BOARD MEMBER- Maristeve Bradley -President, Marketing & Business Solutions
Following a career of financial services executive and nonprofit leadership, Maristeve Bradley created a consulting firm, Marketing & Strategic Business Solutions, serving nonprofit and small businesses. Her professional and personal commitment is consulting, as well as volunteering, to help businesses develop and execute holistic business strategies.
Deputy County Attorney, Fairfax County Attorney’s Office. Cynthia Bailey has been an employee of Fairfax County for over 20 years, and currently serves as Deputy County Attorney in the Fairfax County Attorney’s Office. She manages the legal work associated with real estate development, including the construction of affordable housing, is counsel to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and also manages the legal aspects of the County’s compliance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. As the mother of three--now happily grown children--she understands first hand the critical importance of quality child care and early childhood education.
BOARD MEMBER- David Brunori -Attorney, Research Professor Public Policy & Public
David Brunori is a senior director at RSM US LLP and a Research Professor of Public Policy at The George Washington University. He has extensive non profit management experience, serving on the boards of several non profit organizations.
Principal of Community Engagement, Evans Incorporated. Jennafer Miller, is the Principal for Community Engagement at Evans Consulting. She has a personal and professional commitment to effecting positive change and has over 25 years of combined experience as an educator, facilitator, administrator, and program manager.
BOARD MEMBER- Jeffrey Gander -Continuous Improvement Officer, DC Government
Jeffrey (Jeff) Gander has 16 years of experience leading transformational initiatives that focus on enterprise change. His current role is the Continuous Improvement Officer for the Washington, DC Govt (OCFO). He is working in the areas of Strategic Vision and Planning, Performance Improvement and Change Management.
Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Dev. George Mason University Dr. Leslie La Croix is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University in the College of Education and Human Development in the Early Childhood Education Program. Dr. La Croix’s areas of expertise are grounded in curriculum and instruction for young learners, birth through age 8, and in teacher education and professional development for early childhood educators
BOARD MEMBER- Jillian Heltzel -Head of Human Resources, Farmers Restaurant Group
Jillian Heltzel is currently the Director of Human Resources for Farmers Restaurant Group and an Adjunct Business Professor for Northern Virginia Community Colleges Annandale campus. Her passion for non profit preschools was born from her time spent on her children's cooperative pre-school board and she is thrilled to work with Main Street.
General Manager, Individual & Family Plans, Cigna Healthcare. Lisa Lough is the General Manager for the Individual & Family Plans and the Medicaid businesses at Cigna Healthcare. She is accountable for the P&L, strategy development and all business operations of these businesses. Lisa brings over 20 years of experience in the areas of business P&L leadership, strategy development, risk management, business operations, sales leadership and consumer marketing expertise.
BOARD MEMBER- Susan Ricci -Director, Vale U.M.C. Preschool
Susan Ricci serves as the Director of Vale UMC Preschool in Oakton, VA. As a former FCPS Kindergarten and Leveled Literacy instructor, she is passionate about the education of young children. Susan is a mother, teacher, and avid reader and aspires to encourage the love of reading in all children.
BOARD MEMBER- Lori Wood -Executive Director, Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund
Lori Wood is the Executive Director of the Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund located in Fairfax, Va. The Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund is a $4 billion, labor-management defined benefit pension plan with approximately 140,000 participants nationwide. Lori has 24 years of experience in working with Taft-Hartley benefit plans, plan sponsors and organized labor.
Melany Hearin joined Main Street, first as a volunteer, then as an Assistant Teacher and now as an Office Assistant. A native of Bolivia, she is a bilingual speaker who loves interacting with children.
Susan Rismiller comes to Main Street after 25 years teaching young primary aged students in Fairfax County Public Schools’ special education classes. Susan founded and led her school’s first collegial support program, mentored over 12 pre-service and new teachers, and for over 7 years, collaborated as clinical faculty with George Mason University’s Special Education cohort.
Aymee Robles is originally from El Salvador and has lived in the United States for over 23 years. Ms. Aymee has a Northern Virginia Food Manager Certificate and is taking early childhood classes so she may spend more time in a classroom with the children. Ms. Aymee has worked with children for many years and has always enjoyed being a part of their lives.
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION- Katherine Pardo Polo -
Melany Hearin joined Main Street, first as a volunteer, then as an Assistant Teacher and now as an Office Assistant. A native of Bolivia, she is a bilingual speaker who loves interacting with children.
Mark Gardner has been part of the Main St. community since 2005, serving as its Mental Health Consultant. Mark’s main job, by working closely with staff and parents, is to ensure that each child has all the social, emotional and cognitive skills he or she needs to be successful in the classroom and in life. These include the abilities to understand and manage his/her feelings and behavior in order to learn well, participate in classroom activities and get along with his/her teachers and classmates.Licensed by the state of Virginia as a Clinical Social Worker, Mark has been helping young children and their families for over 20 years.
Christi Schwarten joined Main Street in 2018. Prior to joining Main Street, Ms. Christi was the Cultural Arts and Marketing Specialist for the City of Fairfax for 2 years, and the Executive Director of the Fairfax Choral Society for nearly 8 years. Ms. Christi’s passion for children started early, through volunteerism in a preschool for children with disabilities while in college. She has taught theatre to kindergarten students, as well as vacation bible school and Sunday school.
Ruth Martinez joined Main Street Child Development Center in 2014 with over 30 years as an Administrative Assistant. Originally from El Salvador, Ms. Ruth graduated as a Bilingual Secretary in Public Relations. Before Main Street, she worked as the Administrative Assistant of the Presidency for ALDECA, an American company in El Salvador.
CHILD FIND SPECIALIST FROM FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS- Karen King -
Karen King joined Main Street in 2017. Karen is a special education teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools. Before coming to Main Street, Karen taught preschool in Ohio and Chicago, and taught English in Seoul, South Korea. She is a certified Early Childhood Intervention Specialist and went to The University of Toledo for her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Master’s Degree in Special Education.
Carol Lieske has been the Director of Main Street Child Development Center since 2013. She has been in the early childhood education profession for 25 years. Carol has been a preschool teacher and assistant director. Prior to joining Main Street, Carol was the director of early childhood programs and curriculum designer at Ideaventions, a STEM enrichment center where she has created and taught science, technology, engineering, and math programs for children, ages 3-12.
Kristin Deavers joined Main Street in 2019. Previously, Kristin worked for Langley Child Care Center, interned with FCPS, and was a nanny for five years. She has a Bachelor’s in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting from the University of Wisconsin – Stout and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from George Mason University.
Kristin Deavers joined Main Street in 2019. Previously, Kristin worked for Langley Child Care Center, interned with FCPS, and was a nanny for five years. She has a Bachelor’s in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting from the University of Wisconsin – Stout and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from George Mason University.
Lupita Quiroz Vasquez, a former MSCDC preschooler, has been working at Main Street since 2015. Once a volunteer, Lupita became co-lead teacher in 2019. She is currently enrolled in early childhood education at Northern Virginia Community College where she is earning her Associates Degree.
Veronica Ruanova first came to Main Street as a student when she was a small child. She volunteered at Main Street in 2012 for two years before becoming an Assistant Teacher. She became Lead Teacher for the Sunshines in 2019. Ms. Veronica is working on her Associates Degree in Child Development from Northern Virginia Community College.
Doris Quiroz Vasquez came to Main Street first as a volunteer and then joined the teaching staff in 2016. She became co-lead teacher in 2019. She currently holds her Early Childhood Education Certificate and is working on her Associates Degree at Northern Virginia Community College.
Gloria Diaz first became connected to Main Street when her daughter started here in 2016. She soon became an Assistant Teacher and is now a Lead Teacher. Prior to coming to Main Street, Ms. Gloria taught for ten years in Peru, Colombia, and India, was a Teacher Assistant at Truro pre-school and a volunteer at Providence Elementary School and Lanier Middle School.
Emily Levitt came to Main Street in 2016. She previously worked at Merritt Academy for three years as an Assistant Teacher. She has a Bachelors Degree in English from Radford University and is currently completing her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.
Alexandra Susano started at Main Street as a volunteer, worked in program support, and became an Assistant Teacher in 2020. A graduate of George Mason University, Alex is studied global affairs with a concentration in human security and minor in global health.
Jennifer Perez joined Main Street in 2018 and became the Educational Assistant in 2020. A recent graduate of George Mason University, she studied Human Development & Family Services.
Diana Perales came to Main Street in 2016 after being a nanny for 2 ½ years. She has completed a STEM certification course and is currently working on her Early Childhood Education Certificate.
Vicky Mendoza has been at Main Street since 1993 when she earned her Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate. A bilingual speaker, she completed her early childhood education program at the Arlington Employment Training Center, and she worked as a teacher’s aide in the Arlington Career Center and Seven Corners Children’s Center. Ms. Vicky has her Fairfax County School Readiness Program Certificate and is taking early childhood development classes such as “Art Expression for Children” to extend her knowledge.
Colleen Herbert has been with Main Street Child Development Center since 1999. Ms. Colleen has her bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from Radford University. She is a Washington, D.C. native and lives in Northern Virginia. Ms. Colleen has two daughters, and in her spare time she enjoys gardening and swimming.
Sara Echevarria came to Main Street in 2006. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from the Catholic University of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and is a bilingual speaker. Ms. Sara received her Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate in March 2009 and her Early Childhood Certificate in 2012. She is currently attending Northern Virginia Community College, working toward her associate’s degree in early childhood education.
Caitlyn DeMulder joined Main Street in 2018, after interning in 2017. She has a Bachelors Degree in Human Development and Family Science with a concentration in child development from George Mason University.
Barnali Chakrabarty initially joined Main Street as an intern, and became an Assistant Teacher in 2020. She is a recent graduate of George Mason University.
Virginia Susano started at Main Street in 2016. She has her Early Childhod Education Certificate from The Early Childhood Institute as well as a Northern Virginia Food Handler Certificate.
Jacqueline Schulze joined Main Street first as a substitute teacher in 2013, and more recently as an all around project assistant in 2017. She is a teacher with the Fairfax County Public Schools (Early literacy, family literacy, global program, and Head Start program), and has been the Granata Group Outreach Coordinator (Relationships and Fatherhood Programs). Jacqueline has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and two Master’s Degrees: Business Management and Strategies Management.
