Expand Your Childcare Capacity Using Strategies Provided by an Expert Panel (Part 2)

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 @ 11:00 AM, CST

Enhance your community's childcare capacity with insights from our distinguished panel of experts at our upcoming seminar.

This session brings together forward-thinking leaders and practitioners from diverse backgrounds, all dedicated to devising and implementing innovative solutions to the challenges facing childcare provision. These panelists are not only visionaries but also implementers who have applied their strategies with success and are ready to share their knowledge with you.

Attendees will receive crucial insights into effective models, the power of strategic partnerships, and the significant impact that economic development organizations have in establishing resilient childcare infrastructures. This seminar is set to provide a comprehensive exploration of the challenges associated with childcare shortages, presenting practice strategies, real-life success stories, and a forum for discussion on building community support and enhancing conditions for working families.

Prepare to engage in a meaningful conversation designed to spark transformation and offer solutions to one of the most critical obstacles impeding economic growth and workforce advancement. Based on participation interest, we have organized breakout sessions to facilitate detailed discussions and provide more personalized answers to your quesitons.

Panelists

Kathy Price
Regional Childcare Coordinator
NM-RECA & SW Regional Education Cooperative

Kathy is a lifelong New Mexican and began her career in Early Childhood Special Education decades ago in northwestern New Mexico. She taught in public schools focusing on gifted students, math, and science. Her education projects allowed her to travel from Japan to the Arctic’s edge connecting with a variety of people and ideas.  She currently is back in the EC realm working with an ECECD grant as a Regional Childcare Coordinator for northwest and north central NM. She and her husband live in Farmington, and she enjoys being a grandmother and training and running barrel racing horses.

Dana Stanton
Childcare Program Director
Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center, Inc.

Dana Jo Stanton is the Childcare Program Director for the Northwest Kansas Innovation Center.  It is her job to work with communities to address their childcare needs and to provide support to professionals in the field.  During her tenure, she has helped rural communities work through solutions that best address their individual childcare needs.  In addition, she has helped establish a childcare shared services hub to support providers. Stanton is active in regional and state advocacy efforts for early childhood and childcare solutions. 

Trae Miller
Executive Director
Logan County Economic Development Corp

Trae is the 5th generation of a local farming and ranching family. After graduating from Merino High School, he received a Business Marketing degree from Colorado State University.  He returned to Northeast CO with his family in 2015 for his current role and now lives in Sterling with his wife, Allie, and their son Layton and daughter Lilly. Prior to entering the field of economic development, he worked in business development and feed formulation for J.D. Heiskell & Co. in Windsor, CO, and for several years for Cargill Food Distribution as an account manager and head buyer in both Utah and Denver locations. 

Mike Feeken
Strategic Partnerships Advisor
First Five Nebraska

Mike came to First Five Nebraska after spending many years as the economic development director in St. Paul, Neb., where he managed and coordinated the retention, attraction, and expansion efforts of the St. Paul business community. He has served in numerous local, regional, and statewide organizations, including the Nebraska Economic Developer’s Association (NEDA), South Central Economic Development District (SCEDD), Rotary, and Central Nebraska Community Action Partnership (CNCAP). Mike was elected to the St. Paul City Council in 2020 and is the current Mayor. Feeken received a B.A. in Communication Production from Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska.

Brian Abernathy
General Manager
Convergent Nonprofit Solutions

Brian has gained extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, launching local chapters for international organizations, developing cross-sector partnerships for community development, and enhancing nonprofit organizations' ability to communicate their impact through case statements and strategies. At Convergent, he has spearheaded a redesign of services by implementing cloud-based project management and CRM solutions, improving the success and efficiency of projects and solicitations. As General Manager, he leads a team of fundraising professionals and oversees strategic partnerships. Brian lives in Buford, Georgia, with his family and pets.