Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinical Nurse Specialist in private practice

JoAnne Solchany, PhD, ARNP, IMHS is a Child and Adolescent Nurse Practitioner in Private Practice in the Seattle area. She provides Infant Mental Health Assessments and Psychiatric, Trauma, and Child-Parent Relationship Evaluations for private individuals, the State of Washington, and Federal Agencies. She offers psychotherapy and medication management from birth to adults. Additionally, she works with the courts as an Expert Witness and Consultant.

Consultant and Trainer for IIFP

Mireya is a consultant and trainer for the Institute for Innovative Family Programs (IIFP) and worked as a First Born home visitor in Santa Fe for four years. Currently Mireya creates the First Born/IIFP newsletter and handles social media for the two organizations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in German Language and Literature from UNM. Now a mom of two, Mireya was also a nanny after college. She is passionate about creating healthy boundaries in home visiting and supporting staff to stay inspired and engaged in their role as a home visitor.

Co-Founder, Dancing Turtle LLC and Project Manager, Embracing Equity 

Natane Lim has worked in early childhood education for 23 years in various teaching roles and classroom settings, both in the Chicago area and New Mexico. She has been involved in community social justice work for two decades, starting as a youth organizer for a nonprofit in Chicago. She is dedicated to dismantling racism to instill a better future for all children. As a Project Manager, Natane leads Embracing Equity’s New Mexico initiative to transform education across the state. Natane takes much pride in the work for New Mexico because it is her home, it is where her daughter attends school, and where she and her husband Chris (Check-It) have the honor of teaching break dancing to young people in the community at their studio, the Dancing Turtle LLC.

International Child Development Expert, Middlesex University, England

Dr Jacqueline Harding, MA, Cert Ed, SFHEA is an international child development and education expert. She is a frequent speaker and author of best-selling books for parents, practitioners, and children. As an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at Middlesex University she represented the UK in developing essential digital criteria and establishing best practices for broadcasters across Europe. Jacqueline pioneered and managed the Parentchannel.tv platform which was a groundbreaking film-based resource for parents and practitioners. She continues to work for children’s TV shows, such as Peter Rabbit, Teletubbies, Clangers, and Bing. Her latest book is called: The Brain that Loves to Play.

Director of Outreach and Education, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington

Amelia Bachleda, Ph.D., is the Director of Outreach and Education at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. Bachleda’s professional background bridges the gap between two distinct fields — education and neuroscience. She holds a Ph.D. in neurobiology and specializes in sharing the science of learning and development in actionable formats. She believes science is for everyone and loves bringing the latest research on learning and brain development to life in meaningful ways.

Vice President of Early Childhood Education, LANL Foundation

Anna Marie Garcia is LANL Foundation’s Vice President of Early Childhood Education. Having earned a master’s degree in early childhood/special education, she is presently pursuing a doctorate in early childhood social justice. Anna Marie is passionate about building and strengthening local communities through advocacy, education, and meaningful collaboration. Anna Marie has worked as a private consultant, offering training and guidance on early childhood and capacity-building topics. She’s also taught early childhood classes at both Northern New Mexico College and Santa Fe Community College. Along with her three sons, Anna Marie spent a year in the rain forests of Costa Rica, consulting at a bilingual school and developing an inclusive, special education program. In partnership with the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, Anna Marie is spearheading an initiative to strengthen early childhood and family support systems within each of the Eight Northern Pueblos. This initiative will bring together a collaboration of early childhood partners to facilitate child, family, and community well-being in Rio Arriba County.

Coordinator, Collaborative Teachers’ Institute and Classroom Teacher

Helen McDonald is passionate about nurturing children’s expressive languages as well as fostering their curiosity and love for the natural world. She honors children’s inherent joy and affinity for being outside, as well as the essential skills, self-knowledge, and creativity that are embedded in this experience. As a coordinator for the Collaborative Teachers Institute, she helps cultivate interdisciplinary, aesthetic inquiries based on the interests of children, families, and educators. Using a reflective process through the study of pedagogical documentation, CTI members work to make the complexities of young children’s creative processes and inquiries visible. Helen holds a BA in studio art and an MA from St John’s College. Other experiences include running a parent cooperative preschool for 11 years, working as a classroom teacher and college instructor, and spending a summer in France studying plein-air painting.

Founder and Director of Education, Early Education Equity

Lisa Kaplan Shaanan, MS OTR/L TMHP, is a thought leader and innovator in early childhood education and therapeutic intervention. Her work includes professional learning, coaching, advocacy work, therapy, and consulting to individuals, families, and institutions. Lisa is the founder and lead educator of Early Education Equity (www.earlyeducationequity.com). For 25+ years, Lisa’s work has focused on equity for children from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, racial, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds and diverse abilities.

Manager of the Coalition for Science Learning in Early Childhood at Explora

Victoria Roanhorse enjoys playing in the dirt, looking at insects and blowing bubbles with her five-year-old daughter, Lucille. Ms. Roanhorse is from Crownpoint, NM on the Navajo Nation. She has been in early childhood education for over 10 years. Victoria earned a BA in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Arizona State University. Through her work at Explora, Victoria provides quality informal STEAM programs to schools and communities. Her experience in informal education has led her to embrace educating others about everyday and cultural science. She loves bringing the excitement of science, mathematics, art and engineering to children, families, and educators. Victoria believes in building community assets and views communities through a strength-based approach.