aoleary@strategiesforchildren.org
Amy O’Leary is the Executive Director at Strategies for Children (SFC), an advocacy and policy organization that works to ensure that Massachusetts invests the resources needed for all children, from birth to age five. Amy is the host of The 9:30 Call, which was launched in March 2020 and continues four days a week building community and serving as a unique venue for information sharing, knowledge building, networking, policy and political updates, and moral support for the field. 9:30 Call conversations help cultivate real-time feedback loops between local practitioners and state-level advocates, funders, and policymakers. Other SFC initiatives include The Early Childhood Agenda, The Advocacy Network, and the Eye on Early Childhood blog.
Amy joined SFC in 2002 as the early childhood field director and has also served as the Early Education for All Campaign’s deputy director. Prior to that, Amy worked as a preschool teacher and program director at Ellis Early Learning in the South End of Boston. In March 2017 Amy was elected twice to serve 4-year terms on the governing board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and served as President from June 2018-2020. She serves on the adjunct faculty at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Cambridge College and University of Wisconsin, Whitewater teaching course in advocacy, leadership and policy. In July 2020, Amy was appointed an Alumna Trustee for a four-year team to serve on both the Skidmore College Board of Trustees and Alumni Board. Amy is a member of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Advisory Committee and Workforce Council. Amy also serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Investment Fund in Boston and is a member of the Ellis Early Learning Board of Directors. Amy earned a Master’s in Public Administration degree from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and early education from Skidmore College.
tdosremedios@strategiesforchildren.org
Titus is Deputy Director at Strategies for Children (SFC), a policy and advocacy organization focused on high-quality early education in Massachusetts. He manages SFC's general operations, grant writing, internship program, and research and data strategy. Titus manages SFC initiatives including the Advocacy Network for Early Education and Care, and the Massachusetts Partnership for Infants and Toddlers, a statewide public-private collaboration. He currently serves as co-chair of the MA Early Childhood Funder Collaborative's Community Advisory Committee. He has previously led SFC's Community Readiness initiative, consulting with local communities on preschool planning and expansion efforts, and co-facilitating the New Bedford Birth–3rd Partnership from 2016–2020. Titus had previously served as Director of Research and Policy from 2014–2021. He first joined SFC in 2008 as Research and Policy Associate.
Prior to joining SFC Titus held a variety of in-school and out-of-school time teaching positions in Rhode Island, including life skills instructor, violence prevention educator, and second grade teaching assistant. Titus earned a MA in urban education policy from Brown University, and holds a BA in communications studies and Spanish from the University of Rhode Island.
mfear@strategiesforchildren.org
Marisa is Director of Policy at Strategies for Children (SFC) and assists with advocacy, research, policy, and communication efforts. This includes managing SFC's COVID-19 supports: producing daily advocacy calls for the early education and care field, documenting the ongoing challenges, monitoring data trends, state and national budget proposals, and EEC policy changes. Marisa facilitates the Speakers’ Bureau, a statewide cohort of early educators, and partners with the field to build advocacy capacity in local communities. She also works closely with SFC interns and manages collaborations with external partners. Marisa is a member of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) working group on Early Childhood and Out-of-School Time. She is a former SFC intern and previously served as Project Manager.
Prior to joining SFC, Marisa worked as a preschool teacher and program director in Chicago, Illinois. During her time as program director she focused on curriculum and instruction. Marisa earned a B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience, as well as Spanish, at the University of Michigan. She holds a M.Ed in Human Development and Psychology (Child Advocacy) from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
dgarcia@strategiesforchildren.org
Diagneris "Nery" García is the Director of Communications for Strategies for Children (SFC) and leads the charge on internal and external communications to promote the mission, values, and priorities of SFC. Her goal is to raise awareness and amplify the diverse voices that support policy and advocacy for accessible, high-quality early education and care programs that enroll children from birth to age 5 across Massachusetts. In her work, Nery leverages existing tools for sharing information and engaging the field and the public, collaborates with SFC’s team and partners, and creates new intentional and inclusive strategies.
Prior to joining SFC, Diagneris built a long, versatile nonprofit career developing and implementing programs, services, events while providing capacity building and communications support to individuals, families, organizations, and communities across RI and MA within interdisciplinary fields, including health and human services; education (early childhood, public K-12, post-secondary, and adult); workforce development; and community engagement. She previously served on the Providence Public Schools School Board as Vice President and Co-Chair of the Health & Wellness Committee. Diagneris holds a BA in International Relations: Latin America/Regional Politics and Cultural Anthropology from Boston University and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University.
mmahoney@strategiesforchildren.org
Marge Mahoney is Director of Finance and Operations at Strategies for Children (SFC) and is responsible for the accounting, human resources, and business management functions internal to the organization.
Marge comes to SFC with over a decade of experience as the business manager for Southborough Extended Day Program, a before and after school program. In her work there, Marge led financial management and accounting in addition to handling payroll and managing customer/family accounts. She previously held positions in bank marketing and bookkeeping and, for 16 years, was a part-time piano teacher. Marge earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Fitchburg State University. |
