NIHSDA
National Indian Head Start Directors Association
Standing Strong for American Indian and Alaska Native Children
2024-2025 Board of Directors
Interested in serving on the NIHSDA Board?
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Andrea Pesina is a proud community member of Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico. In 1987, she graduated from the Isleta Pueblo Head Start program. Years had passed, she became a Head Start Parent and, soon after, an Employee. Andrea has been employed with the Isleta Head Start program for 17 years. She started as a Teacher’s Assistant, then became the Education Coordinator, and now she has been the Executive Director for almost two years. Andrea earned her Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood. Her passions include working for and giving back to her Isleta Pueblo community.
Ann Cameron is the Head Start Director of the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc., Head Start and Early Head Start Programs. She is responsible for the overall administration of early childhood programming for seven tribal communities. She also serves as the Online Student Advisor for the Bay Mills Community College Early Childhood Education students. She is a member of the American Indian Alaska Native Head Start Research Center Steering Committee and is a long-standing member of the National Indian Head Start Directors Association Board of Directors.
Melissa F. Harris is the Executive Program Director for ISWA Head Start, serving the Catawba Nation. Her passion in life is helping individuals and families in the process of becoming the best version of themselves. As a citizen of Catawba Indian Nation, her Native American principles inspire her to celebrate her people’s stories, heritage and the values of community-family that extends to others well beyond the Catawba Nation. Her priorities in her life starts with her own children and family to model success in all aspects of life, championing families and individuals is her heart’s desire in the Head Start program. Melissa serves on the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. Education Committee and as a Board member for Fathers and Families of America Coalition, Tribal Affiliate lead. She also is a certified Life Coach. Melissa enjoys travel, dancing and supporting her four children in their musical and football endeavors.
Jayme Trevino is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe and her first language is Kickapoo. She was born in the Kikapu Traditional Village in Nacimiento, MX. She moved to Oklahoma with her family at the age of four(4). A unique fact about her is that she is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico. Jayme is a proud Kickapoo Head Start Graduate!
She has been in her position as Director at Kickapoo Head Start of Oklahoma for ten years! Her passion has always been advocating for youth. In her previous work, she served as the KTO Education Director for 10 years and operated federally funded programs, and one competitive tribal youth grant. Alongside her fulltime duties, she served on the KTO Election Board for 6 years, and the KTO Tax Commission for 9 years.
Zone 1 Representative
Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York,
North Carolina, South Carolina
Tina Routh
Mississippi Band of Choctaw HS/EHS
601-650-1722
Zone 1 Alternate
Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York,
North Carolina, South Carolina
Vacant
Ms. Routh is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and lives on the Pearl River Indian reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi. Ms. Routh is celebrating 29 years of marriage and has three children. Ms. Routh has a Master of Arts from Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi.
Ms. Routh brings 22 years of management, training and technical assistance experience in early childhood environments, including 6 years as a department supervisor, 9 years as a Child Development Specialist of a four county-wide agency. She has trained Head Start, early head start, and childcare staff. Active in state associations, she has served on planning committee for training in Mississippi. She has presented at numerous state, regional and national conferences and has participated in numerous federal reviews as a CLASS reviewer. Ms. Routh is the current director of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Department of Early Childhood in Choctaw, Mississippi.
Zone 2 Alternate
Minnesota, Wisconsin
Vacant
Zone 3 Representative
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
Vonda Pourier
Rosebud Sioux Tribe
605-747-2391
email
Zone 3 Alternate
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
Anne Reddy
Rural America Initiatives HS/EHS
605-341-3339
Vonda Pourier is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She is a former Head Start parent and began her employment with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Head Start program in 1987 as a Social Service Parent Involvement Coordinator. In 2010, she applied for the Director position and was hired by the Tribal Council. Vonda loves her job as the Director and strongly advocates for all Region 3 concerns and issues and strives to highlight all the positive endeavors and hard work our Regional programs are accomplishing.
Anne Reddy is a former Head Start Parent, current EHS Grandparent, and has been a Director for 20 years. She is the mother to 2 daughters and grandmother to 4 granddaughters, and owns 2 very spoiled chihuahua’s. Ann is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and currently her program serves 271 Children on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation and in Rapid City South Dakota. She enjoys advocating for our American Indian Children in the region of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Zone 4 Representative
Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
Cheryl DuBois
Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas
785-474-3231
Cheryl DuBois is an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas. Her father was from Spirit Lake, North Dakota, so she is Nakota and Ojibwe. She has been the Director of the Kickapoo Head Start / Early Head Start Program since September 2020. She began her Head Start career also at the Kickapoo Head Start Program from 1998 until 2005. She was the Early Head Start Director of the Oneida Tribe in Wisconsin from 2010-2012 and Interim Director for the entire program in 2019.
Cheryl began her education career as a First-Grade teacher at the Indian Community School in Milwaukee, WI and then taught Kindergarten for five years. Educational Background: Northland College, in Ashland, WI-Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education K-6 with a minor in Native American studies.
Cheryl works in Kansas, but lives in Wisconsin. She and her husband, Richard Sr. share 4 children: Rachel, Richard Jr, Olivia and Raymond. They have 5 grandchildren and the two youngest children were former Head Start graduates at the Kickapoo Head Start Program.
Monica Fisher, Delaware tribal member from Nowata, is the Director for Delaware Tribe of Indians in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Monica is a graduate of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, holds a Certificate of Mastery in Early Care and Education and has her Oklahoma Child Care Directors Certification.
She is a dedicated professional in the field of Early Childhood Education, with experience dating back to 2005. Throughout her career, she has gained hands-on experience in every position within the field, allowing her to contribute meaningfully to the overall success of her program.
Zone 5 Representative
Colorado, New Mexico
Lana Garcia
Walatowa Head Start (Jemez Pueblo)
575-834-7366
Hello, my friends, my name is Dr. Florinda Jackson, I am born of the Near the Water clan, born for Towering House Clan, my maternal grandfather is the Waters’ Edge clan, and my paternal grandfather is of the Salt People Clan.
My education level includes a Doctor of Education Degree (Ed. D) from Arizona State University with a background of successful endeavors as a high school Teacher, Principal in PK-12 school settings, Higher Education Adjunct Faculty, and Assistant Superintendent/ Administrator in areas of curriculum, instruction, Federal programs, and school leadership.
I look forward to serving on the National Indian Head Start Directors Association (NIHSDA) Board of Directors for Zone 6. I will be committed to the association in areas of mission, services, policies, programs, and committees, and to be a leader for Indian Head Start/Early Head Start. As well, I am very excited to be part of Navajo Head Start organization to serve the young children within our Navajo Nation. The foundation of whole child development is very important for successful growth of social, emotional, cognitive, physical, culture, and English and Navajo language areas of a child.
Tabatha Novotny serves as the Head Start Director for the Cocopah Indian Tribe. She brings over 30 years of experience in early childhood education, working closely with children and families. Tabatha earned her Bachelor of Arts in Family Studies from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Her extensive background includes 20 years as a Parent Educator with the Parents as Teachers Program, as well as experience in Healthy Families and Reunification services. She is dedicated to supporting and empowering families through culturally responsive and community-based early childhood programs.
Zone 7 Alternate
California, Nevada
Verlet Montano
Mountain Empire School District
619-473-9022 x815
Rhonda Laughlin has over 30 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education, including 17 years dedicated to Tribal Head Start programs. Throughout her Head Start career, she has served in various roles including Teacher, Education Manager, and Head Start Manager. Rhonda holds an Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in preschool from Truckee Meadows Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Portland State University. She is deeply passionate about supporting and strengthening Tribal early education programs and is committed to fostering meaningful, culturally grounded learning experiences for young children and their families.
Verlet Montano has nearly 20 years of experience in child development and special education, serving as a teacher, administrator, and college instructor. She is the Director of Early Childhood Education for Mountain Empire Unified School District, overseeing Campo Kumeyaay Head Start and five other toddler and preschool programs. In addition to her leadership role, she teaches college-level child development courses, with a focus on behavior support, social-emotional learning, and relationship-based practices. Currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in curriculum and instruction, Verlet is dedicated to advancing equity, cultural responsiveness, and hands-on learning experiences for children, families, and future educators.
Zone 8 Representative
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming
Hilary Gourneau
Fort Peck HS
406-768-5164
Zone 8 Alternate
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming
DeAnn Brown
Confederated Tribes of Siletz
541-444-2532
A member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Montana. Hilary grew up with an appreciation for her Native culture and traditions with support from family and community members. In May 2012, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Native American studies from Montana State University-Billings. Hilary soon accepted a teaching position at Poplar Schools where she dedicated five years of service, within the elementary and junior high. In June of 2020, Hilary graduated from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon with a Master’s in Counselor Education with a focus in School Counseling and a certificate in Trauma-Informed Services. She is also a graduate of Head Start, ℅1994.
In July 2020, Hilary accepted the position as the Fort Peck Tribes-Head Start Director. Working in education and having a passion for working with children, she was excited to gain experience within the field of early childhood education. As her career progressed, she found herself in uncharted waters due to the global pandemic, which only intensified her drive to help advocate and provide services to tribal head start students and families, along with her staff, during a turbulent time within Indian Country and the Nation.
Hilary has begun her third year as Head Start Director, where she is able to help lay the foundation for her tribal members as they begin their educational journeys. She occupies a Trustee position on her local School Board-Poplar Public Schools and is an Ex-Officio member of Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education (MACIE) representing Montana Tribal Head Starts. She believes in order for success to be possible within schools, Native students and their families need to feel connected, respected, supported, and reflected at all levels.
DeAnn Brown is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and has two children, Brandy Florendo (Warm Springs/Wasco/Siletz), and Westman Mathews (Pawnee/Comanche/Siletz), one grandson, Kai Florendo Blomstrom (Warm Springs/Wasco/Siletz), and numerous granddogs and grandcats. She began as the Head Start Director for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in 1992 and assumed leadership of the tribe’s CCDF program in 1998 and the tribe’s childcare center in 2014. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her family.
Zone 9 Alternate
Washington
Mary DuPuis
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
360-709-1871
Sheryl Fryberg, MSW: Sheryl is a Tulalip Tribal member and has lived on the Tulalip Indian Reservation for her entire life. She has been in Leadership positions that have influenced the life-long learning programs of children in her community since 1990. She loves working in education as it allows her the opportunity to lay a strong foundation for children that have in the past been disenfranchised from educational systems.
Sheryls’ passion as a Grandmother, Great Grandmother, Tribal Member and Leader is to Revitalize Language and Culture for our tribal children. She has been involved with cultural activities all of her life with her family and for her tribe (Tulalip Tribes)since 1990. She wants our children to know their Lushootseed language, their history and their cultural ways of life as well. Sheryl loves that research tells us that if our children are well grounded in their language and cultural way of life, they will be more successful in their academics, careers and in their life.
Dr. Mary DuPuis, is the Director of Education and Development for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation (Chehalis) and an enrolled member of the Chehalis Tribe, which is located in Oakville, WA. She received her Bachelors of Science in Sociology from the University of Utah, her Masters of Public Administration with an Emphasis in Tribal Governance from the Evergreen State College, and her Doctorate of Indigenous Development and Advancement from Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi in Whakatane, New Zealand. Her master’s thesis focused on the development of Tribal history curriculum for implementation in school districts, and her doctoral dissertation, A Long Time Ago, When the Earth Was Young, an examination of Chehalis Tribal history from a Chehalis Tribal perspective, won the award for top thesis the year she graduated.
As Director of Education and Development, Mary supervises the child care, Head Start and Early Start programs for the Chehalis Tribe. Previously, Mary was an instructor in the Reservation Based, Community Determined Program at the Evergreen State College where she taught college level junior and senior students at the Nisqually and Chehalis Tribal sites. During this time, she was also employed by the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA) as the Program Coordinator for Fiscal Services for their Tribal TANF program. Mary has been a foster parent since 2002 and she is a former student and former Policy Council member of the Chehalis Tribal Head Start program.
Mary and her husband have four children, three of whom previously attended the Chehalis Tribal Head Start/Early Head Start and she resides in Olympia, WA.
Kristin Ramstad is the Director for Chugachmiut Birth to Five Head Start. Kristin is a life-long Alaskan with over 25 years’ experience working for Head Start. Most of her career has been in supporting, managing, or directing Head Start and Early Head Start programs in remote Alaskan AIAN communities. Ever since she started as a Family Services/Mental Health Coordinator, Kristin’s passion has been for providing and advocating for, high quality culturally appropriate Early Head Start and Head Start services to children, families, and communities across Alaska. For Kristin, it is all about “the kiddos and their families.”
Kristin has over 10 years’ experience as a Head Start Director/Executive Director, was a Region XI Training and Technical Assistance Grantee Specialist, and a Developmental Specialist in Early Intervention. To expand much-needed 0-3 services and support Head Start in rural and remote Alaska, Kristin wrote and led Alaska Native Education and Administration for Native American grants to provide culturally relevant home visiting programs. Kristin has her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education.
Jennifer Russell is the Head Start Manager for the Tanana Chiefs Conference Birth to Five Head Start program. She is a near lifelong Fairbanks, Alaskan and shares a deep appreciation and passion for working with children and families. She has graduated from the University of Alaska Southeast with her Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education, and recently celebrated 20 years of marriage. She has been working with TCC Head Start since 2016. She started as the Education and Disabilities Coordinator then later promoted to the Head Start Manager.
Jennifer has a diverse background in experience that has supported her work. Preschool Assistant Teacher in a child care, Parents as Teacher (PAT) Home Visitor, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Adjunct Faculty doing adult education, and the ED. Coordinator. Through all of these experiences, she has always worked primarily with AI/AN families learning about each family’s culture.
Her dedication for advocating for children and families, working with Tribes, and community partnerships, will be a continued career goal.
Staff
