WSA Fall Meeting 2025

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.

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

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

Marissa is a rural family medicine physician assistant in Eastern Oregon. She serves as the Oregon Medical Director for Reach Out and Read Northwest. She completed her undergraduate degree in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island and her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Utah. She is an AHEC Scholar and competed the two-year interdisciplinary program through the Health Resources and Services Administration for healthcare professionals interested in serving and gaining a deeper understanding of the health care needs of urban and rural underserved or vulnerable populations. She was first introduced to the Reach Out and Read program at a Federally Qualified Health Center and immediately realized the positive impact and importance of developing stronger communities. She is passionate about integrating Reach Out and Read into her daily well-child visits, promoting reading, family relationships, and healthy childhood development.

Shannon is an associate director at Reach Out and Read Northwest, focused on developing effective policies and partnerships for both Oregon and Washington’s early learning systems. Shannon has worked in the public and private sectors for over 25 years in early childhood and family support services, including child care, preschool, home visiting and health care financing. A former – and very proud and grateful -- ECEAP parent, Shannon is known as a strong advocate for critical system and policy changes that authentically engage multiple community perspectives early on and continuously. Shannon holds a bachelor’s degree in community services from St. Martin’s University and a master’s degree in strategic communications from Washington State University. When not working, she can be found with her grandchildren at local libraries, parks and playgrounds.

emareena is a master educator, field researcher, and public scholar exploring the intersection of education, trauma, harm reduction, and transformation.  They are compelled to ground their work in what they hear from community groups and impacted people and families, learning also from thinkers, activists, mystics, practitioners, and healers. Their formal education includes a Master’s of Science in Teaching from Portland State University, and a B.A. in Communications from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.  emareena has been studying and exploring barriers to learning, and what it means to be a “better teacher,” for over 25 years. 

Their first text “Building a Trauma-Responsive Educational Practice: Lessons from a Corrections Classroom,” is the first book to address the impacts of trauma on adult learning, and provide a guide to working in carceral spaces. The text also invites curiosity about how we can bring joy into challenging spaces, and what that can mean for learners.  emareena focuses on countering the impacts of trauma on learning as a way to guide students and teachers toward rediscovering themselves as strong and capable learners, and one pathway to a joyful and compassionate world.

Contact info:

Building a Trauma-Responsive Educational Practice: Lessons from a Corrections Classroom (2022) http://bit.ly/traumaresponsiveed

Build community - https://bit.ly/TR-group

(https://groups.google.com/g/trauma-responsive )

My writing  https://bit.ly/TRSubstack

(https://traumaresponsive.substack.com/)

Visioning for the future of teaching & learning

(https://galacticcow.com/)

Find me em@meoutloud.com | https://meoutloud.com/ 

Mirta Laura Contreras became the Directing Attorney of the Granger Office of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in August, 2011, after serving for 19 years in various capacities with Columbia Legal Services, and its predecessor Evergreen Legal Services.    She was born and raised in Toppenish and is the youngest in a family of Texas migrants (“, who began traveling to the hop fields in the Yakima Valley of Washington State in the early 1940’s.  She has represented farm workers and immigrants in employment and family law cases, and in her work at NWIRP, she now represents numerous unaccompanied children and youths, families, and longtime residents facing deportation.   

Ms. Contreras served on the Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission, participates in Eastern Washington activities of the Latino/a Bar Association of Washington, Crime Victim Certification Steering Committee, and is a former board member of Volunteer Attorney Services (now Central Washington Legal Aid) for Yakima County.  She is committed in mentoring and recruiting the next generation of public interest attorneys and community leaders in rural Eastern Washington. Her greatest pride and joy are her children, now adults, and watching them transition into strong independent individuals, living their best lives.  She and her husband enjoy spending time in Eagle Pass, Texas and traveling the United States, every chance they get. 

emareena is a master educator, field researcher, and public scholar exploring the intersection of education, trauma, harm reduction, and transformation.  They are compelled to ground their work in what they hear from community groups and impacted people and families, learning also from thinkers, activists, mystics, practitioners, and healers. Their formal education includes a Master’s of Science in Teaching from Portland State University, and a B.A. in Communications from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.  emareena has been studying and exploring barriers to learning, and what it means to be a “better teacher,” for over 25 years. 

Their first text “Building a Trauma-Responsive Educational Practice: Lessons from a Corrections Classroom,” is the first book to address the impacts of trauma on adult learning, and provide a guide to working in carceral spaces. The text also invites curiosity about how we can bring joy into challenging spaces, and what that can mean for learners.  emareena focuses on countering the impacts of trauma on learning as a way to guide students and teachers toward rediscovering themselves as strong and capable learners, and one pathway to a joyful and compassionate world.

Contact info:

Building a Trauma-Responsive Educational Practice: Lessons from a Corrections Classroom (2022) http://bit.ly/traumaresponsiveed

Build community - https://bit.ly/TR-group

(https://groups.google.com/g/trauma-responsive )

My writing  https://bit.ly/TRSubstack

(https://traumaresponsive.substack.com/)

Visioning for the future of teaching & learning

(https://galacticcow.com/)

Find me em@meoutloud.com | https://meoutloud.com/ 

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.

Michelle has been in early learning for 30 years, working in community systems for 10 years with King and Pierce County and now with the state system at DCYF for 10 years, primarily in workforce support and development. A leader in several state initiatives including staff qualifications and alternate pathways, trauma-informed care, dual language learning, infant early childhood mental health, business supports, and training and professional development, Michelle brings this experience to her role as the head start collaboration office administrator, working with partners to integrate head start as part of the state’s early learning system.

Mirta Laura Contreras became the Directing Attorney of the Granger Office of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in August, 2011, after serving for 19 years in various capacities with Columbia Legal Services, and its predecessor Evergreen Legal Services.    She was born and raised in Toppenish and is the youngest in a family of Texas migrants (“, who began traveling to the hop fields in the Yakima Valley of Washington State in the early 1940’s.  She has represented farm workers and immigrants in employment and family law cases, and in her work at NWIRP, she now represents numerous unaccompanied children and youths, families, and longtime residents facing deportation.   

Ms. Contreras served on the Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission, participates in Eastern Washington activities of the Latino/a Bar Association of Washington, Crime Victim Certification Steering Committee, and is a former board member of Volunteer Attorney Services (now Central Washington Legal Aid) for Yakima County.  She is committed in mentoring and recruiting the next generation of public interest attorneys and community leaders in rural Eastern Washington. Her greatest pride and joy are her children, now adults, and watching them transition into strong independent individuals, living their best lives.  She and her husband enjoy spending time in Eagle Pass, Texas and traveling the United States, every chance they get. 

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

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.

holds a BA in Fine Arts from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With over 30 years of experience in both education and the arts, Lisa has developed a unique career that blends creativity with service. She is the founder and lead artist of , a mural painting company through which she has created indoor and outdoor murals for commercial and residential clients across the United States and Canada. Lisa often collaborates with student artists to pass along her skills and foster creative mentorship.

Based in Richland, Washington, Lisa also serves as the Administrator for the A.R.T.S. (Artful Response to Tiered Support) Program at Educational Service District 123. Her work supports students with high social-emotional and complex needs through trauma-informed, expressive art practices. She recently completed training in trauma-informed expressive art therapy with Dr. Cathy Malchiodi and is currently developing and implementing an art expression curriculum for children enrolled in pre-K through 12th grade.

Lisa is also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT) and incorporates the Zentangle method as a mindfulness-based art intervention to support student regulation, focus, and emotional resilience.

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.

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