The partnership staff and board of directors are dedicated to providing our member organizations the support they need to effectively advocate for children in their local areas.
Finance Officer
Kim has always wanted to be an accountant, even as a little girl, when she dreamed of growing up to work with her Dad – an accountant. Kim received her BS in – surprise! – accounting from Binghamton University. Outside of work, Kim spends most of her time watching her six kids in action in their wrestling matches, football, soccer, volleyball, and basketball games.
Senior Child Welfare Policy Manager
Elissa joined the Partnership for America’s Children in January 2022. She has spent more than 15 years advocating for children and families involved with the child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and healthcare systems both nationally and in over a dozen states.
Before coming to the Partnership, Elissa spent 10 years at Children’s Rights, a national children’s advocacy organization that champions the legal rights of children impacted by government systems. Her work there included providing policy consultation and producing evidence‐based recommendations for state legislative and administrative reform efforts; working with coalitions to advance legislative agendas in the interest of children and families; and writing myriad reports, white papers, and articles featuring extensive research and quantitative and qualitative analysis in the interest of system-involved children and families. Elissa has prior experience with several organizations including: the Center for Children’s Advocacy in Connecticut, Lawyers for Children America, Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Elissa received her B.A. in psychology from Brandeis University, her M.S.W. with a concentration in policy practice from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, and her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Director of Network Learning, Engagement, and Programs
Jasmine joined the Partnership for America’s Children in May of 2019. She cultivates member engagement by connecting members to expert knowledge within the network as well as the broader advocacy sector. She is passionate about cultivating conversations that improve best practices for conducting effective, innovative, and equity-centered non-profit organizations.
Jasmine has a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. She is an alumna of the University of Maryland, College Park where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics.
Operations Associate
Zoë has assisted with logistics and administration of various Partnership projects since 2017. Since 2020, the scope of their work has expanded to assisting with grantmaking, communications, event logistics, and administrative tasks. Zoë aims to support child advocates as much as possible in improving policy and support for children and families.
They are also a high level tap dancer with more than twenty years of performance and teaching experience. Zoë currently lives in Connecticut with their husband.
Executive Director
Marquita joined the Partnership in August 2023. She is a passionate and strategic advocate committed to empowering people, removing systemic barriers, and advancing equity. Over nearly two decades, she has worked through government, nonprofits, and philanthropy to support marginalized communities and advocate for improved public policies.
NuMan comes to the Partnership for America’s Children from the Alliance for Early Success, where she led the organization’s transition toward more equitable grantmaking and championed early childhood advocates as Senior Director of Equity and Impact.
Her leadership experience extends to reviving the Urban League of Arkansas after a 20-year absence in the state, as inaugural president and CEO, and serving as Leadership Officer at the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. She brings deep experience in state policy and advocacy, holding roles instrumental in advocating for and shaping Arkansas’s early adoption of Medicaid expansion and spearheading child health initiatives.
NuMan holds a master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas and a bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College. She is the proud mother of an inquisitive toddler and cherishes the opportunity to travel with her husband and loved ones.
Executive Director,
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
Paige Parks is Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. From 2018-2022, Paige served as Senior Policy Analyst; responsible for policy analysis, advocacy, research, and project management in areas related to education and economic well-being. Prior to joining Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, Paige served as Director of Advancement and Assistant Director at Books are Wings, Network Director at Youth in Action, Teacher/Advisor at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, and Program Coordinator at Youth Pride, Inc. Paige has a Bachelor of Arts from Providence College and a Master of Education from Harvard University.
Chief Executive Officer,
Voices for Virginia's Children
Rachael Deane is the Chief Executive Officer at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She provides overall strategic and operational leadership for Voices’ staff, programs, and execution of its mission.
Rachael’s career has been dedicated to legal and policy advocacy for racial equity and economic justice at the local, state, and national levels. She joined Voices after many years as a legal aid attorney and as Legal Director of the Youth Justice Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, where she led policy campaigns to end Virginia’s school-to-prison pipeline and to fund student mental health supports in public education. Prior to her career in children’s law and policy, Rachael led statewide and national investigations into housing and lending discrimination as an advocate with Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, Inc., and the National Fair Housing Alliance.
Rachael was named a 2021 “Leader in the Law” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. She is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and earned her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law.
Executive Director,
Voices for Georgia's Children
With an illustrious career spanning over twenty-five years, Judy brings a wealth of experience and a
proven track record of compassionate and strategic leadership. Judy served as Commissioner of the
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) from 2016 to
2022. Her tenure was marked by transformative initiatives, navigating budget challenges during the
COVID-19 pandemic, and a strong focus on improving the lives of individuals with behavioral health
challenges and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A social worker by trade, Judy has a history of strong leadership in health and human services. Prior to DBHDD, she served as Executive Director of the National Mental Health Association of Georgia, Senior Vice President of Strategy at View Point Health and, more recently, advisor to Mercy Care – the highly regarded Federally Qualified Health Center. Judy began her career at the Mental Health Program of The Carter Center, working for former First Lady Rosalyn Carter on domestic and international advocacy and policy efforts to promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Judy earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia. She and her husband Tim Gould live in Cobb County with their two children, Abbie and Jack.
Executive Director,
Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
Richard Kennedy was appointed to be TCCY executive director beginning June 16, 2018. Kennedy began with the agency in 2000 as an ombudsman, and he served as the associate director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth since January 2011. He was promoted to director of field operations before becoming associate director.
Kennedy has spent his entire professional career working directly with and advocating for children and youth. Prior to joining state government, Kennedy worked with the Davidson County Community Services Agency, Camelot, Hermitage Hall and the Greater New Orleans Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
A native Middle Tennessean, Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee, and a master of arts degree in counseling from Trevecca University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kennedy is an alumnus of LEAD Tennessee, Tennessee Government Management Institute and Tennessee Government Executive Institute. He is an inaugural member of the Tennessee Government Leadership Council. His involvement in the community includes having recently completed his final term on the board of directors for Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, where he served as board chair in 2015-16. He has also volunteered as a Big Brother with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nashville.
Chief Executive Officer,
Ohio Children’s Alliance
Mark directs the strategic initiatives of the association, its advocacy and lobbying responsibilities, and development of collaborative partnerships.
Executive Director,
DC Action
Kimberly is one of the nation’s leading experts in child and youth public policy advocacy and civic engagement.
Kimberly’s work building powerful campaigns and organizations to amplify citizen’s voices has resulted in critical policy changes to improve the lives of nearly 30 million children, youth and families.
In 2019 she became DC Action’s executive director and she has set a vision to achieve racial equity in child and youth outcomes, and is ramping up the organization’s resources, human capital, and networks to break down structural barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential.
Already, her leadership has resulted in quadrupling the organization’s annual budget, expanding her staff from two to fifteen employees; and led two major policy wins: one, raising the compensation of early childhood educators thereby making the District’s child care system more equitable; and, two, nearly doubling resources for the District’s out-of-school time sector, moving the District closer to closing racial gaps in access to safe and high quality learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
Prior to DC Action, Kimberly served as Founding Director of DC Hunger Solutions, Vice President of the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Executive Director of DC Vote, as well as other key advisory roles in public policy advocacy and philanthropy.
Kimberly serves on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for America’s Children, the Children’s Financing Project, and the Community Housing Trust.
When she’s not working you can find her at home perfecting recipes with her family, watching and producing documentaries, salsa dancing, or on a hiking trail.
Executive Director,
Arkansas Advocates For Children And Families
Keesa Smith became Executive Director of AACF in February 2023.
Keesa worked for the Arkansas Department of Human Services from 2013 until 2023 as the Deputy Director of Youth and Families. In that role, she oversaw the divisions responsible for the state’s child welfare, juvenile justice and early education programs during a time of significant transformation.
Keesa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. She is a member of the Pulaski County Bar Association; the Harold Flowers Law Society; the Beta Pi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc; the inaugural class of the Arkansas Bar Association Leadership Academy Program; Class XXVI of the Greater Little Rock Leadership program; and she is a 2021 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow.
President,
Kansas Action for Children
Prior to joining KAC, John was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives for five years where he served as the minority caucus policy chair, the ranking member on the House Committee on Health & Human Services, and the ranking member of the House Committee on Children and Seniors. He started the bipartisan, bicameral Healthy Kansans Caucus, and worked to increase transparency and collaboration within the Legislature.
He spent 11 years with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation—a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. During that time, he coordinated strategic partnerships with corporations and celebrities, co-developed a national strategy for increasing physical activity and healthy eating in out-of-school time sites, developed a youth engagement strategy, created the first-ever national Youth Advisory Board focused on eliminating childhood obesity, and designed a youth-focused community organizing curriculum focused on addressing the social and political influencers of health.
He holds a BFA in Design from the University of Kansas. The best parts of his day are when he’s spending time with his wife, Jami, and their two sons, Parker and Henry.
