Children First, Inc., the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services for Sarasota County, is proud to announce its slate of board leadership for 2022 and welcome Elenor Maxheim to the Board of Directors for her third term.
At the agency’s annual board reception on March 1, Jacqueline W. Ray, Ph.D. was formally welcomed as Board Chair. Rev. Brock H. Leach was also welcomed as Vice Chair, Katrina Otchet as Treasurer, and Lisa Giglio as Secretary. Katherine Martucci was thanked for her service throughout 2021 as she steps into her new role as Chair Emeritus.
Jacqueline W. Ray, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus and former higher education administrator and psychologist. She has served on the Board of Directors since 2018, and as former Treasurer and Vice Chair she continues to lend strategic insight into team building, strong governance, and leadership.
Elenor Maxheim, retired realtor and business owner is coming back onto the board after previously serving two consecutive terms from 2012 to 2017. She also co-chaired Children First’s successful $3.8 MM Raise Your Hand campaign that helped enhance and expand programs serving our community’s most at-risk children and families.
Other directors on the board include Barbara G. Benson, Howard Berman, Andrea Johnson, Keith G. Johnson, Michael Keebaugh, Linda Monda, Elizabeth Stamoulis, Esq., Joe Stephan, and Michael K. Suarez. The Children First Board of Directors is comprised of community members and leaders from the human services, corporate, investment, and philanthropic sectors of our region. To learn more, visit childrenfirst.net.
About Children First:
Founded in 1961 and ranked in the top 1% out of over 1,800 Head Starts nationwide, Children First strengthens children and families by improving the quality of their lives through a comprehensive approach to development, education, health, and well-being. At 15 sites throughout Sarasota County, Children First offers full-day preschool, infant and toddler care, and nutrition and health care assistance to children ages birth to five years old from low-income families. Through Children First, the children receive the social and cognitive skills needed to enter kindergarten and elementary school on track. For more information, call (941) 953-3877 or go to childrenfirst.net.
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