CO-PRESIDENT

Lauren Birchfield Kennedy is Co-President and Chief Strategy Officer at Neighborhood Villages, which she co-founded with Sarah Muncey. Kennedy guides, evaluates, and executes the organization’s strategic vision and policy objectives.  She oversees external relations, including government affairs, strategic partnerships, development, and communications, to further the impact, sustainability and scalability of Neighborhood Villages’ mission and programs.  

Prior to co-founding Neighborhood Villages, Kennedy served as the Director of Health Policy at the National Partnership for Women & Families in Washington, D.C., where she directed the organization’s health policy portfolio and oversaw advocacy strategy for key policy initiatives, including implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and comprehensive health care payment and delivery system reform. 

Kennedy is recognized as a leading voice in the call for comprehensive reform of the early education and care delivery system, both in Massachusetts and nationally. She has published numerous academic articles and op-eds, including in The New York Times. Kennedy’s policy and political analyses have been featured in diverse media outlets, including the Boston Globe, Forbes, NPR, and Bloomberg Businessweek.  

Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Kennedy resides in Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

CO-PRESIDENT

Neighborhood Villages is a systems-change non-profit working to realize a transformed, equitable early education and child care system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. Neighborhood Villages designs and scales innovative and collaborative solutions to the biggest challenges facing early education and child care providers serving families with young children and advances sustainable, equity-driven systems change through advocacy, education, and policy reform.

In her role, Sarah works closely with Neighborhood Villages’ community of early education and care providers, teachers, program partners, families, and children to imagine what a functional child care system could be. To demonstrate proof of concept, Sarah designs and implements innovative, scalable solutions to some of the biggest challenges plaguing our current, broken system.

Sarah has dedicated her career to improving access to affordable, high-quality education and care. Prior to co-founding Neighborhood Villages with Lauren Birchfield Kennedy, she spent 12 years at Boston Collegiate Charter School, one of Boston’s highest-performing public schools. There, she served first as 7th grade English teacher, then Director of Operations, and, finally, as the Director of Family and Community Relations. Prior to joining Boston Collegiate Charter School, Sarah began her career as a corps member of Teach for America, teaching 8th grade English in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sarah is recognized as a leading voice in the call for comprehensive reform of the early education and care delivery system, both in Massachusetts and nationally. Sarah's work has been featured in diverse media outlets, including the Fortune, USA Today, NPR, and the Boston Globe. Sarah graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EARLY EDUCATION SUPPORTS

Alina has dedicated over thirty years to the early education industry, working in various capacities. Her most recent role was Family Support Coordinator at a Neighborhood Villages partnering program. Throughout her career, she specialized in early education licensing and compliance. Starting as a center-based licensing specialist and working her way up, she became a supervisor and eventually the Metro Boston Regional Director for the Department of Early Education and Care. She oversaw the second-largest regional office in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

As an expert in empowering Family Child Care and Center-Based programs to succeed by prioritizing business operations, health and safety, and classroom design, her top priority is to guarantee the prosperity and growth of these programs.

Lopez Thomas is a confident leader who empowers women to unleash their entrepreneurial potential. Her business planning and marketing consulting services have helped women achieve their goals efficiently and confidently. Under Alina's guidance, women acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to leverage their transferable skills and excel in entrepreneurship.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from Cambridge College and received a digital marketing certificate from General Assembly. She is a lifelong learner and actively volunteers in various groups. Alina is an advisory board member for the Boston Family Engagement Network and Field's Corner Mainstreets.

Alina and her husband are both from Boston, with roots in Roxbury and Dorchester. They have the privilege of having four adult children and four grandchildren. During their leisure time, they like to venture into nature and try different brunch places.

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH

Amaris Kinne is Director of Research at Neighborhood Villages. In her role, Kinne leads the advancement of Neighborhood Villages' state and national child care policy portfolio. Prior to joining Neighborhood Villages, Kinne spent the last decade working in various capacities on anti-poverty research, innovation, policy, and programs. Most recently, she served as the Project Manager for the Massachusetts Association for Community Action’s workforce development initiative to increase early childhood educators’ capacity to deliver trauma-informed care. Prior to that, she spent four years as a Senior Innovation Manager at the Boston-based nonprofit, Commonwealth, managing projects to tackle financial insecurity. Kinne started her career as an ESL teacher in New York City and has remained connected to education throughout her career. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development from Boston College, a Master’s in Education from Lehman College (CUNY), and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University. She is active in her community in Cambridge, where she has lived for the past six years.

CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER

Binal Patel is the Chief Program Officer at Neighborhood Villages. In her role, she collaborates with early learning providers, educators, program partners, and public sector agencies to create systems change solutions to meet the needs of the early education workforce and the families they serve. In her role, Binal oversees the full spectrum of Neighborhood Villages’ direct service programs, including the Neighborhood, an innovation lab to test and evaluate scalable solutions to address systemic challenges in the early childhood education sector. Her work also includes bringing effective innovations to scale in partnership with government, including Neighborhood Villages’ Registered ECE Apprenticeship program for early education teachers and Directors.

Prior to this role, Patel was a Director and preschool educator herself for many years. Patel graduated with a Masters in Early Childhood Education from New York University, and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION COACH

Christine Ashman has been in the early education field for over 25 years. Her previous roles include family group childcare owner, special education aide, lead teacher in infant and preschool classrooms, and program specialist. She has considerable experience working with dual language learners. She has an M.Ed. in Early Childhood and Special Education, and an M.A. in International Communication. Christine was born in Boston and grew up in Plymouth. She has lived in China, Hong Kong, England, and Australia. She has been an advocate for early care and education and for providers throughout her career. She is currently a member of the Strategies for Children Advocacy Network, 3rd Cohort. She works in early education and advocates for it because quality early learning environments make a real difference in children’s lives.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION COACH

Dr. Daniel Gonzalez has nearly 25 years of early education experience both in the classroom and as an administrator. Starting his career at Newton North High School where he was the first male to complete the early education program, he spent many years working with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. He led several early education centers in Massachusetts and North Carolina.

Dr. Gonzalez holds a Doctorate of Education in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership from Northeastern University, a Master's of Science in Educational Studies from Wheelock College, a Master’s level Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Wheelock College, a Bachelor's of Science in Human Development from Wheelock College, and an Associate's of Science in Early Childhood Education from MassBay Community College.

Daniel has most recently taught college courses in Early Education at Dean College and Quincy College, rewriting and redesigning the entire early education and elementary education programs at Quincy College. He regularly presents on topics of early education both in Massachusetts and nationally, most recently at the 2022 NAEYC Conference in Washington, DC. He currently resides in Massachusetts with his fiancé Tim and his dog Bella.

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE PROGRAMS

Devin Cole is the Senior Director of Workforce Programs, leading Neighborhood Villages' efforts to grow and strengthen the early care and education workforce in Massachusetts. Prior to Neighborhood Villages, Devin worked in government and in coworking. He led the City of Boston's ONEin3 Boston initiative (now SparkBoston), engaging Boston's 20–34-year-old population in city government and the city's professional, social, and civic communities, with a focus on retaining that age group in Boston. Devin carried this network building fous to Boston World Partnerships, an economic development non-profit started by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and then to Workbar, a Boston-founded coworking company. At Workbar, Devin contributed to all aspects of the business, helping to grow it from a small startup to a 10-location network in Greater Boston. Devin is a native Bostonian. He currently lives in Roslindale with his wife, Teal, and daughters, Cecilia and Margaret. He is a graduate of Harvard College, with an A.B. in History.

CHIEF OF POLICY

Elizabeth Leiwant is Chief of Policy at Neighborhood Villages. In this role, she leads the integration of Neighborhood Villages' work into state and federal policy. Prior to joining Neighborhood Villages, Elizabeth worked on advancing educational equity and access in a variety of direct service and policy roles, most recently as a staffer for the Joint Committee for Education at the Massachusetts State Legislature. Elizabeth is a former teacher and school leader and started her career as a child care teacher and out of school time educator in New York City. She holds a bachelor's degree in public policy from Bowdoin College, a master's degree in education from Lesley University and a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University. Elizabeth lives in Somerville with her husband and two children.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION COACH

Erica grew up in Watertown, CT. She completed her education at Boston College, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Music. That summer, she began teaching as an Assistant Toddler Teacher in Newton, MA, emphasizing the strengths-based Brazelton Touchpoints Center approach to early childhood development. There, she fell in love with teaching young children and witnessing how quickly children grow and change through their early years. She became especially passionate about helping children label and navigate their big feelings and brought her love for music into the classroom by making up silly songs, playing instruments, and playing many genres of music for the kids. She is also grateful for the time she spent working as a Lead Toddler Teacher at BU Children’s Center, where she had the opportunity to train and mentor the college students working in her classroom. It was there that her interest in coaching blossomed!

Erica is a self-professed nerd outside the classroom and enjoys watching anime, reading manga, and playing her Nintendo Switch. She also loves trying new restaurants, delicious coffee, and spending time with family and friends.

DIRECTOR OF GRANTS MANAGEMENT

Joan Corcoran is the Director of Grants Management at Neighborhood Villages. Before joining Neighborhood Villages, Corcoran lent her grants management expertise to the Bridgeport Public School system in Bridgeport, CT. Corcoran was responsible for securing funding for a multitude of program areas across the district inclusive of early learning, mathematics, SEL, mental health supports, school security initiatives, and much more. Corcoran has experience working with federal, state, and private funders. Prior to her time with Bridgeport Public Schools, Corcoran worked in development for a child abuse prevention and awareness non-profit in Stamford, CT.

Corcoran graduated from Merrimack College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and received a Masters of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

GOOD JOBS CHALLENGE PROJECT MANAGER

Julyana Porto is a Student Support Associate at Neighborhood Villages. In this role, she is responsible for supporting students with determining the best course placement in the Professional Pathways portfolio to meet their professional development goals. Prior to joining the Neighborhood Villages team, Porto was a full-time nanny to the coolest toddler in Cambridge, MA. She always felt very rewarded working with young children and such feeling was intensified while working at The Family Cooperative (TFC), an early childhood center in Watertown, MA. Serving at TFC as a teacher assistant in the infant room, she quickly realized that good quality early childhood care is a right and a fundamental step in the developmental growth of each individual child and its community as well. Porto is a native of the northeast of Brazil, where she graduated from law school. While attending law school, she volunteered as a legal assistant at NACC (Núcleo de Apoio à Criança com Câncer), a support center for low-income families with children battling cancer. There she assisted the new families admitted to the program with finding affordable living, child care, and medical care. Since moving to the United States in 2015, she has been providing the Latino community help with immigration law. Porto currently resides in Massachusetts with her wife and two dogs.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Kate Armstrong is Chief of Staff at Neighborhood Villages. In her role, Armstrong directs organizational operations and other strategic priorities. Prior to joining Neighborhood Villages, Armstrong worked for 11 years in charter school operations in some of the highest performing charter schools in Boston. Most recently, she led operations for Uncommon Schools’ four Roxbury Prep schools in Boston as the Associate Chief Operating Officer for six years. Prior to that, she served in various school operations roles, including Director of Operations and Chief Operating Officer, at Boston Collegiate Charter School for five years. She began her career in other education non-profit roles, including serving as the Director of the Breakthrough Collaborative program in New Haven, CT, and supporting teacher and leader recruitment for Uncommon Schools. Armstrong holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard College and a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and three children.

CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER

Katie Mayshak is the Chief Growth Officer at Neighborhood Villages. In her role, Mayshak is responsible for guiding Neighborhood Villages’ interlocking external relations and development strategies to expand its reach and resources.

Prior to joining Neighborhood Villages, Mayshak supported Boston area non-profit organizations, including the ACLU of MA, as a fundraising and strategy consultant. Mayshak began her career in the non-profit sector as a member of the development team at Boston Ballet, where she helped to lead the Company through a major re-capitalization effort. As the Director of Development for the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) for nearly a decade, she guided the museum through two transformational campaigns raising over $100 million and doubled its annual operating budget.

Mayshak graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelors in English and Art History. After graduation she pursued doctoral studies in Art History at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She resides in Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR OF EARLY EDUCATION SUPPORTS

Lacey Mallett is the Neighborhood Program Coordinator at Neighborhood Villages. Like many others in the field, Lacey began as an assistant in an afterschool program and worked her way through the various teaching roles before landing as a center director. After being in supervisory roles for over 10 years, Lacey decided to explore other pathways, which allowed her to grow her skills in project management and customer service. However, this hiatus only made it more clear that her heart has always belonged to the field of early childhood, and she is excited to have found a role that will utilize all of her experience.

Lacey has her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from UMASS Boston and considers herself a lifelong learner. In her free time, Lacey enjoys being active, spending time with friends and family, and working on projects around the house.

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY

As the Senior Director of Advocacy, Latoya Gayle leads Neighborhood Villages’ advocacy work. She has been an advocate for Boston’s families for the past 10 years. She served as founding Executive Director for Boston School Finder and was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Phenomenal Moms, a Boston-based organization that aimed to reduce educational, social, and economic opportunity and achievement gaps by increasing engagement in schools and communities among parents and families of color. Gayle is also a Racial Equity Strategist and on the Board of Embracing Equity, a social change agency dedicated to centering racial justice in education through racial and ethnic identity development, critical consciousness, and critical action. She has also worked closely with Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP), a professional development and strategy organization that is focused on the intentional, developmental, and complex work that is associated with changing mindsets around equity and dismantling systemic oppression and racism. In response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Armaud Arbery, she co-founded and produced March Like a Mother for Black Lives Boston, a powerful and empowering rally that took place at Boston’s historic Copley Square on June 27, 2020. Calling on all mothers to stand in solidarity against anti-blackness and racism, March Like a Mother featured a diverse panel of speakers including Boston’s new mayor, then city councilor Michelle Wu, Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins, and Rep. Liz Miranda. Organized in just three weeks, the rally assembled 20 partners and sponsors and more than 500 socially distanced attendees and hundreds of live streams. Gayle lives with her family in Boston and has four children.

DIRECTOR OF APPRENTICESHIPS

Lauren Cooke is the Director of Apprenticeships a Neighborhood Villages. Outside of work you can find her being mom to two wonderful kiddos, writing music as a creative outlet and hiking waterfall trails on one of NH’s great 48! Her professional life is constructed on a strong foundation of teaching and leading in early education. Most recently, she led a Boston non-profit, working to empower teachers and schools in STEM education. Now, she’s eager to bring that experience to NV!

DIRECTOR OF EARLY RELATIONAL HEALTH

Lisa has been in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and child development for approximately 15 years. Throughout her career, she has held numerous positions ranging from direct clinical care, supervision and program management, and trainer. She is also a graduate fellow of the UMASS Chan Medical School Early Relational Health program, a globally recognized fellowship for Early Relational Health leaders. Lisa is also endorsed as an infant mental health specialist in the state of Massachusetts by MASSAIMH.

Lisa is passionate about expanding access to care for our most vulnerable populations, specifically starting with our most vulnerable and youngest community members: infants and young children. Lisa strives to be able to develop systems of care in Massachusetts that can provide care and wellness for developing young children, their families, and their communities. 

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Meredith is an Administrative Assistant at Neighborhood Villages. She has a background in literacy education, and is committed to educational equity and accessibility for all students. She most recently managed the City’s First Readers Initiative at Literacy Inc., which connects New York City families to early literacy resources and programs. Before that, she participated in the two-year FAO Schwarz Social Impact Fellowship at Jumpstart. There, she supported the Policy and Government Relations and NYC Community Impact Teams with research, outreach, and early childhood programming. She has a bachelor’s degree in Literature from Hamilton College, and is currently a student at UMASS Boston’s School Psychology MSED/EdS program. Meredith grew up in the Boston area and is happy to be back and exploring her neighborhood in Somerville.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS ASSOCIATE

Nicia Talbot is the External Relations Associate at Neighborhood Villages, supporting the organization's external relations and development strategies. Prior to this role, she served as a Program Support Associate on Neighborhood Villages' COVID-19 testing team. Prior to this role she worked as a Contact Tracer, Mentor, and Case Investigator specializing in providing information to schools and childcare centers, completing outbreak investigations, and mentoring staff at Partners in Health, where she found helping the people of Massachusetts navigate the intricacies of the pandemic greatly rewarding. Nicia graduated from Johnson State College in Vermont with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology & Anthropology and was awarded the Community Service Award for extensive work locally, nationally, and internationally. She also spent many years offering excellent customer service and skill as a Massage Therapist after being inspired by the healing power of touch while assisting a family member after a spinal cord injury. She has experience working with and supporting community members in a variety of cultural contexts and brings dedication and enthusiasm to efforts bridging public health, social justice, and maternal and child health and well being. As someone who has worked in childcare and explored many types of childcare with her own children, she is aware of the challenges working families and childcare providers face and is passionate about fixing the problems before we pass them onto the next generation.

DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Pamela Thompson is the Director of Teaching and Learning NV. In this role, she leads the Teaching and Learning team, providing support to the programs in the Neighborhood. Pamela is a dedicated early childhood educator who has found her passion in supporting other early childhood professionals. She has held many roles during her career from teacher to director, in both non- and for-profit early education settings. Pamela also experienced public and private schools while preparing for her teaching license in elementary education. Prior to joining NV, she supported individual and collective professional development as an Early Education Coach with Head Start. In her experience, she has found that relationships (just like with children) are the key to supporting continued growth. She is passionate about supporting educators' on-going evolution as knowledgeable, skillful, and extraordinary teachers. Pamela loves providing tailored encouragement and engaging training to challenge educators and help them rediscover their passion for and their “why” of working with children. Pamela holds a BA in psychology and a MA in teaching from Simmons College. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Urban College of Boston where she aims to inspire the next generation of early educators. She enjoys continuing to expand her own knowledge in hopes of being a change agent bringing further awareness to the needs of early educators working to meet the needs of ALL students. Pamela lives in Boston with her wife and two cuddly fur babies.

APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Robert Whitehouse is the Apprenticeship Coordinator supporting Neighborhood Villages' Apprenticeships Program. Prior to joining Neighborhood Villages, he worked in Newton Public Schools as an Executive Assistant and then as a Program Coordinator. As the Program Coordinator, Whitehouse was responsible for running all the Adult Continuing Ed classes, supporting both students and instructors to provide the best possible experience in classes like Spanish, Italian, Pickleball, Woodworking, Watercolor, Acrylic, Yoga, Cooking and many more. Robert was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras with a Double B.A. in Journalism and English Literature. He currently lives in Brighton after moving to Boston 2 years ago with his fiancé, Natalia, and their cat, Killua.

DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE PROGRAMS

Shawn Fisher is the Director of Workforce Programs at Neighborhood Villages. She has worked within and alongside educational systems for over 20 years as an administrator, instructor, advisor, and project manager. Prior to joining Neighborhood Villages, Fisher was a program coordinator at Mass General Hospital, where she connected employees with educational opportunities and career development. Before her time at Mass General, Fisher worked at Bunker Hill Community College, managing a college transition program and teaching writing courses, and at JVS Boston, where she guided the integration of college and career readiness instruction into ESOL programs throughout Boston. She strives to make quality education accessible for all, and she has been known to offer impromptu college advising in nail salons, libraries, train stations, and friends’ dining room tables. Fisher received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Gordon College and her Master’s degree in English Literature from North Dakota State University. She grew up on Long Island, NY and currently lives in Massachusetts

PROGRAM TEAM ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Vinicius is the Program Team Administrative Assistant at Neighborhood Villages. Originally from Brazil, Vinicius grew up in Massachusetts with a mother who was an early child care provider. With an eclectic background working in the service industry, events planning, and children's theater, he enjoys working in collaboration with others to fulfill a common vision. He is excited to start his position as Program Team Admin Assistant and support the work being done for a cause so close to his heart.