Who We Are

Contact a Project Lead

Project leads working on Nebraska's Preschool Development Grant play an important role in connecting statewide early childhood efforts with local communities. They help align programs, share resources, and ensure that initiatives funded through the grant reach families, early childhood professionals, and partner organizations across the state. By serving as a point of connection, project leads support collaboration between agencies that focus on child development, learning readiness, and family engagement during the preschool years.

Reaching a project lead can be a helpful first step for stakeholders seeking guidance on early childhood initiatives in their area. Whether a question concerns available programs, upcoming events, or general information about the grant, project leads can often direct inquirers to the appropriate resources. They serve as a bridge between families, early childhood professionals, and the broader network of organizations working to strengthen preschool experiences.

Project leads also support the broader goals of the Preschool Development Grant by promoting coordinated strategies that benefit early learning, health, and family wellbeing. Their work often involves sharing updates about statewide initiatives, gathering feedback from communities, and helping to communicate the vision of the program. By maintaining open lines of communication, project leaders contribute to a more connected and informed early childhood system throughout Nebraska.

For early childhood professionals, connecting with a project lead can offer valuable insight into workforce development, training opportunities, and quality improvement efforts supported by the grant. Project leads may help clarify how various initiatives fit together and how providers can participate in programs designed to enhance preschool quality. This type of guidance supports a stronger, more capable early childhood workforce across the state.

Families and community members may also benefit from contacting a project lead to learn more about services available in their region. Project leads can share general information about early learning opportunities, family engagement events, and resources connected to the Preschool Development Grant. Their role helps ensure that communities across Nebraska have access to supportive early childhood information and connections.

Do you want to find out more or do you have a specific question concerning one of our initiatives? We'd like to put you in touch with the right person. You'll find the contact information below for all our project leads. If you're not sure who to contact, you can refer to the document below for brief project information or you can fill in the form at the bottom of the page and we'll send you information.

Project Leads

Project Management: Josh Cramer jcramer@nebraskapdg.org and Shannon Mitchell-Boekstal-- sboekstal@nebraskapdg.org

Needs Assessment: Kathleen Gallagher-- kgallagher@nebraskapdg.org , Alexandra Daro-- adaro@nebraskapdg.org , and Traci Roberts-- troberts12@nebraskapdg.org

Strategic Plan: Susan Sarver-- ssarver@nebraskapdg.org

Learning Begins at Birth: Amanda Felton-- afelton@firstfivenebraska

Childcare Essentials/The Right Place: Holly Hatton-Bowers-- hattonb@nebraskapdg.org and Jaci Foged-- jaci.foged@nebraskapdg.org

Nebraska Childcare Referral Network (CCRN) Development: Nikki Roseberry-- nroseberry@nebraskapdg.org

Getting Ready: Lisa Knoche-- lknoche2@nebraskapdg.org

Ready Rosie: Marti Beard-- mbeard@nebraskapdg.org

Workforce Commission Implementation: Susan Sarver-- ssarver@nebraskapdg.org

Nebraska Early Childhood Campaign: Renee Wessels-- rwessels@nebraskapdg.org and Erica Sesay emnett@nebraskapdg.org

Coordinated Enrollment Pilot Expansion: Brandee Lengel blengel@nebraskapdg.org

Help Me Grow: Rick Helweg-- rhelweg@nebraskapdg.org and Holly Dingman-- hdingman@nebraskapdg.org

Ready Rosie -NDE Expansion: Jessica Boren-- jboren@nebraskapdg.org and Monica Huber mhuber@nebraskapdg.org

Coaching Collaboration: Melody Hobson-- melody.hobson@nebraskapdg.org and Lynne Brehm lbrehm@nebraskapdg.org

Step Up to Quality (SUTQ): Lauri Cimino-- Lauri.Cimino@nebraskapdg.org

Nebraska Center on Reflective Practice: Kelli Hauptman-- khauptman2@nebraskapdg.org

Communities for Kids Bilingual Consultants: Marti Beard-- mbeard@nebraskapdg.org

Social Emotional Support Infrastructure: Stacy Scholten-- sscholten@nebraskapdg.org and Lynne Brehm-- lbrehm@nebraskapdg.org

Expanded Access to Circle of Security Parenting Classroom: Tracy Gordon-- tgordon@nebraskapdg.org

Accreditation with the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health: Sami Bradley-- sbradley@nebraskapdg.org

Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators (CHIME): Holly Hatton-Bowers-- hattonb@nebraskapdg.org

NECC/AOK Business Training Series: Brandee Lengel-- blengel@nebraskapdg.org

Wonderschool Launch: Brandee Lengel-- blengel@nebraskapdg.org

Community Subgrants: Communities for Kids Plus (C4K+): Marti Beard-- mbeard@nebraskapdg.org

ECIDS Buildout: Ben Baumfalk -- ben.baumfalk@nebraskapdg.org

Shared Leadership and Financing Task Force: Amy Bornemeier-- abornemeier@nebraskapdg.org

Performance Evaluation: Kathleen Gallagher-- kgallagher@nebraskapdg.org

Transition Committee: Lisa Roy-- lroy@nebraskapdg.org

NAESP Leadership Academy: Melody Hobson-- melody.hobson@nebraskapdg.org and Kristine Luebbe-- Kristine.Luebbe@nebraskapdg.org

Communication and Dissemination: Brenda Weyers-- bweyers@nebraskapdg.org and Ivan Young-- iyoung@nebraskapdg.org

Connect to a Project Lead
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