. Cheryl’s previous experience with parents and caregivers in the WIC program has given her insight on how to foster independent, healthy and developmentally appropriate feeding skills in infants, toddlers and young children.
SNAP-ED nutrition program staff will also be on hand to lead an exploration of the Food Hero web site where healthy food is fun, fast, tasty and fits your budget.
Darcy Van Duzer
Darcy works in early childhood special education at Jackson County EI/ECSE through Douglas ESD. She has worked in early childhood special education here in Jackson County for over 20 years. She has her degree from SOU in Early Childhood Development. Throughout her career, she has worked in different service models with children ages birth through 5 years. She is a mother of 3 and has 3 grandchildren. She is an advocate for children in her personal and her professional life.
Debra Zaslow
Debra Gordon Zaslow is an acclaimed storyteller who has led storytelling and writing workshops and performed story programs throughout the country. She has taught “The Art of Storytelling” at Southern Oregon University for twenty-five years. She holds a BS in Education from SOU, and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Dee Wetzel
Dee Wetzel is the Special Projects Coordinator for the Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD) in Childhood Care and Education at Portland State University is fluent in oral and written Spanish. She has been working in Oregon’s Professional Development System since 2011 as both the Training and Education Coordinator for OCCD and the Training and Technical Assistance Specialist for the Child Care Resource and Referral Network office. Her previous work experience includes over 16 years working in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs as well as offering social services to children in hospitals and providing child welfare services for the State of Oregon. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work and spends her spare time relaxing at home with her two cats Noche and Amora.
Pam White
Pam White is an Area Manager at the Park View Child and Family Head Start Center, Grants
Pass, Oregon. She has a small farm and enjoys gardening and doing crafts with her nine
grandchildren.
She has been an employee for Southern Oregon Head Start since 1996. First, as an Early Head
Start family specialist in Cave Junction, then as a family advocate at the Cave Junction Head
Start, until she accepted a position as area manager at the Park View Child and Family Head
Start Center, Grants Pass, Oregon in 2017.
Pam completed her Early Childhood Education Degree at RRC and continued her educational
focus towards family services by presenting parenting classes through the Family Connection.
She teaches several evidence-based classes such as Parenting Now, Nurturing Families,
Nurturing Fathers and Nurturing Couples, she is also skilled in Positive Behavior Intervention
Supports and is a presenter of Strengthening Families curriculum. She has touched many
families through her work as a Family Advocate and Parenting Class Facilitator in the Illinois
Valley, Grants Pass, and Medford areas.
Gary Glasenapp
Gary Glasenapp is an Early Learning Project Coordinator at the Center on Early Learning and Youth Development at The Research Institute, Western Oregon University. Mr. Glasenapp has developed training and other professional development opportunities using the Teaching Research Inservice Model (TRIM) since 1984. In addition to developing trainings, he has provided training, technical assistance and consultation to special and regular education personnel and families across the country. Mr. Glasenapp has made numerous presentations at local, state, national and international conferences and has conducted workshops on a variety of topics. He is also a Master Trainer as part of Oregon’s Professional Development Registry.
Jamie Cooper
Jamie Cooper has been teaching for over 7 years and has taught for 4 years in a Two-Way-Immersion bilingual program. She is known for using best practice strategies with her students that integrate the multiple intelligences, collaboration, science, and a lot of kinesthetic movement. She is also an advocate for teaching and learning in a variety of authentic learning environments. Students can learn anywhere! Last year she played a huge role implementing outdoor education in their school’s newly designed outdoor classroom and in other natural learning environments. Engagement, motivation, memory and enjoyment of the learning process all increase when students are engaged in curriculum through rich, authentic and meaningful experiences. Jamie is a passionate educator who loves sharing her innovative teaching strategies to both empower teachers and students to thrive and blossom to their fullest potential.
Jennifer Marcus
Jennifer Marcus has a BA in the “Practice of Art” from Mills College in Oakland, CA. For the past fifteen years she has been teaching woodworking to preschool and kindergarten children at Catlin Gabel School in Portland, OR. Using her art background and combined teaching philosophies of Reggio Emilia, emergent curriculum learning and the project approach, she is teaching the visual art of woodworking with a unique balance of critical thinking, creative design and empowerment. Her pedagogy encompasses a philosophy that woodworking is an exciting medium for all children no matter what type of learner they might be.
Since 1990, Jennifer has established woodworking programs at schools in California, Oregon and Washington for children ranging from three years old through middle school while conducting several Artist-In-Residence experiences up and down the west coast.
Kim Yasutake
Kim Yasutake received his MS in Teacher Education from Bank Street College of Education (NYC). He has been a preschool teacher and director, an Education Coordinator for Wichita (KS) Head Start, a college-level instructor at UC Davis (CA), and a child care licensor in two states. He retired recently from his licensing position with the Office of Child Care (OR). He is an Oregon Registry Master Trainer.
Landen Griffith
Growing up with a recording studio in his basement, Landen was surrounded by music. He dabbled with most instruments but gravitated towards drums and percussion. Now living in Southern Oregon, his process centers around experimental improvisation and his compositions are intended to be musical vehicles for exploring sonic space. Landen works at Roots and Wings Community Preschool in Medford, OR, and is endlessly fascinated by the power of music in early childhood development.
Lauren Petersen
Lauren Peterson, M. Ed., has been working in early childhood education for over 25 years. As a teacher/caregiver, advocate, program owner, consultant and counselor, Lauren has had the privilege of working with young children and their families in a variety of settings such as Early Head Start, Head Start, Montessori, YMCA, family support agencies and her own family child care program, The Butterfly House Early Learning Center. Lauren also has a passion for working with adults and has been an Adjunct Professor at Rogue Community College for the past 10 years. Currently, Lauren is an Early Childhood Project Specialist at The Research Institute at Western Oregon University. Recognized as an Oregon Registry Master Trainer, Lauren has extensive experience providing professional development on a local, state and national level.
Lisa Daly
She is passionate about transforming early learning to deepen meaningful experiences and connections, innovation, creativity, and reflection. Her professional work is centered around collaborating with educators to shift teaching approaches and transform learning environments to support children’s identities, inquiry, and engagement. Lisa is a professor of early childhood education at Folsom Lake College, child and family advocate, author, consultant, and presenter. She has co-authored the following from Redleaf Press:
Early Learning Theories Made Visible
Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children
Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play in Infants and Toddlers
Loose Parts 3: Creating Culturally Sustainable Environments
Loose Parts 4: Inspiring Family Engagement
Visit her website at https://www.transformingearlylearning.org/
Maruka Sada
Maruka es una pasante de consejera profesional licenciada en Phoenix. ¡Ella cree firmemente que todos merecen vivir su mejor vida!
Maruka is a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern in Phoenix. She strongly believes that everyone deserves to live his or her best life!
Megan Barella
Megan Barella, MS is the mom of a 10 year old son, and a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator and Master Trainer with a 20 year background in education from the preschool to the high school years. Through her community-based and online positive parenting programs, she helps families reclaim their birthright to happy homes and classrooms. Learn about Megan and her programs, and read her blog at www.meganbarella.com
Molly Clement
Molly is the Warm Line Inclusion Specialist with Child Care Resource Network. She has years of experience in early childhood special education and is able to offer a wide range of support to early learning programs through phone calls, emails, and on-site visits including:
• Ideas and suggestions for making accommodations or adaptations to the child care environment to create inclusive classrooms.
• Resources, recommendations, information, and specific strategies to respond effectively to the array of behaviors children may exhibit.
• Training opportunities on a range of topics related to child development, child care environment, challenging behaviors, assessment, and inclusion.
• Assistance on engaging parents as partners and sharing difficult messages.
• Information on services and resources available through other agencies.
Pamela Deardorff
Pamela Deardorff is the Director of the Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education (OCCD) at Portland State University. OCCD manages components of Oregon’s statewide professional development system, including a professional development registry, a trainer program and a scholarship program to serve the early childhood education community.
Pamela holds a master’s degree in education with emphasis in early childhood education and behavior disorders. She has worked in the area of early childhood education for over thirty years. Pamela has many years’ experience writing grants, implementing grant activities and evaluating grant outcomes in the area of early childhood. Pamela’s early years in the field were spent working directly with children as a teacher and a director of Western Oregon University’s Child Development Center, where she was instrumental in achieving National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation for the center. She has been involved in staff development and training, local and national presentations, and policies and procedures development.
Rhonda Schock
Rhonda Schock, from Rogue River, founded and operates Great Beginnings Childcare & Preschool, The Great Outdoors (a nature immersed, play based preschool experience) and Great Enrichments (a full bodied after school program) with the belief that play is the foundation on the road to the house of higher education.
Sara Stearns
Sara Stearns, M.Ed., is the current Executive Director for the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children. Sara received her M.Ed. from Southern Oregon University in 2014. She earned her undergraduate degree in elementary education from SOU in 1983 with an emphasis in early childhood education. Sara has worked in the field of early childhood education for over thirty years – most of those in Southern Oregon! – holding many positions including parent educator, teacher, mentor, and director. Her professional focus over the past several years has been on teaching, training and mentoring early childhood care and education practitioners.
Sara is an adjunct faculty member at Southern Oregon University’s School of Education. She is a Master Trainer for the Oregon Registry. Sara coordinates, plans, supports and conducts conferences and workshops for the early childhood care and education workforce though out Oregon. She is a native Oregonian and now lives in Oregon City.
Susan Hamilton
Susan Hamilton holds a MA degree in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. She is an Adjunct Instructor at Southern Oregon University teaching courses in Infant Toddler Development and Guidance. Her experience includes working as an Infant/Toddler Program Manager and as an Education Supervisor at Early Head Start. Recently, Sue became worked as an Endorsement Specialist with Oregon Rural Infant Mental Health Endorsement, assisting those in Southern Oregon interested in obtaining the Infant Mental Health Endorsement.
Talley Dunn
Talley Dunn received her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and Family Studies from Arizona State University. Previously she worked in Early Childhood and Family Support programs, including Early Head Start, for 45 years. Currently Talley is an Early Childhood Consultant. Her areas of training expertise include coaching and staff training in working with infants, toddlers, and families, and Circle of Security Parenting, Certified Infant Massage, Positive interventions for children who’ve experienced trauma, and the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework.
Tatiana Gallardo
Hello, my name is Tatiana Gallardo and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2009, I completed my degree as a Clinical Psychologist in Mexico in 1999. And completed my Graduate Degree in Oregon in 2003. I meet with families when they have questions about the emotional development of their children or when they are experiencing changes in the family or have questions. I provide with Behavior Observations and specialize in creating teams between the families and teachers with the objective of promoting well-being.
Tiffany Grimes
Tiffany Grimes of Evolutionary Consulting provides powerful trainings and coaching focusing on building resiliency, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness. Her focus is to help others influence human behavior through creating an understanding of modern neuroscience and ancient practices. Tiffany is a Master Specialty Trainer through The Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care & Education’s Oregon Registry Trainer Program offering Set Two Trainings in Mindfulness for Early Educators. She is also a consultant, life coach, speaker, and writer. Find her at www.evolutionary-consulting.com