Our Team | Early Childhood Collective of Douglas County

Board of Directors

Without them, we wouldn’t be able to serve Douglas County

Nicole Neil (She/Her) Hello! My name is Nicole Neil and I am excited for this new journey! A little about myself: I live on a small farm north of Lawrence with my husband, three daughters, and many animals. I have been a preschool teacher in the Baldwin City school district for 16 years, with the past 7 years working as a Early Childhood Special Education teacher. I enjoy volunteering in my community and I have been serving as a CASA for Douglas County since 2019. I am very grateful to be a CASA and to be able to support children and families navigating the court system and think of it as my “heart work”. In my free time I enjoy reading, running, and attending my children’s sporting events. I feel very passionate about serving and supporting all children and I am excited to represent Baldwin in this new endeavour!

Anna Foote (she, her) is a Youth Services and Continuing Education Consultant for Northeast Kansas Library System, an agency that provides support to public, school and college/university libraries in 14 counties in the northeast corner of the state. A professional librarian with more than ten years’ experience, she has worked in various roles in the field of youth and family development since 1994. Anna is passionate about serving families’ educational, social and economic needs through libraries. She was instrumental to the development and dissemination of 6 by 6: Ready to Read, an early literacy program provided by libraries across Kansas. Anna has served on the SB6 Board of Directors since 2018.

Emily Gullickson (she, her, hers) During her six years in Lawrence, Emily has served in a variety of roles connected to social justice facilitation and training, programming. Throughout her time in higher education, she has served in numerous roles that specifically focus on social justice, equity, educational policy, instruction, and curriculum. She holds Master’s degrees in Spanish and Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Emily enjoys spending time with her creative toddler, partner, and dog, as well as reading, playing board games, traveling and riding her bike. She currently serves as a Program Outreach Coordinator for AnitaB.org, a non-profit organization that helps women and non-binary technologists grow, learn, and develop their highest potential.

Christina Gentry (she /her /they) is a community health advocate, mother of five and committed to advancing social justice, and restorative practices in community.

Professionally, she holds a firm 10 year as teacher in pre-kinder elementary education: developing dynamic & creative Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum for early learners. Her work at Lawrence Douglas County Public Health intentionally committed to systems change while working to strengthen community networks to positively improved community health.

They look to build social connection, while advocating for programs and policies that promote positive, genetic, and environmental influences on our futures.

Erin Adamson is a mother of two, East Lawrence community member, gardener, and doctoral candidate in Sociology at KU who works as a staff member at Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) at KU. As a parent and community member she has been a member of the New York Elementary Site Council and coordinates a Common Ground public garden in the neighborhood. Her academic background is in journalism, Latin American studies, and international migration research. Erin’s doctoral research is on the economic and social impact of North American and European migrants – often called expats – who move to Costa Rica. She has also worked as a researcher for the KU Center of Migration Research and for Aging as Future, an international research project on aging. Her personal, community, and academic work is connected by the thread of concern for economic and social justice grounded in local issues and with an eye to global impacts.

Jade Martens (she, her) has worked as an Early Intervention physical therapist in Lawrence since 2015. Prior to that she worked in NICU, pediatric inpatient hospital, and pediatric outpatient clinic settings in Illinois and Nebraska, where she also served as resident faculty for the Creighton University Physical Therapy program. She has also completed additional credentialing to become a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy. She enjoys the opportunities she gets to work with and learn from families from a variety of backgrounds. She is passionate about increasing the participation of children in their daily routines and about empowering parents and caregivers to support and advocate for their children. Jade serves on the leadership team of the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Douglas County, and as a lifelong reader, she loves to help bring the gift of reading to children in our community. In addition to reading, she enjoys gardening, thrifting, and cheering on the Kansas City Current. She is also the proud aunt to 13 nieces and nephews.

Denise Ballard (she/her) I was born and raised in Philadelphia Pa, until I decided to enlist into the United States military. I served ten years in the United States Air Force where I worked as a Medical Laboratory Technician. I was honorably discharged and completed my undergraduate degree in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science at Christopher Newport University. I worked as a Medical Technologist for over fifteen years. I transitioned to Laboratory Information Technology where I worked for Cerner and McKesson. I lived in Atlanta for about seven years and then my husband, two sons and I moved here to Lawrence where I have lived for the last two decades. I completed my master’s degree in information systems from University of Phoenix at which time I transitioned to testing software for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas. I recently retired from the Bureau of Fiscal Service part of the Department of Treasury.

During my time here in Lawrence I have volunteered to serve the community in different ways over time. I served at Jubilee Café when I first moved here. I served on the board at the Boys and Girls club. I have also helped to prepare and serve meals at the homeless shelter. I am currently helping to serve at L.I.N.K and Just Foods, while serving as treasurer for the Amber Sellers’ campaign. I have a passion to help in any capacity I can when I see a need to help families. I am currently looking to use my free time to help move the needle in a positive direction in our community. Part of moving the needle of change requires looking at what is working, what is not and how can I make a positive difference. I would like to help others find their own way to growth, where they feel encouraged and inspired. I believe being part of this group is an excellent starting place to help families connect the dots so that they can ultimately find their own success navigating their own journey.

Sam McFin (She, Her) is an empowered parenting educator and coach with a bachelors degree in psychology, and 14 years experience in early childhood education, as a teacher and director. She is passionate about supporting families and educators in their process of stepping into personal sovereignty around their healing and growth.
Sam did a learning practicum while receiving her undergraduate that focused specifically on
incorporating mindfulness based practices and positive psychology into the Montessoriclassroom. A few years later, inspired by a vision to cultivate a space where each and every unique child would be honored in their natural light, she opened her own Montessori program. The school was also birthed out of a desire to provide a diverse environment with more accessibility for families of all socio-economic backgrounds.Shortly after having her son, Sam decided she wanted to stay home with him. She then went on to complete her certification through the Jai Institute for Parenting and now leads courses supporting caregivers in a deep exploration andapplication of current research in child development, attachment theory, nervous system science, brain science, non-violent communication, emotional intelligence and much more. She offers parents the opportunity to dive into Connection with themselves so that they can deeply connect with their child, their greater community, and the earth.
Sam is very passionate about advocating for future generations of children and creating more expansive opportunities for equity in her immediate community.

Danielle Davey (she/her) is an attorney at Sloan, Eisenbarth, Glassman, McEntire & Jarboe, where she has been practicing for 14 years. Her practice includes litigation in the areas of real
estate, personal injury and employment law and regularly consults with HOAs, libraries, electrical cooperatives, and other entities regarding a variety of matters. She is also a member of
the Douglas County Child in Need of Care (CINC) panel, alternating between working as a Guardian ad Litem and as a parent attorney case-by-case.
Danielle is a two-time graduate of the University of Kansas and remains an avid Jayhawk fan. She continues to live in Lawrence with her husband, stepdaughter, dog, and cat. In the
community, Danielle has been active with organizations serving children and families, serving in various roles with the Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade, on the Board of Directors for tiny-k, as Board President for TDC Learning Centers in Topeka, and is on the CLC for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County.

Dr. Pegah Naemi Jimenez (she/her) is a Research Associate at the KU School of Social Welfare on two of the School’s projects: Kansas Strong for Children and Families and the Fatherhood FIRE program. Dr. Naemi Jimenez holds a PhD in social psychology from KU and a master’s degree in psychology from California State University at Sacramento. Her most recent position was at the Center for Public Policy and Research where she designed and directed mixed method research and evaluation of social programs, including serving as Principal Investigator on two home visiting initiatives in Kansas and Missouri. In addition to possessing excellent research skills, Dr. Naemi Jimenez holds a very strong commitment to racial equity and social justice and has worked collaboratively with colleagues to develop and facilitate multiple DEI workshops and events. Dr. Naemi Jimenez brings a wealth of research experiences and expertise as well as a marked alignment with the School’s anti-racism/anti-oppression work.