Ext. 147 | finchd@united4children.org 

Deanna Finch is the executive director of United 4 Children, which serves more than 34,000 children, families, and childcare providers each year. She leads the nonprofit’s team as they advance their vision to ensure that every child has the foundation to thrive. Before becoming executive director, Deanna worked as the organization’s development officer and event director, and previously served on the nonprofit’s board of directors. Deanna has more than a decade of experience in business development and nonprofit leadership. She regularly contributes to bizjournals.com through the St. Louis Business Journal Leadership Trust and is an alumna of the FOCUS St. Louis Women in Leadership cohort #75. She is passionate about improving the health and well-being for at-risk children and youth across Missouri. 

Ext. 159 | donnellya@united4children.org

Stephanie Null has over fifteen years of program management and development experience in the nonprofit sector.  She has consulted nonprofits in establishing their mission, programs, and funding. Prior to working for United 4 Children, she worked for Rung for Women as the Director of Grant Management facilitating new grants, writing proposals, and supporting the administration as well as reporting of grants. She has provided strategic planning facilitation across the state and has served on various advisory councils and boards. She currently serves on Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis’ Board of Directors as the Board Secretary. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, visiting various St. Louis parks, and spending time with friends.

Ext.  | nulls@united4children.org 

Ext. 119 | lingardr@united4children.org 

Rhonda Lingard has over 25 years of progressive professional experience in corporate, non-profit operations, and higher education. Lingard has dedicated her professional pursuits and life’s journey to engaging with community initiatives in the St. Louis region. Prior to joining United 4 Children, Rhonda provided leadership as the operations manager for CASA of St. Louis. She currently serves as an advisory board committee member for Harris-Stowe State University Anheuser-Busch School of Business, and Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition’s RESPOND Program. Lingard’s engagement with each underscores her passion for education, business excellence, and the well-being of vulnerable individuals within the community.

Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Harris-Stowe State University, a Masters in Adult and Higher Education, and a certification in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership both from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Lingard is also a Doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri-St. Louis where she is on the cusp of earning her doctorate degree in Educational Practice.  

dicksona@united4children.org

Amy is an ardent advocate for the transformative power of early childhood education. Her vision as an early childhood professional is to lay a strong foundation supporting every child. She is deeply committed to establishing solid partnerships with coworkers, families, and caregivers. Amy has spent her professional career living this vision across many diverse organizations. Her work has encompassed program creation, including historically underrepresented, early intervention, and home visiting programs, curriculum development, and educational leadership. A strong believer in reflective supervision, Amy supports fellow educators to excel in their roles. She fosters a collaborative and growth-oriented atmosphere that encourages continuous improvement and innovation, elevating the quality of early childhood education for all. Outside of work, Amy enjoys cooking, gardening, and taking advantage of everything that St. Louis has to offer.

Ext. 181 | saitzj@united4children.org  

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development, and has been in the field of early childhood education for more than 15 years in different capacities — working as a classroom teacher, coach, and trainer. Currently she serves as United 4 Children’s Evaluation Manager. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two daughters, and diving into a great book.

Ext. 124 | hills@united4children.org 

Sarah has been a part of the United 4 Children team since 2021. However, she has been working in the early education field since 2011 as an infant/toddler teacher, classroom coach, and professional development educator. She earned her bachelor’s degree with a focus on child development and a minor in psychology. Sarah is passionate about supporting early childcare providers in their process of building positive relationships to provide quality care and learning experiences for the children and families served in our community.  Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, often doing outdoor activities such as hiking or camping. She also loves working on a puzzle or painting in her personal time.

Ext. 149 | casteelm@united4children.org  

As a coaching specialist, Melissa is excited to help support the community of educators and caregivers as she is truly passionate for the important role they play and difference they make. She earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood development and brings over thirty years of experience as a classroom teacher, home childcare provider, and center director. While her work has an emphasis on children with special needs and infant/toddler care, her focus has always been facilitating learning for all children, parents, and peers.

Ext. 131 | galeb@united4children.org

Bridgit Gale has over 20 years’ experience in early childhood education as a provider and director. She embraces her favorite quote in all of her work: Your children will become what you are so be what you want them to be. Bridgit is passionate about building relationships, helping people develop stronger social-emotional skills, set SMART goals, and helping to take the needed steps to accomplish these goals. Bridgit is a St. Louis native and enjoys playing soccer, suduko puzzles, and watching STL sports teams in her spare time.

Ext. 123 | siddiquim@united4children.org 

Muzhda has an educational background in early childhood more than 17 years of experience as a parent, classroom teacher, and coaching specialist. Her passion is to help teachers and providers build self-confidence, and develop their personal capabilities, interpersonal skills, and capacity to understand and empathize with children and families. Muzhda is enthusiastic about promoting developmentally appropriate practices.

Ext. 137 | Mischeauxb@united4children.org

Brittany was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from the infamous McCluer Senior High School (c/o “06”) where she took early childhood classes and absolutely fell in love. She has worked in the field for over 15 years serving as a classroom teacher, school-age coordinator, home base teacher, early childhood specialist, and now a coaching manager. Throughout her journey in the field Brittany earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Educational Studies with a minor in Child Advocacy Studies and a Master’s Degree in Higher Education. She has worked at United 4 Children since December 2017 and has loved seeing  progress being made in underrepresented areas of St. Louis. She has a passion for helping others excel — all while also growing and glowing herself. Brittany looks forward to the possible connections as she continues to help our children thrive.

Ext. 183 | mcgees@united4children.org 

Ext. 138 | brownn@united4children.org 

Ext. 118 |  harrisd@united4children.org 

Duran Harris has worked in the field of early childhood education for over 20 years. He understands the importance of the early years (0-5) and how much development takes place during that time, that’s why he has always focused on the development of the whole child to ensure they can be successful in the later stages of life. He was born and raised in St. Louis MO. He loves cars, comic books and is a big basketball fan. In his time outside of work he enjoys spending time with his family, watching movies and relaxing. 

Ext. 140 | vogelb@united4children.org

Becky has worked at U4C since 2008. She is passionate about social-emotional development. She earned her Masters Degree in Social Work and has always strived to provide children with the skills to be able to cope and strive within society regardless of the challenges they have faced. Becky loves working with teachers to develop skills to help support children in group settings and help teachers feel more confident and competent in their roles.

Ext. 113 | grangenok@united4children.org 

Krysta Grangeno has been a dedicated advocate for children and families for the past 19 years, especially those who have experienced trauma. With extensive experience in community organizing and executive leadership, Krysta drives positive and systemic transformations within organizations and communities. With her Bachelor’s in Social Work and Master’s in Nonprofit Management, she has led a dynamic career marked by innovative family engagement initiatives in Head/Start Early Head Start, community work to redesign the early childhood system in the St. Louis Region, and leadership development of self and others. Krysta‘s visionary leadership has demonstrated reduced parenting and financial stress for families and launched parents into leadership roles on regional and state levels. With a strong background in strategic planning, budgeting, program development, grant writing, and more, she remains unwavering in her commitment to fostering change and empowering individuals for a brighter future. Krysta is currently the founder of Reflecting Change, a company that coaches others to achieve their dreams and co-founder of the product line, Raices STL, which aims to elevate the Latino culture and inspire pride. Krysta is also bilingual.  

Ext. 130 | bushr@united4children.org 

Rashaan Bush is a dedicated professional who provides leadership and can build and sustain deep and important relationships within the community. She received her bachelor’s degree in early education from Central Methodist University and is motivated by her belief that the early learning years are the most important and crucial in young children’s lives. It is important to foster a nurturing learning environment that enhances the development of the whole child. She has applied this philosophy in diverse roles over the last 25+ years, ranging from infant/toddler and two-year-old preschool teacher, to an early childhood specialist coaching classroom teacher, and assisting directors with improving the quality within their childcare centers. Currently, her role is to build connections with childcare centers with resources and opportunities for them and their families. Rashaan is guided by her knowledge and expertise in best practices and believes her love of children, effective communication skills, and ability to inspire others, combined with her education and experience, will allow her to be successful.

Ext. 166 | barrygale@united4children.org

Barry has worked in the education field for more than 25 years. His experiences along the way have been numerous including teaching and coaching at the high school level, teaching and administering at the preschool level, and working with children with disabilities. Barry strongly believes that every child deserves the best possible outcome in early childhood education and the foundation must be built around great educators and services. Barry holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Truman State University.

Ext. 158 | wilsonb@united4children.org

Brittney has worked in early childhood since 2007. She is the youngest of 3 girls and enjoys spending time in nature in her free time. Her favorite colors are black & brown.

Ext. 142 | jonesl@united4children.org  

Lakeisha Jones is an Community Engagement Specialist with more than 15 year of work experience in public works. Lakeisha’s expertise comes from her working closely with people throughout the community. Lakeisha is a positive force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Lakeisha is inspired daily by her 3 loving children. In her free time, Lakeisha likes to read books, sing along to music and cook delish meals, and shop.

Ext. 185 |dunnegana@united4children.org 

Amy has been active in the early childhood community in the region for more than 30 years. Before joining United 4 Children she was a director of early childhood and parenting initiatives at ARCHS.  During her time there, she worked as an educare specialist, infant toddler specialist network coordinator, and provided training and technical assistance with other agencies like Annie Malone, St Louis Arc, Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition, and Nurses for Newborns. Amy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Family Sciences with a concentration in Child and Family Development from Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University).  She began her career as a teacher at the college lab school as a student in Kirksville, Missouri. Amy is passionate about her work in the early childhood community and strives to elevate quality through interactions and training opportunities with childcare providers in the community. She is also an advocate in the field, supporting various work groups with Kids Win Missouri and MOAIMH-EC (Missouri Association of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health). She lives in St. Charles County with her husband and her two children, Emma and Sean. In her time outside of work, Amy spends time with her family and enjoys participating in her children’s busy activities, which include dance and wrestling events.

Ext. 126 | hantakk@united4children.org 

Dr. Kelly Hantak is responsible for maintaining all things related to data development, collection, analysis, and reporting for United 4 Children. Prior to this position, Kelly conducted research projects examining global early intervention systems, early childhood workforce development, and kindergarten readiness for children with visual impairments. Kelly holds a Doctor of Education Degree in Instructional Leadership with a specialization in Andragogy, a Master in Education with a specialization in Early Childhood Education as well as a Master of Arts in Behavior Analysis, and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders. Prior to focusing on research, Kelly held positions as an early interventionist, early childhood special education teacher, program coordinator, behavior analyst, and higher education faculty. She has served on numerous professional and community boards at the national, regional, state, and local levels. 

Ext. 122 | stovera@united4children.org 

Ext. 141 | dunnk@united4children.org  

Ext. 128 | cunninghama@united4children.org 

Ann Cunningham has more than 30 years of experience in early childhood and family education. She is passionate in her role as community engagement lead, in supporting the needs of children, educators and families with services to build links and to encourage connection with their communities. Her goal at U4C is to achieve outcomes that lead to informed community solutions. Throughout her career, Ann has worked with educators, children and families in training, business consulting, and education. Previously at U4C she was a nutrition consultant. She has worked as a director, trainer and teacher in an early childhood center as well as a community center. After graduating from the University of Akron (Ohio) with a BA in Family and Consumer Science she moved to St. Louis and started her career in early childhood and later completed her MA in Family and Consumer Science, with a MAT from Fontbonne University. Living in St. Louis now for more than 30 years she enjoys being with family and friends and exploring the many sights that the city has to offer.

Ext. 139 | simpsonm@united4children.org 

Maggie has over 15 years’ experience working in the early childhood field from classroom teacher,  Childcare center Director, and parent of young children herself. Maggie earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from St. Louis University. She is passionate about early childhood education and creating a foundation of a lifelong love of learning. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching her children play sports and dance, and cooking meals for family dinner. 

Ext. 184 | humphriesa@united4children.org

Adrienne has over 20 years of related experience and training in early childhood education & Administration. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Behavioral Science, with a Certification in Early Childhood Administration (Director Qualified). As a director of early childhood & parenting initiatives, under the state-funded Educare Program, Adrienne administered technical assistance and professional development to registered & licensed home childcare providers, group homes, faith-based license-exempt childcare programs, and centers.

Ext. 132 | duggers@united4children.org 

Samantha earned a BSEd. in elementary education in 2005. She holds certifications in both early childhood education (birth – 3rd grade), and elementary education (1st – 6th grade). She has worked with children in some capacity for the last 25 years. Samantha operated her own home-based childcare program, worked as a Kindergarten and 1st grade classroom teacher, a Missouri Preschool Program Director, and as an educational consultant for an educational technology company.

She is the mother of two children on the autism spectrum and has worked tirelessly their whole lives to ensure they receive the services they need to be successful. Her personal experiences have led her to focus professionally on advocacy and inclusion. She says she hasn’t always known how to advocate for her children and hit a lot of roadblocks along the way. As a result of her own experiences, Samantha is dedicated to helping parents and teachers create the best learning environment possible so children can grow, flourish, and have a successful learning journey.

Ext. 117 | wulffg@united4children.org 

Gail has worked with children for 25+ years in both public school and private center programs. She loves to share the joy of learning something new! She earned degrees in special education and education administration. Gail has worked with children of all abilities from infants and toddlers to teenagers. Her passion is finding new ways for children of varying abilities to be welcomed in fully inclusive programs! In her free time, Gail enjoys her family and finding creative ways to re-use materials – turning trash into treasure!

Ext. 153 | sitesa@united4children.org 

Abby spent the first part of her career traveling the world and teaching abroad in countries like Vietnam and South Korea. A Missouri native, she returned home eager to get involved in her local communities as well. Abby’s teaching experience revealed a passion for working one-on-one with students, teachers, and parents to create a supportive classroom environment for every child. Her role as an Inclusion Specialist feels like a perfect fit! Outside of work, she’s a cat and dog mom, and she spends her free time tending to her ever-growing list of hobbies. 

Ext. 115 | siminoa@united4children.org

Amber works hard and laughs harder. She has always loved working with children and helping them along their educational journey. When she is not shaping future leaders, Amber is knee-deep in building Lego sets with her wife and snuggling with their two dogs on the couch.

Ext. 180 | Velasquezb@united4children.org  

Britt has more than 10 years of experience providing inclusive educational and recreational activities for kiddos with disabilities. Britt has a background in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Adaptive Physical Education which has led her to nontraditional teaching experiences like outdoor education, adaptive recreation, being an applied behavior analysis teacher, and more. Britt loves working with kiddos and educators on adaptations that can be made to help make sure the child is successful in the classroom. She believes that every child can be successful with the right adaptations. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her wife and family and be in nature.

Ext. 160 | poguec@united4children.org

Christy has worked in many different area’s of work in Missouri over the past 25 years of working with children and earlyiIntervention. She has worked as a nutritionist in the WIC department in three different Counties in the Kansas City area; she then worked for Parents As Teachers for over 10 years after that in the Lee’s Summit School District; and then at the Jackson School District. She then shifted her attention to working with the developmentally disabled for the State of Missouri for 5 years and really enjoyed working as a case manager. Once that job ended she moved to Southeast Missouri State University and did home visiting with families that had open cases with the Children’s Division. She worked on parenting skills, reunification of the family, teaching parenting classes, doing supervised visits, and developmental screenings on children to make sure that they would get the best early start before starting school. She was excited to continue working with children, families, and childcare providers when she joined United 4 Children.

Ext.  | jorism@united4children.org 

Meg graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. She grew up in northeast Ohio and began her teaching career in southeast Cleveland as a kindergarten teacher. In mid-2020, she moved to St. Louis to teach nursery at a small, private school. She looped with her students from nursery through the end of pre-k before joining the Inclusion Team at United 4 Children. Meg describes working with young children as something that’s always been her passion. She enjoys partnering with teachers, families, and providers to make an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all children!

Ext. 154 | wilkest@united4children.org 

Tammy has worked in the early childhood field for 30 years. She has held a variety of positions throughout the years and developed a great passion for teaching children social emotional skills that will be valuable to them throughout their lives. She wants to take every opportunity she can to pass her knowledge and experience on to others.

Ext. 129 | Frazierc@united4children.org

Christy has been with Child Day Care Association/United 4 Children for 32 years. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science, and an emphasis in Dietetics. Christy worked in the hospital setting for three years — working with young pregnant women and geriatrics. Her passion is for all children no matter where they live or where they attend childcare or school that they have a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack every day to allow them to learn and grow. United 4 Children’s services support her passion.

Ext. 144 | smithc@united4children.org 

Courtney has worked for United 4 Children for 14 years. Courtney has a degree in Child and Family Development with a minor in Nutrition. She is passionate about helping others. She enjoys spending time with her only son and loves walks in the sun.

Ext. 116 | barthelemyc@united4children.org

Charlotte participated in the food program as a in-home childcare provider from 2004 to 2014. She started working part-time for U4C in August of 2014. And in 2016 U4C hired her on full-time as the administrative assistant. In 2019 she was promoted to program administrator for the IL Nutrition Food Program and moved into her current role in 2022.

Ext. 111 | rubinsteinr@united4children.org 

Rhonda was the ownera nd director of a childcare center licensed for 99 children for 20 years, and a licensed in-home childcare provider that participated in the food program for nine years. She has worked with U4C for one year. Rhonda also has fostered children for 25 years. She has 4 children and 8 grandchildren. She loves photography and spending time with her family.

Ext. 156 | mansourim@united4children.org  

As United 4 Children’s marketing manager, Megan Mansouri plays an integral part in developing a sustainable and reputable agency brand, recruiting those who need United 4 Children’s services, and creating a pipeline for community-centric fundraising. Her passion is storytelling and uplifting the voices of her community. Megan is an award-winning storyteller with a decade of experience working in journalism, public relations, and marketing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with certificates in Environmental Journalism and Leadership from Webster University. As an aunt to five, she resonates with United 4 Children’s vision to ensure every child has the foundation to thrive. In her free time, Megan enjoys crafting, family game nights, running with her two dogs, and endlessly debating Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings with her husband.