Governing Board
Jamileh Almasoud
PRESIDENT
Hello, my name is Jamileh Almasoud. I have 20 years in the early childhood field as a lead, supervisor, early learning coach, early learning coach supervisor, Stars Trainer, PLC facilitator and co-coordinator for professional learning communities, and Early childhood faculty. I also have my BA in English Literature/Education, BA is Early Childhood Education, MA in Educational Leadership and my MA in Adult Education Currently working on my Doctorate in Adult Education. My areas of interest include teacher preparation including: environments, interactions, curriculum, assessments, guiding behavior, screening, anti-bias, advocacy, and family engagement.
Becky Parsons
VICE PRESIDENT
My name is Becky Parsons and I live in Spokane, WA. Currently, I’m the Early Learning Coordinator for NEWESD 101, serving school districts and ECEAP programs in the Northeast WA region. In this work, I’m fortunate to see first-hand the intentional hard work teachers put in each day to ensure a safe, high quality learning environment for the most vulnerable children and families in their communities. I appreciate the work NAEYC/WAEYC has done to keep the field of early learning current, centered on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and I will continue to advocate and contribute to the mission in my role as Vice President.
Tiffany Malicoat
SECRETARY
I began my career in Early Childhood Education in 2002. In the years since, I have had opportunities to care for, teach, and support children and their families in five different states from around the country. Within that time, I have worked as a lead teacher/caregiver in every age group from infant through PreK, been an assistant director, co-director, school education manager and even owned my own in-home center for a few years.
I am currently a senior in the Bachelor of Early Care and Education program at University of Washington expected to graduate next year and hold an Associate’s degree in Child Development and received a Paraprofessional certificate back in 2012.
I am on the PNW WAEYC board (Pacific Northwest Washington Association for the Education of Young Children) as the Professional Development Coordinator. I also am a member of the Kirkland Green Stewards Program. In this program I work with the city of Kirkland as a volunteer to help restore local parks. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my husband and two sons. I also enjoy reading, hiking, most outdoor activities (NOT related to snow) and traveling. I am eager to continue learning, growing, supporting and advocating for other early childhood professionals through the Washington Association for the Education of Young Children.
Bekah Cardwell
TREASURER
Before moving to a number of places out West, Bekah grew up in a small farming town in Ohio where cows and corn were way more plentiful than people. Once in the PNW, Bekah lived (in this order) in Eugene, OR; Olympia, WA (where she got her degree from Evergreen State College); and Portland, OR, (what a great 6-year stint!), before finally settling in the small town of Yelm, WA. Bekah’s worked with numbers in the nonprofit industry for the past 22 years. In her downtime, she enjoys playing video games, mowing lawns, yoga, long walks with spurts of jogging, hanging out with her partner and her daughter, and ‘sharing’ the couch with her pups and cats.
Christi Meats
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Hailing from the scenic Pacific Northwest, Christi has roots in the small conservative town of Des Moines, WA along the Puget Sound south of SeaTac Airport. While she appreciates the allure of palm trees in Palm Springs, her heart belongs to the lush landscapes of the PNW or does it. Christi embarked on a new journey in 2016, initiating youth summer day camps while still immersed in finance. By 2019, discontent with finance led her to become a teacher assistant, sparking a career pivot. Committed to student advocacy and culturally appropriate classrooms, she returned to school, pursuing a bachelor’s in applied science in Early Childhood Education, set to graduate in 2024. Balancing motherhood, studies, and a professional role fuels her passion for genuine connections and community support. Christi’s drive is fueled by the desire to contribute positively to others’ journeys and continually add meaningful chapters to her own story.
Christi’s has diverse interests. She finds solace in long walks, cherishes moments of meditation, and has a deep love for the water in Puget Sound. Music and dancing hold top spots in her list of passions, reflecting her vibrant spirit. Gardening, watching sporting events is a fun past time and savoring coffee (perhaps a little too much) are woven into her daily routines.
Family and friends play a central role in Christi’s life, fueling her enthusiasm for making genuine connections and being a support system in her community. This multifaceted individual is on a journey, weaving together the tapestry of her experiences in the embrace of the Pacific Northwest communities.
Joelle Crilly
COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
Hi! My name is Jo and I have 10 years in the early learning field, each year my passion growing deeper. I firmly believe that early education sets the stage for lifelong success, and I’m committed to staying on top of the latest research and best practices to deliver the highest quality care and education. In the most recent years, my focus has broadened; I have learned about the many factors contributing to the revolving door of teachers in the field. I have set my sights on doing anything I can to positively impact the retention, happiness, and growth opportunities of our educators.
Recently appointed to the WAEYC Board, I am thrilled to leverage this platform to further the field of early childhood education, particularly in the realm of public policy. I am deeply inspired by the commitments that our educators make every day to deliver high quality education while also potentially serving as more of a parental role to some of our children who may desperately need the care and devotion that we bring. We build families and communities in each of our programs with the goal of children thriving and learning to love learning! I am excited to continue my journey in education with this opportunity!
Carmen Moore
PUBLIC POLICY CHAIR
Carmen has been working with children for 20 years working with various age groups and settings. She has a BAS in ECE from North Seattle College as well as working towards a Masters in Inclusive ECE Curriculum from Portland State University. Carmen has worked in partnership with families of various backgrounds and comes from a multicultural background herself. She advocates for the children and families she engages and builds relations with and seeks to build strong communities. She is 37 years old and was born in Seoul, South Korea but raised in Tacoma, WA by a Black father and Korean mother. She is the eldest daughter in the family and currently works in Seattle, WA as a lead preschool teacher for PRLC Preschool.
Quarratulain Anny
Member-at-large
TBD
Khavin Debbs
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Khavin was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. It was there that he cultivated his love for being outside and experiencing nature. In 2013, he relocated to Seattle, where he taught at a Montessori preschool and finished his BA from The Evergreen State College and M.Ed from Antioch University. Khavin is currently working on a doctorate in Educational and Professional Practice. He co-founded a consulting business called Ujima Collective in order to not only talk to organizations about anti racism, but to also give BIPOC professionals the opportunity and resources to become consultants. Khavin is also an artist and photographer, and enjoys soccer, basketball, music, mycology, rock climbing, and going for walks with his wife Rachel and daughter Forest.
Joellen Monson
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Joellen Monson, M.A., L.M.H.C has been a licensed mental health professional since
2001. Her professional passions include early childhood education, working as a child
and adult therapist, parent educator, non-profit executive and serving as a community
advisor for multiple child focused organizations.
She has over twenty years’ experience leading human service, educational and human
resources programs in fast paced settings serving culturally and socio-economically
diverse populations. She has collaborated with community members and leaders, all
levels of government officials, managers, staff, educators, and non-profit coalitions in
support of planning, execution and achievement of business strategies and goals to
improve lives of families.
Joellen is proud of her work teaming with nationally recognized researchers in best
practices and incorporating evidence-based models to optimize child and family
engagement such as Washington’s Department of Early Learning (DEL), United Way
King County, University of Washington, Bezos Family Foundation (Vroom), Washington
Association of Infant Mental Health and Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child. Her
corporate work includes Costco and partnering with Microsoft.
Kristin Monson
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Hi my name is Kristin Monson. I care deeply about quality learning opportunities and meaningful support for educators in our region that work with our youngest learners (birth to age 8) and their families. I was born and raised in Spokane Washington. I graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Early Learning. I have a Coaching Certificate from the University of Washington, and recently completed her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership with a Principal Certificate at Washington State University Spokane. Most importantly I taught first grade, Kindergarten, and Preschool in the Anchorage School District for eleven years. Currently, I am the P-3 Early Learning Professional Development Coordinator at NEWESD 101. I sincerely enjoy yoga, spending time with family and walking her puppy named Goose.
Kiara Olsson
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Hunter Txaba
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Hunter Txaba (they/them) is an early care and education specialist at the intersection of research, policy and practice. A multilingual, anti-racist, early childhood educator, they have over 15 years of experience in early learning as a former preschool teacher, coach and director and more recently as a policymaker and executive administrator in New York City and the state of Washington. Hunter holds masters degrees from Stanford and Teachers College of Columbia University.
Stephanie Zappone
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
My name is Stephane Zappone . I am honored for this opportunity to serve alongside dedicated professionals committed to ensuring our shared community of Washington state’s children reach full potential. This starts in the formative early years and that is my passion. I love early childhood! The tenderness of care, nurturing environments, collaboration with families, and seeing children thrive. My 25 years as a preschool teacher with ECEAP /Head Start, along with my roles as coach/classroom quality specialist and now with ESD101 as an ECEAP coach, I see the positive influence teachers and caregivers make day in and day out with children. It is powerful and far reaching. In my role as a member at large, I hope to continue to inspire greatness in all that we do to care for children.
Raishawn Swensen
Public policy fellow
I am an Early Learning Professional who has worked in the field for over 5 years. From being in the education system as someone who needed an educator that represented me to now being in the field representing so many under privileged families. I have my Associates in Early Childhood Education that I received in 2021 from Pierce College and I am currently going to North Seattle College obtaining my BAS in ECE that really focuses on Anti Bias and Anti Racism and intentional teachings. Its my mission to support all families with equity and to listen to what it is they need and want in the education system. To advocate for culturally appropriate classrooms and assessments and to help support educators get the education, advocacy and, pay they deserve to be the best the can be for each and every child that enters into their classroom.
Ninderjit Gill
conference committee chair co-lead
Ninder Gill is a full-time tenured faculty at North Seattle College teaching in the ECE AAS and BAS Programs. She has over 15 years of experience teaching teachers with a focus on ensuring early educators examine their classrooms, curriculum, and pedagogy from an anti-bias
and anti-racist lens. She is previously served as the WAEYC executive director but is dedicated to continuing the work as a committee lead!
Jamie Cho
conference committee chair co-lead
Jamie Cho, Ph.D. is a consultant, writer, and teacher educator. Her scholarship in education focuses on creating joyful, equitable, and just learning experiences for all children that honors their identities, histories, and lived experiences. An early interventionist, inclusion specialist, teacher educator, field supervisor, researcher, and parent educator, she draws from her varied experiences to translate theory into practice toward realizing just educational systems.
