Robyn

I have over 30 years of experience as an educator, advocate and leader. In many of my positions, I have spearheaded tasks and projects that have led to success and transformation for educators, programs and organizations. My education, expertise and engagement skills motivate and inspires positive change. Here are some of my professional highlights:

• Managed and supervised the Child and Adult Care Food Program for two major sponsors • Led Region 1 in the Northeast Ohio’s regions for the Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Initiative • Team member of the State of Ohio’s Child Care Licensing and Quality Rating & Improvement System • Founder of The Carey Institute, an early childhood education and training organization that has trained and prepared over 200 early educators in Ohio for their National Child Development Credential (CDA) • Co-Founder and Administrator of The Jean Taylor School, an educational program for children ages 2.5 thru 5 years of age that focuses on early education, intervention and inclusion. • Vice President, ECE Chairperson and founding member of the Black Child Development Institute of Ohio, an organization dedicated to supporting Black and Brown children and their families.

Joan

Joan Hamm is a seasoned professional in the Early Childhood Education and Care field with nearly forty years of work experience. She has served in a leadership role in children’s organizations such as, Children First of Cleveland, The Linden School, Easter Seals and The Y. She has had an active role in the Health Advocacy Committee as a member and co-convenor. She is a Board Member of the Ohio Association of Child Care Providers (OACCP). Her volunteer experience includes, Guardian Ad Litem with Voices for Children in Lorain County and Board President with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio.

Sue

Sue Kirschner, Cuyahoga County Public Library Youth Literacy & Outreach Manager, provides services, newborn through adulthood, including the Toy Library and Bookable Collection of literacy support materials. She selects toys for the Children’s Play, Learn & Grow areas in the Library’s twenty-seven branches; lively destinations for exploration, education and entertainment. Sue represents the Library on various community boards and committees focusing on early childhood. She has been published in “Children & Libraries,” wrote “The Real Toy Story” for Audio Recorders to Zucchini Seeds, “Splash into Kindergarten,” “Whooo’s Ready for School?” and presents nationally on toys and literacy.

Keyna

Keyna Smith is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in social work and program management. She joined Starting Point in September 2023 as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. Within her program portfolio, she provides strategic direction for the Digital Resource Library, the Billie Osborne-Fears Fellowship, and the Provider Business Consultant Program. Keyna recently assumed the role of Co-chair for the Early Ages Healthy Stages Steering Committee and joined the Kids' Book Bank Partner Advisory Committee.

She holds a Master of Science in Social Administration from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University.

Outside of her professional work, Keyna is a dedicated mentor and a passionate plant enthusiast who nurtures growth in all areas of her life.

Jessica

Jessica Walsh-Frazier has worked with school-based preventive health initiatives with the Erie School District and has also worked with Cleveland schools with City Year Cleveland in efforts to help improve the graduation rate. In these roles she has partnered with school administrators and staff to provide supplemental programs for scholars. Currently, Jessica works as the Community Outreach Director for the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank. In this role, she helps navigate the distribution of over 500,000 books per year to children in Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties in order for them to build their home libraries. The vast majority of these books are distributed through hundreds of early childhood partnerships.

Joy

Joy Welch-Bey currently serves as the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program Manager for Invest in Children, overseeing the award-winning UPK program, including the budget and expenditures for all UPK sites as well as policy creation for the program and maintaining strategic partnerships within the early childhood education community. She joined Invest in Children in 2023 but has been with Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services for over 10 years, where she has served the public in a variety of roles in the Public Benefits, Child Care Licensing and State Hearings departments. She received her M.Ed. in Educational Administration from The University of Akron and is passionate about advocacy and mentoring for children and young adults in underserved communities. She regularly volunteers with several early childhood and young adult organizations.