WSA Fall Conference 2026

I grew up in California and completed my undergraduate studies at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Child Development and minors in psychology and oddly enough, religious studies! During my time in college I worked as a Preschool Teacher and as an Bilingual Adminstrative Specialist at a nonprofit community counseling center. 

Soon after I graduated I moved to Seattle to complete my Master’s in Education Policy. I always knew I wanted to be involved in early learning spaces, but still felt a little lost so I participated in the Pathwaves WA Fellowship program for leaders of color entering the early learning field in WA. 

Through my fellowship I got matched with WSA and got hired on after my fellowship.

I am a strong believer in the power of parents and teachers and my passion comes directly from the communities I get the privledge to share space with.

During my free time I like to watch Love is Blind and Vanderpump Rules #TeamAriana

Kevin Riffel, LMHC, LCPC, RPT-S, CMHS is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and Association for Play Therapy Approved Trainer. He specializes in neurodevelopment, play therapy, and expanding access to behavioral health services through innovative school, community, and telehealth programs. Kevin is a therapist, educator, consultant, and speaker.

Private practice (play therapy trainer/therapy): 208-310-7945,

Contact for Excelsior partnership: 509-769-9484,

Joel is the Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP (WSA).  Joel’s is committed to making sure all children live up to their fullest potential. He is also passionate about ensuring that parents have a voice in policy making and key tables. He’s most proud of his work advocating for Head Start and ECEAP funding and improving the child care subsidy system so that it’s easier to access and more affordable for parents. Previously, Joel was the government affairs director at the National Head Start Association and spent a year teaching in a Head Start classroom as an AmeriCorps member. His reading of Cat in the Hat is still famous and he received loud cheers from 3 and 4 year olds in attendance. Joel is married and has a 13 year old that is a lot of fun and energetic. Because his daughter is doing school at home Joel is serving as a school custodian, librarian, and cafeteria worker. His daughter would also like to remind everyone that he cannot make raviolis correctly as he overcooks them and they fall apart. When he’s not working he’s typically outside running, playing basketball, coaching, or watching his beloved Boston sports teams (yes you can boo!). He’s also proud to serve on his daughter’s middle school PTSA, the Family Treatment Court of King County, and the Governor’s Serve Washington Commission. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University and a law degree from American University.

For over three decades, Kristin Van Marter Souers, MA LMHC, has dedicated herself to the

improvement of people’s lives. She is an award-winning author of Fostering Resilient

Learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom environment (ASCD, 2016)

and Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering

Resilient Learners (ASCD, 2019) as well as many other publications and articles. She

recently published her first children’s book, 10 Things Our Brains Need and new workbook,

The Fostering Resilience Workbook: Strategies and Steps to Support our Learners. As an

independent consultant, Kristin now provides critical professional development,

consultation, education, and training services to schools, school districts, health care

providers, businesses, and other community organizations throughout the country and

globally.

Joel is the Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP (WSA).  Joel’s is committed to making sure all children live up to their fullest potential. He is also passionate about ensuring that parents have a voice in policy making and key tables. He’s most proud of his work advocating for Head Start and ECEAP funding and improving the child care subsidy system so that it’s easier to access and more affordable for parents. Previously, Joel was the government affairs director at the National Head Start Association and spent a year teaching in a Head Start classroom as an AmeriCorps member. His reading of Cat in the Hat is still famous and he received loud cheers from 3 and 4 year olds in attendance. Joel is married and has a 13 year old that is a lot of fun and energetic. Because his daughter is doing school at home Joel is serving as a school custodian, librarian, and cafeteria worker. His daughter would also like to remind everyone that he cannot make raviolis correctly as he overcooks them and they fall apart. When he’s not working he’s typically outside running, playing basketball, coaching, or watching his beloved Boston sports teams (yes you can boo!). He’s also proud to serve on his daughter’s middle school PTSA, the Family Treatment Court of King County, and the Governor’s Serve Washington Commission. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University and a law degree from American University.

For over three decades, Kristin Van Marter Souers, MA LMHC, has dedicated herself to the

improvement of people’s lives. She is an award-winning author of Fostering Resilient

Learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom environment (ASCD, 2016)

and Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering

Resilient Learners (ASCD, 2019) as well as many other publications and articles. She

recently published her first children’s book, 10 Things Our Brains Need and new workbook,

The Fostering Resilience Workbook: Strategies and Steps to Support our Learners. As an

independent consultant, Kristin now provides critical professional development,

consultation, education, and training services to schools, school districts, health care

providers, businesses, and other community organizations throughout the country and

globally.

Joel is the Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP (WSA).  Joel’s is committed to making sure all children live up to their fullest potential. He is also passionate about ensuring that parents have a voice in policy making and key tables. He’s most proud of his work advocating for Head Start and ECEAP funding and improving the child care subsidy system so that it’s easier to access and more affordable for parents. Previously, Joel was the government affairs director at the National Head Start Association and spent a year teaching in a Head Start classroom as an AmeriCorps member. His reading of Cat in the Hat is still famous and he received loud cheers from 3 and 4 year olds in attendance. Joel is married and has a 13 year old that is a lot of fun and energetic. Because his daughter is doing school at home Joel is serving as a school custodian, librarian, and cafeteria worker. His daughter would also like to remind everyone that he cannot make raviolis correctly as he overcooks them and they fall apart. When he’s not working he’s typically outside running, playing basketball, coaching, or watching his beloved Boston sports teams (yes you can boo!). He’s also proud to serve on his daughter’s middle school PTSA, the Family Treatment Court of King County, and the Governor’s Serve Washington Commission. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University and a law degree from American University.

I grew up in California and completed my undergraduate studies at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Child Development and minors in psychology and oddly enough, religious studies! During my time in college I worked as a Preschool Teacher and as an Bilingual Adminstrative Specialist at a nonprofit community counseling center. 

Soon after I graduated I moved to Seattle to complete my Master’s in Education Policy. I always knew I wanted to be involved in early learning spaces, but still felt a little lost so I participated in the Pathwaves WA Fellowship program for leaders of color entering the early learning field in WA. 

Through my fellowship I got matched with WSA and got hired on after my fellowship.

I am a strong believer in the power of parents and teachers and my passion comes directly from the communities I get the privledge to share space with.

During my free time I like to watch Love is Blind and Vanderpump Rules #TeamAriana

For over three decades, Kristin Van Marter Souers, MA LMHC, has dedicated herself to the

improvement of people’s lives. She is an award-winning author of Fostering Resilient

Learners: Strategies for creating a trauma-sensitive classroom environment (ASCD, 2016)

and Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering

Resilient Learners (ASCD, 2019) as well as many other publications and articles. She

recently published her first children’s book, 10 Things Our Brains Need and new workbook,

The Fostering Resilience Workbook: Strategies and Steps to Support our Learners. As an

independent consultant, Kristin now provides critical professional development,

consultation, education, and training services to schools, school districts, health care

providers, businesses, and other community organizations throughout the country and

globally.

Melissa Johnson is a lobbyist focusing on health care, education and human services issues.  Prior to joining Bogard & Johnson, Melissa was staff with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Washington State House of Representatives.  She also practiced law in the Seattle area.  Melissa graduated with distinction from the University of Washington with a BA in Political Science.  She received her law degree from American University in Washington, DC.

Melissa has been recognized for her advocacy efforts throughout her career, including receiving the Physical Therapy Association of Washington's "Friend of Physical Therapy" award and a special recognition award from the Washington Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Isaac Fall (he/him) serves as the Prevention Manager for the Office of Homeless Youth (OHY) within the Washington State Department of Commerce. On OHY’s policy and prevention team, he provides technical assistance to grantees operating prevention projects, pushes best practices across OHY’s entire grant portfolio, collaborates with state agency partners to enact systems change, and represents the agency on the Youth & Young Adult Housing Response Team which responds to complex cases involving young people who are exiting publicly funded systems of care and at risk of homelessness.

Rosemary Peterson (she/her) is the Education & Employment Manager for the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Office of Homeless Youth (OHY), where she supports and leads statewide initiatives to expand education, training, and economic opportunity for young people experiencing homelessness. Her commitment to this work began as a McKinney‑Vento Graduation Success Liaison, an experience that deepened her belief in the power of education to disrupt cycles of homelessness.

I grew up in Wenatchee (with lots of summer time in Chelan) and upon graduation, chose the college that accepted me that was geographically farthest from Central WA, even though my family is awesome. Needed a little breather. Imagine growing up where your father is the local judge and your family has lived there since 1910. Yeah, not a lot of privacy.

After college I worked in DC for 4 years as legislative assistant and Press Secretary for Rep. Sid Morrison, (R, Zillah) and then went travelling off to central and South America for a while. I have worked as a cafeteria dishwasher, a public engagement consultant, an insurance adjuster assistant, a database developer for a weatherization program, a part-time interpreter, a waitress in a pancake house, a census taker, a focus group facilitator, an English as a Second Language teacher in Vietnam, a bookkeeper back when we wrote things on ledgers, a title company clerk, and a Spanish drill instructor. I love to travel and have been to 34 countries and have lived in Mexico, Spain and Vietnam. Now I try to make the world a better place for children and families by hassling elected officials and bureaucrats. I write children’s books for my niece Eliza, who is also the person upon whom I experiment with all the CLASS instructional support strategies I learn while walking through trainings.

Joel is the Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECEAP (WSA).  Joel’s is committed to making sure all children live up to their fullest potential. He is also passionate about ensuring that parents have a voice in policy making and key tables. He’s most proud of his work advocating for Head Start and ECEAP funding and improving the child care subsidy system so that it’s easier to access and more affordable for parents. Previously, Joel was the government affairs director at the National Head Start Association and spent a year teaching in a Head Start classroom as an AmeriCorps member. His reading of Cat in the Hat is still famous and he received loud cheers from 3 and 4 year olds in attendance. Joel is married and has a 13 year old that is a lot of fun and energetic. Because his daughter is doing school at home Joel is serving as a school custodian, librarian, and cafeteria worker. His daughter would also like to remind everyone that he cannot make raviolis correctly as he overcooks them and they fall apart. When he’s not working he’s typically outside running, playing basketball, coaching, or watching his beloved Boston sports teams (yes you can boo!). He’s also proud to serve on his daughter’s middle school PTSA, the Family Treatment Court of King County, and the Governor’s Serve Washington Commission. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Brandeis University and a law degree from American University.

I grew up in Wenatchee (with lots of summer time in Chelan) and upon graduation, chose the college that accepted me that was geographically farthest from Central WA, even though my family is awesome. Needed a little breather. Imagine growing up where your father is the local judge and your family has lived there since 1910. Yeah, not a lot of privacy.

After college I worked in DC for 4 years as legislative assistant and Press Secretary for Rep. Sid Morrison, (R, Zillah) and then went travelling off to central and South America for a while. I have worked as a cafeteria dishwasher, a public engagement consultant, an insurance adjuster assistant, a database developer for a weatherization program, a part-time interpreter, a waitress in a pancake house, a census taker, a focus group facilitator, an English as a Second Language teacher in Vietnam, a bookkeeper back when we wrote things on ledgers, a title company clerk, and a Spanish drill instructor. I love to travel and have been to 34 countries and have lived in Mexico, Spain and Vietnam. Now I try to make the world a better place for children and families by hassling elected officials and bureaucrats. I write children’s books for my niece Eliza, who is also the person upon whom I experiment with all the CLASS instructional support strategies I learn while walking through trainings.