Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) is the state’s Governor-appointed, primary advisory body on the well-being of children from the prenatal period through age 8 and their families, advising the Governor, Administration, and Legislature on early childhood policy and systems improvements. The SAC is composed of 27 members, including seven public designated members, two legislators, 15 at-large members, and three non-voting members who work together to issue recommendations, increase coordination and collaboration, and advance a more connected, integrated, and equitable early childhood system.
Learn more about the SAC, including notices of upcoming meetings and recordings of past meetings. The State Advisory Council members represent a cross-section of accomplished professionals working to improve child well-being in the health, education, and early care fields.
You can also find a PDF version of the SAC roster here.
Ilisa Stalberg
SAC Public Co-Chair; Vermont Department of Health
Ilisa Stalberg, MSS, MLSP, is the Director of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) at the Vermont Department of Health, and prior to this served as the Deputy MCH Director at the Health Department. In these roles, Ilisa oversees strategic planning and statewide program development, and works to support public health integration with health care and social service delivery. Ilisa has a Master of Social Service and Law and Social Policy degree from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.
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Flor Diaz Smith
SAC Private Co-Chair; Vermont School Boards Association
Flor grew up in Guatemala City. She is a licensed architect in Guatemala and has been designing in Vermont since 1997. She studied at Francisco Marroquin Architecture School in Guatemala, at Texas A&M, and in Chicago, and she won a scholarship to the Prince of Wales Urban Task Force in 1996. She came to Vermont for an internship at a local architectural firm and fell in love with both Vermont and her future husband.
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Amber Hewston
Family Representative
Amber Hewston was born and raised in Lamoille County, Vermont. After high school, Amber left Vermont to attend Clark University. She went on to earn a Master of Physical Therapy degree from California State University, Long Beach, and completed a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Pediatric Science degree at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Amber has worked in pediatric physical therapy for over 12 years in Hawaii, the UK, and Vermont, where she returned in 2021 and is an Early Intervention Physical Therapist in the North Windsor and Orange County region.
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Carol Lang-Godin
Lamoille Family Center
Carol Lang-Godin is the Executive Director of the Lamoille Family Center and a member of the Vermont Parent Child Center Network. Carol earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Johnson State College and has worked in the human services field since 1998. Her initial focus was on the early childhood years. She has since expanded her focus to include those beyond the early childhood years, but she will always have a special interest in the success of our youngest Vermonters and their caregivers.
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Christy Swenson
SAC Secretary; Capstone Community Action/Head Start
Christy Swenson spent almost 20 years providing direct service for children and families. She began her career as a speech-language pathologist working for a rural hospital that held the contract for birth-to-three services for the county. She then worked in the school system, where she developed specialties in autism spectrum disorder and developmental verbal dyspraxia.
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Danielle Lindley Mitchell
Washington County Mental Health Services
Danielle Lindley Mitchell graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After graduating in 2003, she decided to make the move to St. Albans, Vermont, to begin her career in the human services field. As her passion and dedication to the field grew, Danielle pursued her master’s in social work from the University of Vermont. For six years, Danielle served in the role of Director of Children, Youth, and Families at Northwestern Counseling & Support Services. In 2024, Danielle transitioned to the Children’s Director at Washington County Mental Health Services.
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Debra Hartswick
Retired Medical Professional
Dr. Hartswick recently retired after 30 years in private practice at Pediatric Medicine, PLC, in South Burlington. Dr. Hartswick was raised in Vermont and attended Dartmouth College, returning home for her medical training at UVM. During her time in practice, she served as a board member and medical advisor for Make A Wish of Vermont, served on hospital committees as a community liaison, and mentored medical students.
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Dimitri Garder
Business Representative; 0x2A Consulting LLC
Dimitri Garder is co-founder and CEO of Global-Z International, a data management company serving global brands for the past 30 years. He is co-chair of the Vermont Business Roundtable’s Early Care and Learning Taskforce and is a vocal advocate for the development and funding of Vermont’s pre-K system. His board positions include Southwestern Vermont Health Care, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Business Roundtable, Bennington County Industrial Corporation, and the Bennington Early Childhood Center.
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Eddie Gale
A. D. Henderson Foundation
Eddie Gale is the Vermont Program Director for the A.D. Henderson Foundation. Prior to his involvement with the Henderson Foundation, Eddie began his career in philanthropy with the Vermont Community Foundation, implementing two grants from the Ford Foundation to support community-based initiatives and sustainable development in the Northeast Kingdom.
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Erica McLaughlin
Vermont Principals’ Association
Erica McLaughlin grew up in Rutland, Vermont, and left to study at Sacred Heart University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She taught in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for nine years and later returned to Vermont to be close to family and became an elementary principal at Randolph Elementary School for 17 years. Erica is now the Assistant Executive Director for elementary schools for the Vermont Principals’ Association.
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Janet McLaughlin
DCF Child Development Division
Janet McLaughlin serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Child Development Division at the Department for Children and Families. From 2021 to 2023, she served as the Executive Director for the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC). Janet’s passion for a more equitable society has driven her two decades in nonprofit leadership.
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Jessica Vintinner
Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Jessica Vintinner serves as the Legislative Director for the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. From 2015-2017, she served as the Early Care and Learning Liaison on Governor Peter Shumlin’s executive staff, and co-chaired the 2016 Blue Ribbon Commission on Financing High Quality and Affordable Child Care.
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Kiona Baez Heath
Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Kiona Baez Heath (she/her) engages social change and systems-based approaches to understanding and addressing trauma and oppression. Kiona is currently the Director of Trauma Informed Care at the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Kiona has a B.A. from McGill University and an M.P.A. from the University of Vermont.
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Laura Young
Parent Representative
Laura Young is passionate about supporting Vermont families, especially children who are marginalized or have experienced trauma. Laura has been an active member of the Families & Communities Committee and the Caledonia Southern Essex Regional Council, where she helps plan family events across the region. She brings insight from diverse …
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Laurel Omland
Vermont Department of Mental Health
Laurel Omland, MS, NCC, is the Director of the Child, Adolescent and Family Unit in the Vermont Department of Mental Health. She has a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Bates College.
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Rebecca (Becca) Webb
SAC Treasurer; Winooski Valley Superintendents Association
Rebecca (Becca) Webb has been in the field of early childhood since 1997. She has worked in a variety of early childhood environments, including as a classroom teacher and director in community childcares, developmental educator in Early Intervention, public-school classroom teacher, and itinerant special educator. In her three years as a Project Director for the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP), she coached providers in implementing universal developmental screenings in their programs.
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Renee Kelly
Head Start Collaboration Office
Renee Kelly serves as Director of the Vermont Head Start Collaboration Office within the Child Development Division. She holds a B.S. in Psychology & Human Services from Lyndon State College, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College, and has over 10 years of experience in human services and early childhood systems, beginning by serving as an Early Head Start Home Visitor in Newport, Vermont. She is a 2018 graduate of the Snelling Center for Government Vermont Leadership Institute.
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Rep. Rey Garofano
Vermont House of Representatives; DCF Child Development Division
Rey Garofano immigrated from Iran to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, seeking safety from the Islamic regime and the Iran-Iraq War. After working in several Northeast cities, she made Vermont her home in 2005 and has served as a public servant with the State since 2006. Elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2022, Rey serves as Vice Chair of the House Human Services Committee.
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Sen. Martine Gulick
Vermont Senate
Martine Larocque Gulick has lived in Vermont since 1972. She’s a graduate of South Burlington schools and has a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Vermont. She is currently serving her second term in the Vermont Senate and is Vice-Chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. She also serves on the Senate Finance Committee.
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Sharron Harrington
Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC)
Sharron Harrington serves as the Executive Director for Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC), which is the state’s largest membership organization for early childhood educators and an affiliate of NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
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Susan Coburn
Agency of Human Services Secretary’s Office
Susan Coburn, MPH, is a Policy Analyst with the Vermont Agency of Human Services, where she has been part of the Medicaid Policy Team since 2014. Her work focuses on policy development, analysis, and consultation across a range of areas with an emphasis on clinical services, and children’s health policies, …
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Xusana Davis
Vermont Office of Racial Equity
Xusana Davis serves as the State of Vermont’s Executive Director of Racial Equity. Prior to joining the State of Vermont, she served as Director of Health & Housing Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and as the Director of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council. She holds a Juris Doctor with a concentration in International Human Rights Law from New York Law School. She studied Anthropology and Philosophy at Fordham University.
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Zoie Saunders
Secretary of Education
For nearly two decades, Zoie Saunders, M.Ed. has dedicated her career to improving student outcomes, opening pathways to careers and college for all students, and ensuring that every student has access to a great public school. Saunders has family roots in rural America and was raised with strong values around collective advocacy, experiences that have shaped her professional focus on equity, access, and opportunity.
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Monica Caserta Hutt
Non-voting member; Governor’s Office
Monica has worked in the field of human services for all her professional career and in state government for the last 20 years. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in English and with licensed teacher certification for grades 7–12. Currently, she is working in the Governor’s office as the Chief Prevention Officer for the state of Vermont and as a senior policy advisor in human services for Governor Phil Scott.
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Miranda Gray
Non-voting member; Economic Services Division
Miranda Gray is the Deputy Commissioner for Vermont, Agency of Human Services, Department for Children and Families, Economic Services. Previously, she held the Deputy Commissioner role in the Child Development Division. Miranda has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and graduated from the Snelling Center for Government’s Vermont Leadership Institute.
