Board Members
Dr. Kimberly Honnick, Ed.D. - New Jersey
Dr. Kimberly Honnick is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Vision Officer of Bo Knowz Learning, LLC. With more than 30 years of experience in education, her dynamic career spans public school systems and Head Start programs, where she has served as a teacher, administrator, and nationally recognized thought leader.
Dr. Honnick is widely respected for her leadership in curriculum and instructional design, with a strong emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). She develops innovative units of study and authors books that create impactful learning experiences for both students and educators. Her areas of expertise include Leadership, Special Education, Student Support Services, SEL, Educational Technology, and Personalized and Blended Learning Models.
A passionate advocate for developing future educators and leaders, Dr. Honnick empowers schools and communities through job-embedded professional learning, coaching, and capacity-building leadership. Her work is anchored in equity, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Her leadership has earned national recognition. Dr. Honnick received Learning Forward’s Principal as Leader of Professional Learning Scholarship for her exceptional efforts in leadership and coaching. She was also named one of the nation’s Top 100 Innovative Educational Leaders by the Global Forum for Education. Additionally, she serves on the Advisory Board for the Transformative Leadership Program at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business.
Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Honnick is a proud dog mom to Balboa and draws inspiration from her lifelong admiration of Rocky—a symbol of resilience and determination that reflects her personal journey and enduring passion for education.
Dr. Autumn Tomas - Jacksonville, FL
Dr. Autumn Tomas is a nationally recognized Head Start consultant, former Head Start parent, and executive leader with more than 30 years of experience strengthening early childhood
programs and nonprofit organizations. Her connection to Head Start began as a parent, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to ensuring children and families have access to high-quality, equitable services.
As Founder and CEO of A Tomas Consulting, Dr. Tomas partners with Head Start programs nationwide to strengthen governance, improve operational systems, prepare for federal reviews, and secure competitive grant funding. She brings a comprehensive perspective grounded in lived experience as a parent, program leader, and Non-Federal Chair for federal grant review panels. Having served as a Head Start Director, she understands firsthand the complexities of compliance, fiscal oversight, ERSEA, and strategic planning.
Her leadership is rooted in accountability, systems-building, and protecting the integrity of the Head Start mission. As a Head Start East Board member, she remains deeply committed to advancing strong governance and sustainable program quality to support lasting outcomes for children and families
Alethea Etinoff - Washington, DC
Alethea Etinoff is the Founder of The Business of Early Childhood Education®, a platform dedicated to strengthening the business and operational foundation of early childhood programs. Based in Washington, DC, she is an experienced early childhood program administrator and business leader with more than a decade of leadership in licensed early learning settings.
Her work centers on program operations, health and safety systems, and leadership development. She delivers practical, systems-focused professional development that strengthens both educational quality and long-term business sustainability.
Alethea has presented for national organizations including the National Association for Family Child Care, the National Head Start Association, and the National CACFP Association. She serves as a Founding Board Member of Head Start East.
Willing Irene Chin-Ma, LMSW - New York City, NY
A solid foundation in social work remains the bedrock supporting over 35+ years of Willing’s leadership in community and advocacy work. At the heart of her work lies a commitment to empowering communities to embrace life-long learning and a determination to eliminate the disparities in resources and opportunities for working families. Her highly regarded expertise as an executive focus on results from quality performance improvement to leadership development, to organizational effectiveness.
Willing is a passionate social worker in the field of human services and she worked hard to ensure that the incoming social work interns experience non-profit management and clinical services firsthand. Willing has been committed to the field of social work since she was a young woman and completed her LMSW with passion. After she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Counseling from Hunter College, she went on to graduate from New York University School of Social Work.
For the last 28+ years at Grand St Settlement, she has been a strong advocate for low-income seniors, children and families. Willing has held several senior leadership roles and spearheaded some of the most significant initiatives in Grand St. Settlement’s (GSS) history. She has demonstrated her devotion by improving the quality of the programs for the clients that are in her portfolio. She has worked to ensure that early education is at the highest quality to improve the word gap for children and build on successes for older adults that
struggle with the lack of bilingual mental health and health services for working families.
Willing was the driving force in applying for and implementing the development of Grand St. Settlement’s first senior apartments that estimated $11+ Million of federal grant monies. She served as Grand St Settlement’s leader with the finest project development team, and, after completion of senior housing apartments, she faithfully worked to ensure systems were created to deliver high quality of senior living for low-income older adults.
Willing is devoted to continuing expansion and improvement of service deliveries for the young children and the elderly. She demonstrated her compassion to bridge the word gap and enhance literacy for the little ones and the older adults.
From 2015-2025 GSS was awarded Federal Head Start Program grants (over $45M) to improve the quality of center-based and family child care services for infants and toddlers in the under-served areas of Brooklyn and Manhattan. Again, under her amazing leadership, the long-standing Head Start and Universal 3K and 4K programs were awarded to GSS with expansions of new sites and enhanced program options. She led the way in hiring and structuring an excellent management team to deliver quality child care to families in need and created a long-standing niche in giving children with special needs a safe and nurturing environment to develop and grow. Due to her creativity and determination, she positioned GSS to be a leader in creating 2Generational programs for families.
Dr. Quiera Evans - Newark, NJ
Quiera Evans, Ed.D is a mission-driven early childhood leader with 20+ years of experience in program strategy, organizational development, and family engagement. She currently serves
as Chief Program Officer at The Leaguers, Inc., providing strategic, administrative, and programmatic leadership for Head Start and Early Head Start, overseeing program compliance
with federal and state standards, cross-sector partnerships with local school districts, and staff/parent capacity building.
Previously, Dr. Evans served as Director of Early Head Start, strengthening comprehensive services for expectant families and children from birth to three and elevating parents as primary educators. Also, as a Preschool Instructional Coach, she guided continuous quality improvement through reflective practice.
Dr. Evans holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy from Fordham University, along with two master’s degrees from Montclair State University in Educational Leadership and Early Childhood Education. Her service aligns with Head Start East’s mission to empower the early childhood community across the Eastern United States through professional development, collaboration, and networking, advancing program quality and outcomes for children and families.
Rooted in improvement science, Dr. Evans’s doctoral preparation emphasized inquiry cycles, problem-solving design, and rapid tests of change to drive better outcomes, an approach she applies to program design, coaching, and organizational learning. She is deeply passionate about developing leaders and has facilitated leadership trainings and institutes across New
Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
As a Board member, she brings deep program expertise, an improvement science mindset, and an equity-centered focus on results for children, families, and the leaders who serve them.
Dr. Sergio Montolio PhD - Bronx, NY
Dr. Montolio, Ph.D., is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive leader, and business consultant with more than 20 years of experience empowering small business owners and developing high-impact leaders. He is the CEO and Founder of SM Consulting Associates Inc. and SM Worldwide Training Services Corp., organizations dedicated to advancing business development and leadership excellence in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
A respected author and thought leader, Dr. Montolio has written Finding the Best in You, RISE ABOVE: Overcoming Greed and Self-Doubt, and Emotional Leadership: How to Use the Power
of Self-Awareness, Self-Reflection, Emotional Intelligence, and the Customer Experience to Connect and Enhance Your Leadership and Relationships, reflecting his commitment to
meaningful societal dialogue and public policy advancement.
Dr. Montolio currently serves as Director for Early Head Start at Rising Ground, where he champions community well-being and early childhood development. His expertise spans business administration, public policy, leadership development, and executive coaching. He holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Public Administration & Inspectors General from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, as well as a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Administration from Walden University.
Through every role, Dr. Montolio remains dedicated to inspiring growth, strengthening organizations, and developing the next generation of leaders.
Leah Smith - Mexico City, MX
Leah Smith serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Institute for Childhood Preparedness (ICP) and is a founding member of the Head Start East Board of Directors. Since joining ICP in 2022, Leah has been instrumental in scaling the organization’s national training infrastructure, leading to her appointment as COO in 2024. In this capacity, she directs operational strategy and ensures the seamless delivery of safety and preparedness programs to federal and civilian partners nationwide.
Leah’s expertise spans the full spectrum of continuing education and training (CE/T) administration. She led ICP’s IACET compliance readiness and redesigned the organization’s administrative systems to support high-quality, audit-ready workflows. Her leadership is defined by technical precision, from managing complex e-commerce and registration automations to overseeing large-scale conference operations and vendor relations.
Leah brings a systems-level perspective to Head Start East, informed by 10+ years of project and operational leadership across global startups and mission-driven nonprofits. Her focus on administrative controls, program fidelity, and sustainable growth ensures that the organization maintains the highest standards of governance and operational excellence. Leah is dedicated to building the robust foundations necessary to support the educators and families served by Head Start East.
Andy Roszak - Falls Church, VA
Andy Roszak is the Founder of Head Start East and Founder & CEO of the Institute for Childhood Preparedness (ICP), an IACET-accredited continuing education provider operating nationally and internationally. Since its founding in 2018, ICP has trained hundreds of thousands of early childhood professionals and has held contracts with organizations spanning Head Start associations, state departments of education, Child Care Aware affiliates, and the U.S. Military. He brings nearly a decade of partnership with Head Start and Early Head Start programs, combining expertise in law, public health, emergency preparedness, and early childhood education in direct service of children, families, and the workforce that supports them.
Andy previously served as Chief of Preparedness, Health and Environment for the Region II Head Start Association and held senior leadership roles at Child Care Aware of America and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — experience that reflects a career embedded across the full breadth of the early childhood field. A recognized advisor to Sesame Street in Communities and recipient of a FEMA Community Preparedness Award, he is the award-winning author of the Preparing for the Unexpected book series (Kaplan Early Learning / Gryphon House), host of the Early Childhood Chats podcast (earlychildhoodchats.com), and an Adjunct Professor at Old Dominion University.
A graduate of Harvard University's Early Education Leadership Program, Andy holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration and is admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court.