Debbie Ham, Executive Director

Debbie has been an early childhood champion for more than 25 years. She began advocating for children as the parent of a child with special needs. This led her to start Clark County’s Parent-to-Parent program at the ARC of Southwest Washington and the Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program, now run by ESD 112. The ESD hired her as Director of Child Care and Early Learning in the mid-’90s. In 2001, Debbie was a founding member of Support for Early Learning & Families, a coalition focused on early learning. When SELF became a nonprofit in 2010, she became executive director. Her passionate advocacy for equal opportunities for every child is felt in Clark County, Southwest Washington, and at the state level. Debbie and her husband, Les, raised five children, two with special needs, and have six amazing grandchildren.

 

Francesca Taylor, Board Chair

Francesca navigates modern motherhood with a focus on community building and a passion for philanthropy. She leverages her background in corporate responsibility and community engagement to bring people together and improve community belonging. She is very active with the Hough Elementary PTSA and enjoys all elements of volunteerism, from advocacy to event planning. Francesca joined the Support for Early Learning & Families board in 2016 and serves on the board’s Marketing and Communication Committee. She and her family love the outdoors. Together they ski, stand-up paddleboard, hike, camp, travel, play at the beach, and attend many Timbers and Thorns soccer games each year.

 

Joan Caley, Director

Joan may be retired from her nursing career as an administrative director with the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, but she has not retired from caring for people. Serving on multiple boards, including Vancouver Housing Authority and Council for the Homeless, she began to look upstream at the root causes and joined Support for Early Learning & Families in hopes of helping solve problems before they start. Both her daughters are VA nurses. Joan has a menagerie of dogs and a reptile, but her favorite role is Mummu. That’s Finnish for grandma!

 

Jerry Bender, Director

Being sent to the principal is a good thing when it’s Jerry you’re talking about. His career encompassed being a high school teacher, Career and Technical Education director, principal and director of governmental relations for the Association of Washington Principals. This has well equipped him to take on Support for Early Learning & Families’ role of advocacy for early childhood. After retiring, Jerry and his wife, Lila, moved to Vancouver to be near some of their 14 grandchildren.

 

Toko Muodzi-Ross, Director

Meet Toko, a passionate advocate for widows and children. From her own experiences as a widow, she founded and is the Executive Director of the Global Widows Association, where she addresses the challenges widows and children face globally. Serving as Family Services Manager at YWCA Clark County, Toko utilizes her expertise in psychology and nutrition. Remarried to Keith, she cherishes her blended family of five children. Toko dedicates her time to volunteering, striving to empower children to reach their fullest potential.

 

Marcus Holling, Director

Marcus is a native of Vancouver. He is a retired CPA, a retired president of a regional financial institution, and a retired Lt Col in the USAF. But he is not retired as a dad or grandfather. That’s why working for the betterment of education is important to him. He has a daughter teaching in the VSD and a granddaughter graduating from WSU in Education with plans to teach in the Vancouver area too. For fun, he is an avid car guy and you will find him at various car shows throughout the summer but he enjoys just being with his family as his favorite activity.

 

Dania Rescue Otto, Director

Dania serves as the Executive Director for Sakura 39ers Youth Association, a Chuukese by and for nonprofit organization. Dania is currently the Chuukese Interpreter/Translator/Family Liaison for Vancouver Public Schools. She is a member of Leadership Clark County and a graduate of Vancouver Community Leadership Institute. She is also a cultural consultant and manages the first Chuukese Interpreter Agency.

 

Clare Lucas, Director

Clare Lucas is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Child Mental Health Specialist with over 20 years of experience in the field. She has worked in various roles—from clinical therapist to program manager—in nonprofit agencies and child advocacy centers. Clare specializes in childhood and adult trauma, attachment-focused therapy, and is certified in multiple evidence-based practices, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. She also serves as a Circle of Security and Incredible Years parent educator. In her current role as a Program Manager, Clare leads community partnerships supporting children and families. She is an active member of the Regional Advisor Steering Committee for the IECMH Workforce Collaborative and completed the Advanced Clinical Training program at the Barnard Center at the University of Washington in 2023.

 

Carol Fenstermacher, Director

Carol Fenstermacher, APR, spent 40 years in communications in the non-profit and public sector. Prior to retiring, she was the Chief Communications Officer for the Centennial School District in Portland. She also worked in the Evergreen School District, the City of Portland, the Portland Rose Festival Association, and United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. She currently consults with a half dozen school districts in Oregon on strategic and bond communications.

A past national president of the National School Public Relations Association and past international president of Women in Communications, Inc., Carol continues to mentor young communications professionals.

She is an avid reader and enjoys escaping to her favorite reading place at the mountain cabin she shares with her husband Sam and their two dogs – Harley and Gibbs.  

 

Dolly Parton

Not a regular at board meetings, Dolly Parton often shows up when Support for Early Learning & Families is out in the community. Well, a cardboard cutout of her does. Dolly has had a tremendous impact on children through her Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, of which Support for Early Learning & Families is the Southwest Washington agency. Born in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, she rose to become a country music legend and has composed more than 3,000 songs. Remembering her roots, she gives back to causes such as literacy through the Dollywood Foundation. 

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Doug Lehrman, Director Emeritus

As a licensed social worker, area administrator for the State of Washington Children’s Administration, and executive director of Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, Doug brought his extensive knowledge to Support for Early Learning & Families as we initially formed the coalition, when we applied for our nonprofit status and as a member of the board of directors. Now retired from work and Support for Early Learning & Families, he helps address homelessness by serving on the board of Family Promise of Clark County.