Board of Directors | Committee Chairs | Professional Staff

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President: Tim Stahlke (Texas) — Bio
Immediate Past President: Shelley Reed (Maine) — Bio
Vice President: Christina Endres (Indiana) — Bio
Secretary: Pat McGuirk (New York) — Bio
Treasurer: Danny Jones (Pennsylvania) — Bio

At-Large Members

Lynda Thistle Elliott, Ed.D.(New Hampshire) — Bio
Mattie McVey Lord (Arizona) — Bio
Brenda J. Myers (South Carolina) — Bio
Dana Scott (Colorado) — Bio

Committee Chairs

Awards

Melinda Dyer (Washington) — Bio

Conference

Diana Bowman (North Carolina) — Bio
Mary Herrington (Virginia) — Bio

LeTendre Education Fund

Patricia Popp, Ph.D. (Virginia) — Bio

Membership

Pittre Walker (Louisiana) — Bio

Professional Staff

Policy Director

Barbara Duffield — Bio
4701 Connecticut Avenue, NW #402
Washington, DC 20008-5625
Ph: (202) 364.7392
F: (202) 318.7523
: bduffield@naehcy.org

Webmaster

Christina Dukes — Bio
National Center for Homeless Education
P.O. Box 5367
Greensboro, NC 24735
Ph: (336) 574-8729
F: (336) 574-8729 (call before faxing)
cdukes@serve.org

Business Manager

Darlyne Erickson — Bio
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
P.O. Box 26274
Minneapolis, MN 55426
Ph: (763) 545-0064
F: (763) 545-9499
: info@naehcy.org

Counsel

Patricia Julianelle, JD — Bio
: pjulianelle@naehcy.org

Communications Director

Jodi Mincemoyer — Bio
Project HOPE-Virginia
Post Office Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187
Ph: (757) 221-4002
F: (757) 221-5300
jodim@naehcy.org

Development Consultant

Candace Sullivan — Bio
1140 Alki Ave SW, #505
Seattle, WA 98116
Ph: (206) 938-7508
F: (206) 274-5971
candacesullivan@comcast.net

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Bios

Executive Committee

Tim Stahlke, President, is a senior program coordinator for the Texas Homeless Education Office. Among other responsibilities, Tim conducts training for educators, school administrators, and parents about the laws and rules regarding the education of highly mobile and homeless children, resolves school enrollment and attendance complaints regarding students experiencing homelessness, addresses legislative issues that have an impact on children and youth in homeless situations, and provides assistance to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act discretionary grant recipients in Texas. Born and raised in Central America, Tim has language and cultural skills well-suited for the changing communities across the country, especially in major urban areas. Prior to working at the Dana Center, he worked in South Texas with Colonia, immigrant/refugee programs, and multiple-county human service initiatives. He has also worked with urban renewal and family/youth intervention programs in Kansas City, Missouri and El Paso, Texas.

Professional interests have involved Tim in NAEHCY, conflict resolution and management training, administration of small groups, planning processes, and adult education and distance learning. He has received the Staff Excellence Award from the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, the Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award from NAEHCY, the President's Award from the Texas Homeless Network, and is a recent graduate of Leadership Austin. Tim serves on the board of the Texas Homeless Network and is a construction coordinator for the Austin Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

Tim holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in religion, sociology, biology, and classical languages from Baylor University and a Master of Divinity with a concentration in counseling and biblical archaeology from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He also holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Shelley Reed, Immediate Past President, lives in Wayne, Maine (population 1,524). Currently, Shelley is an Education Specialist working in the areas of Truancy, Dropouts, Alternative Education, Reintegration of Youth from Correctional Facilities, and School Counselors. She serves as the State Coordinator for Homeless Education. She began her career as a first and second grade teacher, earned a Master's in Education in Counseling and became an Elementary School Counselor. Later, she worked with adults to look at how their behaviors affected the success of youth in their classrooms.

Shelley authored Changing Attitudes Through School Achievement Program for At-Risk Youth in Grades 3-6. In 2007, she co-chaired the Governor's Task Force to Engage Maine's Youth that prepared statutory language to create a system for awarding credits and competency standards to assure that students who have experienced educational disruption or received instruction in nontraditional educational settings meet the graduation requirements of Maine's Learning Results.

She has enthusiastically served on the NAEHCY Board of Directors since 2003. Prior to that, Shelley was president of her local education association, president of the state school counselors association and vice-president of the American School Counselors Association.She enjoys kayaking, taking walks on the beach with her dog, and diving into a good book. Shelley has two sons, Derek and Peter, and a daughter, Katy.

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Christina Endres, Vice President, has been the McKinney-Vento State Coordinator for Homeless Education for Indiana since 2001. Prior to that, she worked in a variety of direct service agencies focusing mainly on mental health and family preservation where she provided mentoring, counseling, and family preservation assistance to teenagers. Working for both not-for-profit and for-profit agencies has provided great insight when trying to negotiate on behalf of homeless children. Recently, Christina also accepted duties as the Even Start coordinator. She completed a BA in psychology at Earlham College and has a Master's degree in social work from Indiana University. 

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Patricia McGuirk, Secretary, is the Homeless Education Program Manager for the state of New York. She trains local education agencies to comply with the McKinney-Vento Act, monitors those agencies and overseeing the state's $6.5 million Education for Homeless Children and Youth funding. She works with the staff at NYS-TEACHS, a statewide technical assistance center, to provide support and assistance to families and schools. Prior to her 28-year career at New York State Education Department, Patricia was a public school teacher for 2 years in an inner-city school in Albany. She has also volunteered at the local Hospice and cared for her mother.

In 2000, she received an award from PS 91 in NYC: In celebration of your passionate commitment to education and your courageous and inspirational belief in our school community. Patricia holds an MS in Public Administration/Economics from Rockefeller College at New York State University, and an MA in Education and a BA in History from the College of St. Rose (NY).

Her oldest son, Michael, lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife, Christina and son, Mason Finn. Her younger son, Brian, lives in Fort Collins, CO. Patricia lives in Albany, New York and vacations (and plans to retire soon!) in Mende, France.

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Danny Jones, Treasurer, is Coordinator of Student Assistance Programs for the Erie City School District and serves as the homeless liaison and a McKinney-Vento funded program coordinator. He works with school staff to address barriers to learning through school-based student assistance programs (e.g., mental health counseling, interventions, bully prevention, etc.)

Danny serves on a variety of community boards, including the United Way, Greater Erie Community Action Committee, Erie Community Foundation Advisory Committee, Community Access Television, St. Mary's Home, Erie Conference on African American Affairs, Junior Achievement of NW Pennsylvania, State SAP advisory committee, Erie County Policy and Planning Council & Erie County Drug and Alcohol Coalition.

He has a BS in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and has completed Master's level coursework in counseling at Edinboro University (Edinboro, Pa). Since the late 70's, Danny has been electrifying audiences of his radio jazz show as Mr. J., which is offered through a local college station. In addition, Danny enjoys golf, traveling, hanging with friends and going to jazz concerts. Danny and his wife Angela have a three-year-old dog named Coco. They live in Erie, Pennsylvania.

 

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At-Large Members

Mattie McVey Lord, At-Large Member, currently serves as the State Homeless Coordinator at the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Her office addresses the issue of homelessness by providing coordination and assistance to organizations that help individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Previously, Mattie served as the State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth at the Arizona Department of Education and for ten years as a public school teacher. In addition to teaching, Mattie's career has allowed her to coordinate programs for various assessments, professional development, English Language Learners, and Gifted services.

Mattie holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Arizona and a Masters in Education with a Curriculum & Instruction focus from Chapman University.

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Brenda J. Myers, At-Large Member, is the State Coordinator of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program at the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) in the Office of Youth Services. She is a native of Richmond, Virginia. Brenda received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Carolina (Columbia). Prior to her current position, she served as the Youth Court Coordinator for the SCDE. She was a Paralegal for Richland County Department of Social Services (DSS) Legal Department. Also while at DSS, Brenda served as a caseworker in the Child Protective Services division and as a caseworker in the Medicaid division.  

As State Coordinator for Homeless Education, her primary responsibility is overseeing compliance of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act; Subtitle B of title VII, in South Carolina's public school districts, ensuring that homeless children and youths are given equal access to quality public education, including preschool education. Brenda provides training and technical assistance to homeless liaisons, school personnel, service providers, faith-based organizations, and any other agencies that request it. 

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Dana Scott, At-Large Member, is a senior consultant in the Prevention Initiatives Unit at the Colorado Department of Education. As State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, she works with school districts and community agencies statewide to remove educational barriers and to provide educational and support services to children, youth, and their families who experience homelessness. Dana has eight years of experience working with homeless issues in the public and nonprofit sectors and was principal writer for Denver's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. She has an additional seven years of experience as a program officer at the Daniels Fund, LMC Community Foundation and El Pomar Foundation. Dana also serves on the Board of Directors for Families and Allies Working Together. In addition, she is a member of the Colorado Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), the Colorado Special Education Advisory Council, the Colorado Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention, Denver's Commission to End Homelessness, and the Colorado Advisory Committee on Homeless Youth.   

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Lynda Thistle Elliott, At-Large Member, has been State Director for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth in New Hampshire since 1997. She is a founding member of the Northeast Coordinators of Homeless Education Network (NECHEN), Vice Chair of the NH Interagency Council on Homelessness, Board Member of the NH Coalition to End Homelessness, member of the NH Balance of State Continuum of Care, State Advisory Council on Special Education, and NH Coordinating Council on Early Education Intervention. She also serves as disabilities consultant/adjunct faculty for a local college. Lynda earned her BS Degree from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts; MED and CAGS Degrees from NH’s Plymouth State University; and Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Argosy University, FL.

Committee Chairs

Melinda Dyer, Awards Chair, is the Washington State Coordinator for the McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program and has served in that capacity since 1995.  Prior to her employment with the State of Washington, Melinda was a classroom teacher at the secondary level, teaching health, reading and language arts. Melinda earned a B.S. in Education and an M.Ed. in Health Education, both from Oregon State University. Melinda has served on the NAEHCY Board since 1999 as the chair of the Awards and Nominations Committee.

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Diana Bowman, Conference Co-Chair, directs the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) at the SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, NCHE provides information and resources to help educators, service providers, and other stakeholders improve educational opportunities for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Diana has presented workshops on meeting the educational needs of homeless children and youth at national and state conferences and has conducted trainings for local homeless education liaisons across the nation. She has facilitated national symposia on the transportation needs of homeless children and youth, collaboration between Title I and homeless education programs, and the role and responsibilities of state coordinators for homeless education in implementing the McKinney-Vento Act. She has authored a variety of practitioner-oriented publications and articles in the areas of homeless education, collaborative program planning, and meeting the needs of children at risk.  Formerly, Diana was employed at Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) in Charleston, West Virginia, where her responsibilities included program coordination and strategic planning to help schools and school districts address the needs of at-risk children. Before her work at AEL, Diana worked in various classroom settings with at-risk children and youth and conducted workshops on adult literacy. She holds a Master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (MA), Master's degrees from Marshall University (WV) and the University of Akron (OH), and a Bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary (VA).

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Mary Herrington, Conference Co-Chair, coordinates an educational program for children, youth and families who are experiencing homelessness in Richmond City Public Schools, Chesterfield County Schools, and  Petersburg City Schools. She has experience as a group facilitator and provides parenting groups and relationship groups on a weekly basis in the Richmond-area shelters for homeless men and women. She has presented at various local, state, and national conferences on homeless education program development and designing and implementing parenting programs for homeless families. Mary has designed a parenting curriculum that she uses in her trainings. She is a certified facilitator for the Nurturing Program and has used the Nurturing Program for Parents and the School Nurturing Program for parents and students in Richmond Public Schools. In addition, Mary is in private practice in Richmond, providing therapeutic services to individuals, couples, and families.

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Patricia Popp, Ph.D., LeTendre Education Fund Chair, is the State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, Project HOPE - Virginia, a collaborative initiative between The College of William and Mary and the Virginia Department of Education. Pat is a part-time professor for the Curriculum and Instruction Department at The College of William and Mary. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership with an emphasis in Special Education at The College of William and Mary, her Master's degree in learning disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Bachelor's degree in elementary and special education at Boston University. Areas of interest and research include collaboration, children and youth experiencing homelessness and other forms of mobility, and students with disabilities. She is a past president of the Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities and past president of NAEHCY.

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Pittre Walker, Membership Chair, is the Homeless Coordinator for the Caddo Parish School Board in Louisiana. She has 23 years of social service experience and has served as Case Management Division Director for The Arc of Caddo/Bossier. She established and implemented a Minority Adoption Advisory Council for the VOA in the Shreveport and Alexandria areas to recruit minority homes for minority infants being placed for adoption. She has presented at education and social service conferences and has received several community awards such as "Women Who Made a Difference" in Shreveport, Louisiana; the Community Action Agency Award; and the Extra Mile Community Service Award.

Pittre’s community service includes working with the HOPE for the Homeless Coalition, serving on the Long-Term Committee for Disasters, and being a presenter for various workshops on parenting for the Shreveport Boot Camp, a program that serves at-risk youngsters academically and socially. She received a BA in Social Work from Northeast Louisiana University, and a Master's in Social Work from Grambling State University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Shreveport Alumnae Chapter. She has one daughter, Brittany.

Professional Staff

Barbara Duffield, Policy Director, began her involvement in homeless issues in 1990 as a tutor for homeless children in Washington, DC. She subsequently joined the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) and served as Director of Education for NCH from 1994-2003, working closely with educators, service providers, federal agencies and Congressional offices to strengthen policy and practice on children’s issues. Barbara has conducted hundreds of trainings around the United States for school districts, community organizations, and local, state, and national groups to assist in the implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act. She is a frequently-quoted source in print media, and has appeared on television and radio news programs to discuss issues relating to homeless children. In addition, she has published several academic articles on policy and advocacy issues relating to the education of homeless children and youth. She is co-author of Educating Children Without Housing, published by the American Bar Association.

In addition to her work with NAEHCY and NCH, Barbara is a founding and continuing Advisory Committee member for the LeTendre Education Fund for Homeless Children, which provides scholarships for homeless and formerly homeless young people who wish to pursue post-secondary education. Barbara also serves on the Board of the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness.

Barbara Duffield was born and raised in Michigan, and she received her Bachelor's degree summa cum laude in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

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Christina Dukes, Webmaster, has worked for over three years at the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) at SERVE, using her knowledge of highly-mobile lifestyles to help schools and homeless families learn about the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness. She also oversees many of NCHE's technology activities, including maintaining the NCHE website and facilitating online trainings. Christina began working at the SERVE Center in October 2000 for the Anchor School Project, a migrant technology project funded through the Office of Migrant Education.  She taught technology to migrant families to help the children excel in school and help the parents acquire skills that would increase their employability and knowledge of English. She then worked for Project Kaleidoscope, a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant serving families in southwest Florida. Kaleidoscope provided extended-day learning activities throughout the county, including after-school and family literacy programs. Christina was born in South Carolina but has spent most of her life living in South Florida. She received her B.A. in Spanish from Tulane University and her M.A. in Latin American Studies from Vanderbilt University.

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Darlyne Erickson, Business Manager, is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) who manages NAEHCY's conference and association logistics, along with several other organizations. She has worked with non-profit associations for the past 17 years as a business manager, and has also volunteered for several organizations starting 25 years ago with Women for Change, Inc. and Girl's Club of Dallas.

Since 1990, Darlyne has participated with a non-profit group called the Minneapolis Aqua Jesters, a group of clowns! She lives in St. Louis Park, MN, a western suburb of Minneapolis, and is the single mother of a 26 year old son. She enjoys bicycling and golf in the summer, and hibernating in the Minnesota winters. Darlyne has called New York City, Columbia, SC, and Dallas, TX, home but returned to Minneapolis 24 years ago.

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Patricia Julianelle, Counsel, works as an independent Legal Consultant for state and local governments and non-profit organizations, including the National Center for Homeless Education. Formerly, Patricia was staff attorney and Acting Legal Director at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty in Washington, DC.

Patricia advises attorneys, educators, and policymakers across the country on the rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness and works to enforce those rights through direct advocacy, education and outreach, and legislative advocacy. Patricia has conducted workshops on the rights of children and youth at national, state and local conferences.  She has written articles for the Children's Legal Rights Journal, Journal of Negro Education, and the Journal of Poverty Law and has co-authored two books, one of which, Educating Children Without Housing, was published by the American Bar Association. Patricia is also a founding board member of a nonprofit education organization in Santiago, Chile.

Patricia has served for six years on the American Bar Association's Commission on Homelessness & Poverty. A former Deputy Monitor for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and special education attorney, Patricia graduated from Yale University and received her J.D. summa cum laude from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.

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Jodi Mincemoyer, Communications Director, is Grants Administrator at Project HOPE-Virginia (HOPE), the Office of the State Coordinator for Homeless Education, where she has worked since 2002. She provides technical assistance to homeless education liaisons in Virginia as they implement the McKinney-Vento Act, collect data, and develop programs to serve families, children, and youth experiencing homelessness. Jodi is involved with HOPE's outreach efforts, including publications and interagency collaborations. Before HOPE, she worked at the Virginia statewide domestic violence coalition, now called the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

Jodi is involved in her local community with the Greater Virginia Peninsula Continuum of Care Council and as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Colonial Services Board, a public behavioral health agency. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Organizing Project and participates with a local chapter of that organization. Jodi received a Bachelor's Degree in Government from The College of William and Mary. A native of rural Pennsylvania, she currently resides in Williamsburg, VA, with her husband and their two perfect dogs.

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Candace J. Sullivan, Development Director, has extensive experience in program development, materials development, and fund raising. Candace has authored proposals that have raised funds for a variety of education, health, and human services organizations. In addition, she has provided technical support to organizations that has enabled them to raise additional funds. Candace spent eight years as Director of Program Development at the National Association of State Boards of Education. There she had lead responsibility for fundraising, oversaw a national program operating in four states and seven localities to put in place collaborative school and community programs, spearheaded a national school health initiative funded by the Cen­ters for Disease Control, and co-directed activities of the National Commission on the Role of the School and the Community in Improving Adolescent Health. She understands how membership associations operate and is responsive to member interests and needs. She makes her home in Seattle.

 

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