Our Team

  • Regional Co-Lead | hbruning@catholiccharitiescw.org

    Hanna Bruning has been an early childhood educator and supporter of children and families for over 20 years. Her experience includes teaching t Head Start programs, Child Development centers, Art and Yoga therapy for children with developmental disabilities, Service Coordination for the Department of Health and Welfare’s Birth to Three program, and Education Director for one of the first nature-inspired children’s programs to become rated with Early Achievers in Washington. She also taught classes to undergraduate students while getting her Master’s degree in Family and Child Life at Central Washington University. Most recently, as an early leaning specialist for Catholic Charities, she developed and delivered Merit trainings on Social Emotional Learning and Trauma Informed Care for licensed child care providers in North Central WA.

    Hanna moved to Wenatchee Valley with her husband 6 years ago and has loved it ever since. When not at work, you may find her fishing with one of her three sons, hiking with her dog, or planting pollinators in the garden.

  • Regional Co-Lead | janelleb@ncesd.org

    Janelle has worked in the field of early learning for over 28 years, spanning from work in intergenerational child care, ECEAP program, Head Start program, and Early Intervention home visiting programs, Most recently, Janelle has been the coordinator of the North Central Educational Services District (NCESD) Early Intervention program serving children and families in Chelan/Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties. Currently, Janelle is the Managing Director of Early Learning at NCESD, supporting the early intervention program and providing training and technical assistance to districts in the NCSD region.

    Janelle has lived in the Wenatchee Valley for over 23 years and enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family and cats! Early learning and programs supporting families are her passions.

  • Chelan & Douglas County Lead, CAFÉ Executive Diretor | tona.chacon@wenatcheecafe.org

    Tona is the Executive Director of CAFE - The Community for Advancement of Family Education. She joins us as the the Chelan and Douglas County Lead for the North Central Early Learning Coalition.

  • Catholic Charities | khatfield@catholiccharitiescw.org

    Kim is the North Central Director at Catholic Charities. Leveling the playing field for all children has been the foundation of her 35+ year career. Growing up in the deep south where inequity ran rampant, she shares she knew at an early age that something was "not right" about the way some people were treated differently.

    Each step of her career has been focused on what I can personally do to right these inequities. The journey through her professional stepping stones includes time at head start, private child care ownership, community college faculty, non-profit employee, program launcher and visionary coach.

  • Data Lead | jand@ncesd.org

    As the current data lead for the North Central Early Learning Coalition, Jan Dosh is committed to elevating child and family voice through rich data gathering and sharing opportunities.  Jan has served children, youth, and families in a variety of educational settings for more than 30 years.  Her early experiences included classroom teaching, program coordination, and administration in childcare, private, and public schools in Oregon and Washington.  In 2010, she joined the early learning landscape in WA State and has been immersed in continuous quality improvement initiatives that include relationship-based professional development, technical assistance & consultation, practice-based coaching, training delivery & design, data coordination and reflective leadership.  Jan recently joined the Early Learning Team of North Central ESD in Wenatchee where she supports inclusionary practices, P-3 coordination, school improvement, WaKIDS, and Transition to Kindergarten programs.  Jan is passionate about promoting quality early learning experiences that are inclusive for all young children and reflect their families and communities.

  • Facilitator | maggie@ourvalleyourfuture.org

    Maggie works for Our Valley Our Future as their Development and Facilitation Specialist. She joins us to provide facilitation and organization to our Coalition. The work the North Central Early Learning Coalition does aligns with the Game Changer in OVOF’s Action Plan focused on Early Care and Education Programs.

    Maggie and her family live in Leavenworth where her pre-school age son attends school.

  • Okanogan County Lead | jdecesari@occda.net

    Jodi DeCesari has nearly 30 years of experience working in health, social services, and education, including in hospitals, nursing homes, community mental health, workforce development, and education. She is currently the Executive Director of Okanogan County Child Development Association, which provides early learning programs, including Head Start and home visiting throughout Okanogan County and in Bridgeport. She serves as the president of the Washington State Head Start and ECEAP Association, is a member of the Imagination Library of Washington Advisory Committee, the Okanogan CHI Leadership Team, and Okanogan Behavioral HealthCare's Community Advisory Committee. Jodi is passionate about building community and programs to support our youngest learners and their families. 

    Jodi was born and raised in the Methow Valley and lives in Okanogan, where she enjoys spending time with her family and fur family, volunteering, camping, and searching for the next great book.

  • Policy & Advocacy Co-Lead | nspurgeon@wvc.edu

    I have worked in the field of Early Childhood Education (ECE) for over forty years which has included direct services, administration, and Director of Early Childhood Program at Wenatchee Valley College (WVC).  

    I attended Western Washington University and Pacific Oaks College where I received degrees in Human Services and Human Development with specialization in Early Childhood Leadership and Administration. I retired as director of Early Childhood Education at Wenatchee Valley College in June of 2019. 

    During my retirement I continued to teach as ECE adjunct faculty at WVC.  I serve as a board member at Chelan/Douglas Child Services Association (CDCSA), the North Central Washington Regional Libraries (NCRL), Communities in Schools (CIS), North Central Early Learning Collaborative (NCELC), Thriving Together (formally NCACH) and the leadership council for the Chelan/Douglas Coalition for Health Improvement (CDCHI).   

  • Health Provider Voice Lead | amcmartin@granthealth.org 

    Alice McMartin is a Grant Coordinator with the Grant County Health District, committed to ensuring every person has an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. In her current role as Healthy Families Programs Lead and Maternal Child Health (MCH) Program Coordinator, Alice engages directly with diverse community partners, healthcare providers, and families to promote early childhood development and well-being. She has been instrumental in the Maternal Child Health Grant and the Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems Project, focusing on fostering equity-driven initiatives, building collaborative relationships, and advocating for culturally relevant services to meet the needs of underserved populations. 

    Alice grew up in Grant County, graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Public Health, and has now returned with her husband to farm and be part of the public health work that makes this community such a great place to live.  When she's not at work, Alice loves to be outside, whether it's biking, skiing, boating, or just laying out in the sun and reading a good book. 

  • Chelan & Douglas County Lead | Gabby.Torres@wenatcheecafe.org

    Gabby joins our team from CAFÉ, the Community of the Advancement. of Family Education. She will be serving as the regional lead for Chelan & Douglas County.