Board of Trustees
Melinda M. De Lanoy, Board President. Melinda is a member of the WSBA, serves on Seattle Art Museum’s Decorative Arts and Paintings Council and speaks on employment law-related issues.
While attending the University of Puget Sound, Melinda interned for two years as a work-study student with the Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Upon completion of her undergraduate studies she joined the Network Staff full time for two years. Melinda received her Juris-Doctorate from the Seattle University School of Law (Cum laude, 2000).
John Thielbahr, Interim Treasurer. John has spent the past 40 years managing people, projects, and budgets. Recently retired from Washington State University where he was the director of continuing education for 10 years, John has a varied and entrepreneurial background that includes both private sector and public sector experience, and non-profit leadership experience. Highlights of John’s career include the following:
- 25 years of private sector experience in corporate finance, business consulting, and economic development
- 10 years as Director of Professional Education at Washington State University, managing development, funding and delivery of statewide, national and international education programs with a focus on children and the environment, in partnership with organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and Nature Conservancy
- 2 years as volunteer President of the Board of the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI), a Moscow, Idaho-based environmental education and habitat restoration non-profit operating throughout the Inland Northwest
- 2 years as volunteer member of Richard Louv’s national Grassroots Leadership Team, a part of the Children and Nature Network
- Volunteer Member of the Washington State No Child Left Inside Grant Advisory Committee, charged by the Washington Legislature to allocate an appropriated $1.5 million in grants for programs to connect children with nature
- Volunteer Member of the Washington Attorney General’s Youth Internet Safety Task Force to address predators stalking children on the Internet
- MBA in Finance from the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management, Phoenix, Arizona
- Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations, Cum Laude, from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
John is married and the father of four children, one of which is adopted. He has nine grandchildren, three of which are adopted. He lives with his wife Sonia in Pullman, Washington.
Layne Barndt, Chair, Contract Oversight Committee. Layne is President of Network Administrative Services, 4719 Slayden Rd NE, Tacoma, WA 98422.
Kim Ferguson, Central Washington Regional Director covering Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Ferry, Yakima, Kittitas, Grant, Adams, Benton, and Franklin Counties Child Care Resource & Referral has worked in Early Learning for 30 years. Her background includes child care family home provider, child care center owner, private preschool and kindergarten teacher, community college early learning instructor and independent trainer. Her most treasured accomplishments are her two children. Kim is the Chair of The Partnership for Children & Families Early Learning Committee, serves on the Washington State Child Care Resources & Referral Board of Trustees and Member Council.
In addition, Kim serves on State level task force groups and Early Learning planning committees. She enjoys volunteering in her community and has a love of serving others. Her passion throughout her career has been a level playing field for all children, advocating locally and at the state level brings her joy and a sense of making a difference in the world today and a brighter future for those most in need.
Erica Hallock resides in Spokane and works as the President/CEO of the United Ways of Washington, focusing on issues relating to income, education and health. Erica was appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire to the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission in 2006 as a public member. Prior to moving to Spokane in 2001, Erica worked in Sacramento focusing on public policy at the California State Association of Counties and the Child Development Policy Advisory Committee. Erica holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Riverside and a Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento. Erica's greatest joy are her two girls, Gillian (11) and Kirsten (8).
Gail E. Joseph is currently the Director of Early Childhood and Family Studies Program at the College of Education at the University of Washington. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, reports, books, training modules dealing with young children, leadership in early care and education, child relationships, parenting practices, and promoting children’s social emotional competence. She and her husband, Larry, are the parents of two children, Lulu and Waylon.
Jean F. Kelly is a Research Professor with the Department of Family and Child Nursing at the University of Washington. She also serves as Director of Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training Programs at the School of Nursing. Her achievements in research include ten years participation in “The NICHD Study of Early Child Care” (funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development). She has also directed the following projects: “Promoting Parent-Child Relationships in Early Intervention Settings” (funded by Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program, Department of Social and Health Services); “Promoting Young Children’s Mental Health in the Early Childhood Setting: A Training Project for Early Head Start Service Providers” (funded by Region X Early Head Start); and “Promoting Young Children’s Mental Health in the Child Care Setting: A Training Project for Child Care Consultants” (funded as a subcontract with the Washington State Department of Health).
Jean has published over 30 studies in her career, including numerous articles as a co-author reporting results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care; The development of toddlers with special needs in relation to child-care experiences, co-authored by C. L. Booth and published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly; and The early child care study of young children with special needs, also co-authored by C. L. Booth and published in International Review of Research in Mental Retardation, Vol. 25.
Jean currently serves as Chair of the State Interagency Coordinating Council, the Governor-appointed Advisory Council to Washington State's Infant-Toddler Early Intervention Program; Chair of the Early Intervention Task Force, Center on Human Development and Disability at the University of Washington; and is a member of the School of Nursing Research and Intramural Funding Committee.
Hilary Loeb serves as the Director of Research and Evaluation at the College Success Foundation, a nonprofit providing a host of supports to low-income students in Washington State and the District of Columbia. Hilary has also completed research and evaluation projects at Washington KIDS COUNT, the University of Washington’s Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, College Spark, and the Heinz Endowments. She has published articles and reports about such topics as educational data systems, school engagement, and child poverty. These projects built on Hilary’s research interests in teacher workforce development, multicultural education, and the impact of educational policies on students of color and students living in poverty.
Beginning her career as a teacher, Hilary worked and volunteered for a number of educational and nonprofit organizations in California and Washington. These roles include service as a philanthropic program officer, grant writer, and trainer. Her passion for the mission and work of the Washington State Childcare Resource & Referral Network has been nurtured through her role as mother to her son Joseph who is currently in kindergarten and her family's access to high quality childcare.
Nancy Martin is the Parent Line Child Care Resource & Referral Director for Lutheran Community Services since 1990. She has a BA in Education from the University of Puget Sound. Nancy did her graduate work at the University of San Francisco, Western Washington University, University of Washington and University of Alaska/Anchorage. She has taught in public school systems in Washington, Illinois, Michigan, was the Director of Early Learning programs in Alaska and Washington. She was superintendent of private school system in Alaska, a Special Needs consultant in ECE in Alaska and chosen Teacher of the Year in the Seattle School District. Nancy has 2 children: Andrew works at Microsoft, and Peter is a teacher in Snohomish, WA.
Trise Moore, is presently in her 7th year as Federal Way School District’s first Family & Community Partnership Director. Trise was recently selected by North West Asian Weekly Foundation to become a member of their 2010 ‘Women of Color Empowered’ alumni of Courageous Education Leaders. She was also appointed as a member of the Governor's K-12 Education Advisory Committee to Washington Learns, and in 2007 she was selected to represent her district at Harvard University’s Training Institute for Large School Leadership. Trise has lived in the Northwest for 20 years with her husband of 24 years and two children, a daughter who is a junior in college and a son who is a high school senior.
Deeann Burtch Puffert, Chief Executive Officer at Child Care Resources, brings together a talent for building relationships with others, engaging staff in a vision and strong analysis skills. She has devoted her entire career to working on behalf of children and youth through the not-for-profit sector. Professionally, Deeann has focused the past 24 years on the issue of child care and has worked on many aspects of the challenges of affordability, accessibility and quality.
Deeann joined the Child Care Resources staff as the East County Director in 1990. She was initially responsible for all aspects of opening the Bellevue office of the agency; hiring staff, engaging the community and developing the data system required to serve families. In July 1993, she was promoted to the position of Associate Director of the agency became responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the agency as it delivered services to the community. Throughout her tenure, Deeann has shown innovation through the development of programs and tools to better meet the needs of the agency’s customers; children, parents and the provider community.
Deeann graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Sociology, attended the University of Texas School of Social Work and received her Master’s in Public Administration from the Evans School at the University of Washington.
Prior to working at Child Care Resources, she was a Child Care Program Director. She was responsible for the overall management and operation of four NAEYC accredited child care centers that served 180 families. Deeann is a native of Seattle, is married and the proud mother of two daughters.
