SC FIRST STEPS - Key Persons


Amanda Bailey

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Amira Hulwe

Job Titles:
  • Communications Coordinator

Amy Coleman

Job Titles:
  • Procurement Coordinator

Amy Engle

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Amy Williams

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Angelica Jules

Job Titles:
  • Manager
  • 4K Fiscal Manager

Ann Vandervliet

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director
  • Executive Director of South Carolina First Steps
Ann Vandervliet is the executive director of South Carolina First Steps, a state agency and nonprofit committed to ensuring that all of South Carolina's children are prepared for success in school. As the leader of the state's Early Childhood Advisory Council, Ann is also strengthening the public, private, and nonprofit systems that support families and young children from birth to age five. With nearly 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and systems development, Ann has a proven track record of raising and strategically directing significant public and private funding to enhance early childhood care and education. Most recently, she led the Guilford County Partnership for Children, part of North Carolina's nationally recognized Smart Start network. In this role, Ann led efforts to stabilize the childcare workforce by reinstating WAGE$ in Guilford County, a critical salary supplement program. She also facilitated agreements to braid funds between multiple organizations to address credentialing challenges resulting from new state mandates. Previously, as the founding director of Smart Beginnings (now the Center for Early Success) in Southside Virginia, Ann secured the largest private investment in school readiness in Virginia at that time. Under her leadership, local performance on the state's pre-literacy assessment improved by 50% over a three-year period and remained stable over the next seven years. As a program officer for the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, she built the initial operating infrastructure for Smart Beginnings coalitions across 22 cities and counties. Ann has also held leadership positions with Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and Easter Seals South Carolina. Since 2017, she has taught nonprofit financial leadership and social enterprise at Duke University. Ann has chaired the Danville Public Schools Foundation Board, served as a delegate to Virginia's Early Childhood Advisory Council, and facilitated the Federal Reserve of Virginia's Regional School Readiness Roundtable. She was also selected as a representative for the Frontiers of Innovation Learning Community at Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child. Ann holds a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina.

Ashlyn Cobia

Job Titles:
  • 4K Eligibility Specialist
  • Specialist

Avian Jones

Job Titles:
  • Human Resources Manager

Ayobami Balogun

Job Titles:
  • Research Assistant

Benjamin Gibson

Job Titles:
  • 4K Materials Management Coordinator
  • Materials Management Coordinator

Bessie Jacobs

Job Titles:
  • 4K Eligibility Specialist
  • Specialist

Beth Kienzlen

Job Titles:
  • Data Systems Manager

Beth Moore - CCO

Job Titles:
  • Communications Director

Betty Gardiner

Job Titles:
  • Director of Grantmaking and Development

BJ Tucker

Job Titles:
  • IT Manager

Brandie Maness

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Brittany Buckner

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Coordinator

Caleb Buford

Job Titles:
  • First Five SC Intern

Carrie Trivedi

Job Titles:
  • Child Care Quality Coordinator

Cate Jones

Job Titles:
  • Evaluation Student Assistant

Catherine Nolan

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Chelsea Adamson

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Chelsea Richard

Job Titles:
  • Chief of Strategy and Research

Cheryl Scales

Job Titles:
  • Parenting Program Coordinator

Cierra Crosby

Job Titles:
  • 4K Eligibility Specialist
  • Specialist

Cindy Ellis

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Cindy Galloway

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Constance Holloway

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Department of Disabilities

Darcy Huffman

Job Titles:
  • 4K Administrative Team Lead

David Morley

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Chairman, Governor 's Designee

David O'Kelly - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer

Delores Rock

Job Titles:
  • Parenting Program Coordinator

Derek Cromwell

Job Titles:
  • Chief Partnership Officer

Devin Cheeks-Carter

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Intern

Edward Simmer

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Emily Bannister

Job Titles:
  • 4K Eligibility Specialist
  • Specialist

Emily Prillaman

Job Titles:
  • AmeriCorps VISTA

Emma Matzko

Job Titles:
  • AmeriCorps VISTA

Esther Fields

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Assistant

Eunice Medina

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Department of Health

Felicia Battle

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Gina Beebe

Job Titles:
  • Parenting Program Manager

Gloria Goodwin

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Haley Spears

Job Titles:
  • Local Partnerships Operations Team Intern

Heather Steele

Job Titles:
  • Accounts Payable Coordinator

Iris Ballen-Morant

Job Titles:
  • HIPPY Programming Assistant

Jack McBride

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Business Community

Jacque Curtin

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Business Community

Jade Wright

Job Titles:
  • Program Officer

Janet Parenti

Job Titles:
  • First Five Outreach Manager

Janice Kilburn

Job Titles:
  • School Transition Coordinator

Janie Neeley

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jennifer Williams

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Jesica Mackey

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jessica Fluker

Job Titles:
  • Program Officer

John Hayes

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Jonathan Artz

Job Titles:
  • Parenting Program Coordinator

Jose Burgos

Job Titles:
  • 4K Intern

Joy Mazur

Job Titles:
  • Manager
  • 4K Manager

Julie Londergan - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Finance

Kaden Anderson

Job Titles:
  • IT Intern

Kaitlyn Richards

Job Titles:
  • Government Affairs Liaison

Karen Oliver

Job Titles:
  • Early Childhood Advisory Council Program Manager

Kate Roach

Job Titles:
  • Early Care and Education Program Manager

Kathy Fitzgerald

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Coordinator

Kenna Hoover

Job Titles:
  • 4K Language and Literacy Coach

Kerry McIver Cordan

Job Titles:
  • Health Program Manager

Kim Trudell

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Kristen Martocchio

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Kristine Jenkins

Job Titles:
  • Manager
  • 4K Manager

Kylie Cordell

Job Titles:
  • AmeriCorps VISTA

Laura Baker

Job Titles:
  • Events Coordinator

Lexi Jones

Job Titles:
  • Coordinator
  • Evaluation Coordinator

Loreal Nelms-Howard

Job Titles:
  • Grants Coordinator

Mark Barnes

Job Titles:
  • Director of Administration

Martha Strickland

Job Titles:
  • 4K State Director
  • State Director

Mary Anne Scott

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Mary Lynne Diggs

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Head Start Collaboration Office, Director

Matthew Ferguson

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Department of Education

Micah Ely

Job Titles:
  • 4K Data Coordinator
  • Data Coordinator

Molly Tuck

Job Titles:
  • Strategic Data Fellow

Naya Hall

Job Titles:
  • First Five SC Intern

Rachal Hatton-Moore

Job Titles:
  • Generation Systems Manager
  • Two - Generation Systems Manager

Robin Ebert

Job Titles:
  • Local Partnership Fiscal Director

Roger Pryor Jr.

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Samantha Ingram

Job Titles:
  • Public Engagement Coordinator

Senator Greg Hembree

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Senator Jason Elliott

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Shante Burton

Job Titles:
  • Local Partnership Fiscal Analyst

Shayla Pettigrew

Job Titles:
  • Manager
  • 4K Manager

Shina McMillian

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Stacy Greenwalt

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Sue Williams

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Children 's Trust of SC, Chief Executive Officer

Taylor Tate

Job Titles:
  • Development Officer

Tekethia Burrell

Job Titles:
  • Business Manager

Tia Richardson

Job Titles:
  • Countdown to Kindergarten Intern

Tiffany Outlaw

Job Titles:
  • Coach
  • 4K Coach

Tikethia Robinson

Job Titles:
  • AmeriCorps Member

Tony Catone

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees
  • Department of Social Services

Tyshica McConner

Job Titles:
  • Program Coordinator
  • AmeriCorps Program Coordinator

Wes Wooten

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Trustees

Yolanda Sanderlin

Job Titles:
  • AmeriCorps Member