We’re Building

Since 2014, Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has served as a backbone organization charged with building a connected, innovative early childhood system within Guilford County, North Carolina.

We worked with hundreds of families and more than 110 agencies and organizations to develop and implement a community-wide vision to improve outcomes while reducing persistent disparities in five areas:

• Planned and well-timed pregnancies
• Healthy births
• On-track development for infants, toddlers & preschoolers
• School readiness at kindergarten entry
• Success at the end of third grade

Effective Dec. 21, 2017, Ready for School, Ready for Life became an independent 501(c)(3) organization with a Board of Directors consisting of community leaders who are dedicated to the work of early childhood system-building and improved outcomes for children and their families

Officers

Mr. J. Edward Kitchen, co-chair
Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Susan S. Schwartz, co-chair
The Cemala Foundation, Executive Director

Ms. Michelle Gethers-Clark, co-vice chair
United Way of Greensboro, President and CEO

Mr. Brian Maness, co-vice chair
Children’s Home Society, President and CEO

Mr. David Leeper, treasurer
Leeper, Kean & Rumley, L.L.P., Partner

Board of Directors

Mr. Terry Akin
Cone Health System, President and CEO

Dr. Allison Blosser
High Point University, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Education Studies Program

Mr. Robin Britt
Community Volunteer

Dr. Sharon Contreras
Guilford County Schools, Superintendent

Mr. Pat Danahy
NC Partnership for Children, Board Member

The Honorable Alan Duncan
NC Board of Education

Dr. Daniel Erb
High Point University, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

Ms. Barbara Frye
Community Volunteer

Mr. Kevin Gray
Weaver Foundation, President

Ms. Teresa Huffman
Culp, Inc., Vice President Human Resources

Mr. Marty Lawing
Guilford County, Manager

Ms. Robin Lindsey
Guilford County Partnership for Children, CEO

Dr. Harold Martin
North Carolina A&T State University, Chancellor

Mr. Dell McCormick
Macedonia Family Resource Center, Executive Director

Ms. Mindy Oakley
Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation, Executive Director

Dr. Martin Portillo, M.D.
Cone Health Medical Group, President and Chief Medical Officer

Ms. Amber Robinson
Family Action Learning Team, Family ALT facilitator

Ms. Meka Sales
The Duke Endowment, Director of Special Initiatives

Dr. Terri Shelton
UNCG Research and Engagement, Vice Chancellor of Research and Engagement

Adam Tarleton
Brooks Pierce, Partner

Dr. Iulia Vann
Guilford County, Public Health Director

Staff

Charrise Hart (Bio), Chief Executive Officer

Heather Adams (Bio) Director of Engagement & Literacy Initiatives

Kelly McKee, (Bio) Operations Manager

Michelle Chapin, (Bio) Project Manager

Christina Dobson, (Bio) Director of Navigation Services

Deepti Panjabi, (Bio) Director of Continuous Quality Improvement

Stephanie Skordas, (Bio) Director of Marketing & Communications

Leonard Lawson, (Bio) Director of Integrated Data Systems

Karthik Dhakshanamoorthy, (Bio) Salesforce Administrator

Madhuri Dilliker, (Bio) Business/Data Analyst

Stormi Covington, (Bio) Community Alignment Specialist, Team Lead

Mollie Blafer, (Bio) Community Alignment Specialist

Felicia Evans, (Bio) Community Alignment Specialist

Funders