HEATHER TRITTEN
Executive Director
“True change in family well-being happens when we support the children.”
As Parent Possible’s executive director, Heather leads the organization in defining its mission and driving its strategic vision. In addition to ensuring consistent and successful programmatic delivery, she oversees all aspects of the organization’s financial and administrative management. She is also responsible for promotion of parent engagement through advocacy and collaboration with other early childhood leaders across the state. Heather has spent her career working to address the two-generation poverty problem, focusing her efforts in recent years on parents as the critical pathway to a child’s future success. Prior to serving as executive director at Parent Possible, Heather was the vice president of Quality Programs at Qualistar Colorado, and Head Start Collaboration Director in the Office of Lt. Governor Joe Garcia. She authored Governor Hickenlooper’s early literacy plan, Colorado Reads: the Early Literacy Initiative. Heather holds a B.S. in Sociology from Grand Valley State University, and a M.A. in Administration, Leadership, and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado Denver. She has also completed a Buell Early Childhood Fellowship.
- heather@parentpossible.org
- 303-860-6000 ext. 111
- (direct line) 303-860-7067
MARION BATAYTE
Deputy Director
“Prevention is so much more efficient than intervention, and has considerably greater returns.”
Marion has served the early childhood community in Colorado for over 16 years, working in a leadership position at Parent Possible since 2012. As Deputy Director she is primarily responsible for overseeing program operation, compliance and evaluation, and contributing to the overall development and strategic initiatives for Colorado’s HIPPY, PAT, and Vroom programs. Prior to joining Parent Possible, Marion was Director of Operations at Bright By Three (formerly Colorado Bright Beginnings), where she spent ten years advancing the quality and effectiveness of home visitation programs. Before moving into parent engagement, Marion worked for the Colorado Department of Corrections, Gemini Shelter, and HEAR NOW. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder, and an A.S. in American Sign Language Interpretation.
- marion@parentpossible.org
- 303-860-6000 ext. 107
- (direct line) 303-861-4777
RACHEL BRECK
Data & Evaluation Manager
“Strong families are the foundation for resilient communities and a more equitable future.”
In Rachel’s role as Parent Possible’s Data & Evaluation Manager, she is responsible for managing program data collected throughout the state. She supports program sites by providing technical assistance, database management and quality assurance. After ensuring the data are accurate, clean, and complete, she prepares reports examining the fidelity and effectiveness of Parent Possible’s home visiting programs. Rachel’s past experience is a blending of numbers and nonprofits. She built and managed a database for tracking nonprofit organizations as a graduate assistant with the Indiana Nonprofits Project and conducted feasibility studies for community-based organizations while a Senior Summer Fellow at the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago. Rachel has a B.A. in Sociology & Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and holds a Masters of Public Affairs, with concentrations in Nonprofit Management and Information Systems from Indiana University.
KRISTEN CELLINI
Data & Reporting Specialist
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela
Kristen joined Parent Possible in 2019 as the Data & Reporting Specialist. In this position, she is primarily responsible for supporting program sites in the data collection process, creating monthly and quarterly reports for various stakeholders, and helping to ensure that the database yields accurate, reliable data. Kristen’s work has centered around data management and analysis for the past decade, primarily within the field of K-12 education. Her previous roles include serving as a data analyst for a large, urban school district, a multi-campus university, and a national non-profit organization focused on ending K-12 educational inequalities. She holds a B.A. in psychology and English from Baldwin-Wallace College, and earned her M.A. in sociology from Kent State University, with a specialization in social psychology.
JACKIE CORDOVA
HIPPY Program Director
“Children are filled with optimism, hope, excitement, and no regret. They remind me every day to live life by these principles.”
Jackie joined Parent Possible in early 2016 as the coordinator of Colorado’s HIPPY program. A long-time early child care and education professional, she manages program operations, design and implementation of ongoing subject-based training for HIPPY sites across the state. In her role as program director, she provides start-up guidance and support for new site development, as well as state-level guidance and coaching to ensure program fidelity. Before joining Parent Possible, Jackie worked at Clayton Early Learning as a HIPPY Home Based Head Start Mentor Coach, and before that, as a preschool teacher and coordinator. She has served as a panel member for Home Visitation Programs for the Colorado General Assembly’s Early Childhood and School Readiness, and as a member of the Spanish language curriculum committee for HIPPY USA from 2013-2014. She also became a HIPPY National Trainer in May 2017. Jackie earned her B.S. in Education from the Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara.
ALEXIS FOWKES
Program Associate
“Our future is in the hands of our children – and the parents holding their hands in those first few years of life.”
Alexis joined Parent Possible in 2018 as the Program Associate. In her role, she is responsible for coordinating the Annual Parent Possible Home Visiting Conference and maintaining Parent Possible’s social media presence. Additionally, she provides programmatic support to HIPPY, PAT and Vroom through assisting with on-site monitoring of program sites, data gathering and coordinating trainings. Before Parent Possible she worked at ReinventED Lab as the Event Coordinator for the Tom Tom Youth Summit, an annual event celebrating student projects and innovation in Charlottesville, Virginia. Alexis earned her B.S. in Youth & Social Innovation from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.
CATY GONSALES
HIPPYCorps Associate
“A book is a gift you can open again and again”
Caty joined Parent Possible in September 2019 as the HIPPYCorps Associate. In her role she provides support to all the HIPPY sites across the state with HIPPYCorps home based programs. Before joining Parent Possible, Caty served at Focus Points Family Resource Center as an AmeriCorps member with the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program from 2008-2011. Then Caty became the HIPPY program coordinator from 2012-2018. Caty earned her Associates degree in Early Childhood Education from Community College of Denver.
SHELBY JONES
Vroom Program Director
“By instilling love, empathy, and hope in our children today, parents inspire a better tomorrow.”
Shelby joined Parent Possible in 2018 as the Vroom Program Director. In this role, Shelby is responsible for building and sustaining a diverse network of Vroom partners throughout Colorado. His work includes seeking out trusted messenger organizations and institutions to partner with, as well as providing training, communication, and support to ensure effective implementation. Prior to joining Parent Possible, Shelby served as a research consultant for nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sector organizations, and spent five years studying parenting and child development. Shelby holds a B.A. in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and an M.A. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
LAURA KNUDTSON
Director of Community & Government Relations
“We build and sustain thriving communities through the support of and investment in families – particularly during the early childhood years.”
Laura joined Parent Possible in 2018 and is responsible for elevating the voice of home visiting programs in Colorado through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration with other early childhood groups. Prior to serving in this role, she completed a one-year American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Policy Fellowship in Washington D.C. funded through the American Psychological Association (APA) working on health and human services public policy. Laura has a background in child/family psychology where she worked with predominantly underserved, low-income, and racially & ethnically diverse families in community mental health and integrated care settings. She is a previous Colorado Psychological Association (CPA) Board Member where she chaired the CPA Legislative Committee and was actively involved in behavioral health advocacy work. Laura is a recipient of the APA 2017 Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award for State-level Advocacy and holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, a M.A. in Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in Psychology and Dance from St. Olaf College.
AARON LEAVY
Research Manager
“No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child” – Abraham Lincoln
As research manager for the Colorado Home Visiting Coalition, Aaron supports the efforts of all of Colorado’s home visiting programs. Aaron conducts research and analysis into the scope, impact and status of Colorado’s home visiting efforts. Prior to joining Parent Possible, he worked on political campaigns across the country, served as a researcher for a polling and communications firm, and as Senior Manager for Innovation and Learning for the Harwood Institute (where he authored the book Why We’re Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward. As part of the National Civic League he developed community engagement materials, such as the All-America Conversations Toolkit, provided coaching and support to local engagement efforts and served as part of National Civic League’s community consulting team. He is a graduate of Oberlin College.
ANELISE MOORE
Senior Administrative Assistant
“Early literacy is the foundation for education.”
Anelise joined Parent Possible in 2018 as the Senior Administrative Assistant. In that role, she is responsible for the organization’s administrative support, reporting to the Executive Director. Previously, she was an Executive Assistant for the Colorado Health Foundation.
MICHELE PROVOST
Parents as Teachers Program Director
“Supporting and educating parents when children are young is the key to growing strong families and communities.”
Michele joined Parent Possible in January 2017 as the Parents as Teachers Program Director. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing, monitoring and providing technical assistance to PAT sites in the state to ensure individual site quality, as well as data collection fidelity. Prior to joining Parent Possible in 2017, she spent 12 years as the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program Coordinator, serving families at Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado Hospital. In addition, she has extensive experience in child protection, home visitation and parenting instruction. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a MSW from the University of Denver. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Colorado and has earned the Infant Mental Health Endorsement—Infant Mental Health Mentor (Policy).
CINDY SPRINGSTEEN
Director of Finance
“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.” Dr. Maria Montessori
Cindy joined Parent Possible in 2019 as the Director of Finance. She has over 20 years of finance and human resource management experience. Before Parent Possible she was the Controller for Sukle Advertising, an award-winning agency known best for their cause-related campaigns. Cindy earned her B.A. in Accounting from Michigan State University. She is actively involved in various nonprofits in the Denver area, most recently as a CASA Volunteer and SAME Café board member.