Every other year, a new group of volunteers join the current volunteers on First Things First regional partnership councils across the state. They all have one thing in common – they are dedicated to making a difference for the babies, toddlers and preschoolers in their community.
FTF is welcoming 40 new regional partnership council members who are joining the more than 250 dedicated community members across Arizona who serve on 28 FTF regional partnership councils.
“In terms of volunteerism, regional council members are working at a high level, where in some regions, they’re responsible for millions of dollars,” said FTF’s Chief Regional Officer K Vilay. “They come to the table ready to roll up their sleeves. They’re having the discussions, reaching out to staff and doing the work. Each regional council member represents a different facet of expertise and passion.”
Volunteering on a regional council is a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on children and families. Regional council members, who are selected through a competitive application process, either live or work in the community they are chosen to serve.
Each council is made up of 11 members who help define priorities for the local services and support for young children and their families. Positions on each regional council are designated for the following members:
- Parent of a child age 5 or younger
- Child care provider
- Health services provider
- Public school administrator
- Early childhood educator
- Member of the business community
- Representative of the faith community
- Representative of a philanthropic organization
- Tribal member public official/employee
- At-large representative
While they all share a passion for early childhood issues, they each have distinct paths that brought them to FTF. For example, one of the new regional council members is Dr. Haemi Kim, who was appointed to the FTF Tohono O’odham Nation Regional Partnership Council to serve as an at-large representative.
Kim is a dentist working within Tohono O’odham Nation Health Care. She works in the areas of general dentistry and provides comprehensive dental treatment for diverse oral health needs that range from healthy to medically complex, serving both pediatric and adult patients.
“Treating the pediatric population within the community health center, I see that parents are making an effort to bring their kids in, however, they are unable to provide them with the guidance they need,” Kim said in her application. “I want to be the support of these children and their parents not only as a practitioner but also as a mentor and a life-long educator. Everything in my life has brought me to this point and I want to continue serving the community.”
Kim added that she is committed to supporting outreach, engagement and education related to the best oral health practices and recognizes the opportunity to support families and young children to understand the critical importance of dental care. Kim said she hopes to work with the regional council in partnership to support more seamless access to services while addressing barriers in the region.
In the FTF Phoenix North Region, one of the new regional council members considers herself a “full circle First Things First success story.” Kathryn “Kathy” Grandprey will serve as the faith representative. She is a director at St. Mark Lutheran Preschool and is an active member of her faith community, where she served as the director of children’s ministry for nine years.
Grandprey’s extensive experience in early childhood in the region includes providing home-based child care, teaching and service to children and families within her faith community in multiple roles. Grandprey earned her associate and bachelor’s in early childhood education noting she obtained her degree with the support of a First Things First college scholarship.
“I believe that the early childhood years are a crucial time in a child’s life and that what they learn and how they are treated during this time has a great influence over the person they will become,” she wrote in her application. “I believe that we should all do the very best we can to make sure that every child experiences the love and care that they need to make sure that they get to become the person they are meant to be.”
In eastern Arizona, Cameron Mortensen will serve as an at-large representative on the FTF Graham/Greenlee Regional Partnership Council. Mortensen is an emergency room registered nurse at the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center. He is a father to four children and in his application wrote that he knows the influence and impact that early childhood has for every person in the world. He wants to make a difference in his community and hopes to be a part of helping parents and families to raise better supported, educated and nurtured children, which can give the community hope for a better future.
Virginia Korte is joining the FTF Navajo/Apache Regional Partnership Council as an at-large representative. She has been active in contributing to Arizona communities for decades. During her career she served on the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, and in 2002, was hired as President and CEO of the Chamber.
“My volunteer work in our state over the past many decades taught me the value of quality education and equitable access to resources needed to prepare our children for the future,” Korte said in her application. “We know early childhood programs are of great benefit to the child and their family, as well as to our communities, businesses and our state. Many barriers exist today for families caring for their children, maintaining a healthy environment and readying their child for a first-class education. It is imperative to continue to build partnerships and collaborations within each community so that our children have every opportunity for success and to thrive.”
The new regional council members who began their four-year term on July 1 are listed below. For a full list of all regional council members for each region, please visit each region’s page:
FTF Cochise Regional Council
- Alma Tamayo-Silva, health services provider representative
- Johanna Scott, public schools representative
- Almanita Graves, faith representative
- Nedra Sealey, at-large representative
FTF Cocopah Tribe Regional Council
- Senda Thundercloud, parent representative
FTF East Maricopa Regional Council
- Dora Correal, health services provider representative
- James Herrera, parent representative
- Rebecca Henderson, public school administrator representative
FTF Gila Regional Council
- Tina Mecom, early childhood educator representative
- Melissa Ruff, at-large representative
FTF Graham/Greenlee Regional Council
- Cameron Mortensen,at-large representative
- Sabrina Dumas, at-large representative
FTF Hualapai Tribe Regional Council
- Cliffiny Mowa, child care provider representative
FTF La Paz/Mohave Regional Council
- Melissa Palmer, health services provider representative
FTF Phoenix North Regional Council
- Sharon “Ronnie” Armstrong, child care provider representative
- Kathryn “Kathy” Grandprey, faith representative
- Virginia Bezerra de Menezes, philanthropic representative
FTF Pima North Regional Council
- Tiffany Bucciarelli-Fay, child care provider representative
- Brieanna Chillious, at-large representative
FTF Pima South Regional Council
- Caroline Lewis, at-large representative
- Scott Evans, philanthropic representative
FTF Pinal Regional Council
- Twila Ibarra, faith representative
- Sophie Dessart, business representative
- Melissa Zazueta, health services provider representative
- Lisa Grigorieff, at-large representative
- Jacqui Mendes, child care provider representative
FTF Navajo/Apache Regional Council
- Virginia Korte, at-large representative
FTF Northwest Maricopa Regional Council
- Debbie Pischke, at-large representative
- Theresa Christensen, child care provider representative
FTF Santa Cruz Regional Council
- Cassandra Madril, early childhood educator representative
- Melinda “Mendy” Gomez, at-large representative
FTF Southeast Maricopa Regional Council
- Ashley Brubaker, health services provider representative
- Jarrad Bittner, at-large representative
FTF Southwest Maricopa Regional Council
- Aaron White, at-large representative
- Pedro “Pete” Gomez, health services provider representative
- Brittany Brown, at-large representative
- Stephanie Morales, parent representative
FTF Tohono O’odham Nation Regional Council
- Dr. Haemi Kim, at-large representative
FTF Yavapai Regional Council
- Molly Peterson, parent representative
FTF Yuma Regional Partnership Council
- Ayari Armenta, health services provider representative
