Charles M. Hood, III - Chief Executive Officer

(954) 377-2188

 chood@elcbroward.org

Charles “Chuck” Hood is the Chief Executive Officer for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. He is responsible for the overall leadership, organization, and operational management of the agency, its programs and services as per governing statues. Chuck’s professional career includes over 12 years of real estate development and property management experiences. He also has over 11 years of social work and human services experiences, where he served as Senior Vice President of the United Way of Miami-Dade, District Administrator of the Department of Children and Families in Miami-Dade and as President/CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, formerly known as the Miami-Dade School Readiness Coalition. Chuck was a Captain in the United States Army and serves on several Boards including the Board of Trustees for Baptist Health South Florida and the Health Foundation of South Florida. Mr. Hood graduated from Colorado State University with a B.A. in Political Science.

K. Lee Tirpak - Chief Program Officer

(954) 377-2185

 kltirpak@elcbroward.org

Lee is the Chief Program Officer for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. She oversees the Early Care and Education program operations at the Coalition. Prior to coming to ELC, Lee was the Executive Director of Child Care Resource & Referral, Inc. for eighteen years. She graduated from Boston University with a BS in Elementary Education, and earned a MBA from Florida Atlantic University. A member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, her professional interests include new directions in financing early care and education programs and developing research base early care and education programs with positive outcomes that prepare children for school.

Andrea Braynon - Chief Financial Officer

(954) 377-2190

 abraynon@elcbroward.org

Andrea A. Braynon is the Chief Financial Officer for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. She oversees the financial and administrative management responsibilities at the Coalition. Andrea’s professional experience includes sixteen years in private industry with IBM Corp in the administrative and leadership capacities as a government contracts administrator, procurement buyer and a statistical forecast planner, then ten years in local government working four years in the Office of Management and Budget as a budget analyst and six years of experience as a Director managing fiscal operations in two Miami-Dade County departments with budgets from $72.8 million to over $465 million. She graduated from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Ms. Braynon also has a history of leadership and services in the community including active affiliation with the local public service organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Janice Carter - Director of Community Relations and Resource Development

(954) 377-2184

 jcarter@elcbroward.org

Janice holds the position of Director of Community Relations and Resource Development. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and a Masters in Applied Social Sciences. Janice started with the ELC as an Early Care and Education Program Specialist responsible for contract development and oversight. She has over 25 years of social service experience in the non-profit arena which includes program and contract management, youth development, affordable housing, program development, public administration experiences.

Debbie Bainton - Executive Assistant

(954) 377-2183

 dbainton@elcbroward.org

Debbie is the Executive Assistant for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. In additional to assisting the CEO, her duties include overseeing the office to ensure smooth day to day operations. Debbie’s 30 years of work experience ranges from legal assistant and teaching elementary school students to owning an air charter business. She has been recognized for her leadership and volunteer work as President of Broward County Council of PTAs.

Carmen Nicholas - Early Care and Education Program Specialist

(954) 377-2196

 cnicholas@elcbroward.org

Carmen Nicholas is an Early Care and Education Specialist at the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County. She holds a BS degree (First Class Honors) from the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica and a PHD in Applied Developmental Psychology from Nova Southeastern University (NSU). She has over twenty five years of experience, having worked with Subsidized Childcare and directed a large Head Start program. She has also served as an adjunct professor, national trainer, grant writer and has authored and co-authored several articles published in peer review journals. In addition, she has served on several boards and committees including the State Board of Education Universal Prekindergarten Education Advisory Council, chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, Toni Jennings (2003). Dr. Nicholas is recognized as a leader in the family support movement and steadfastly believes that the wellbeing of the child is directly dependent on the wellbeing of the parents. She has a strong interest in seeing children in high quality early care and education programs, raised in strong families and safe healthy communities.

Leticia Strasser - Early Care and Education Program Specialist

(954) 377-2198

 lstrasser@elcbroward.org

Leticia Strasser is an Early Care and Education Specialist for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. With a degree in psychology from Barry University (BA) and a specialization in Creative Arts Therapies, she has professional interests spanning child development and adolescent behavior with an extensive background in community-based prevention, arts and educational programs. She has worked within the nonprofit sector for 14 years for various children's programs (Pre K and early childhood through 12th grade) doing state and federal grants writing/managements/compliance, overseeing outcome measurements and reporting, creating logic models and national program models.

Gordia Ross - Early Care and Education Program Specialist

(954) 377-2186

 gross@elcbroward.org

Gordia Ross is the Early Care and Education Program Specialist at the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County. Gordia graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a BA in Sociology and earned her MS with a concentration in Social Work Administration from Columbia University. She has over twenty years in early care and education which includes Head Start, pre-school leadership and foster care prevention. Gordia’s professional interests are geared to ensuring equitable quality early care and education opportunities for children. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and holds a Florida State Advanced Directors Credential.

Sandra I. Martinez - Accounting and Human Resources Manager

(954) 377-2189

 smartinez@elcbroward.org

Sandra I. Martinez is the Accounting and Human Resources Manager for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. She maintains the day to day accounting functions of the coalition as well as assisting the Finance Director. Previously, she served as the Accounting Supervisor at Olympus Managed Healthcare. Sandra has over six years of accounting experience in the nonprofit and healthcare industry. She received her B.A. in Management from Emmanuel College in Boston, MA.

Tamara Baker - Accountant/Financial Analyst

(954) 377-2191

 tbaker@elcbroward.org

Tamara L. Baker is the Accountant/Financial Analyst for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. She assists the CFO in all aspects of financial and administrative tasks with a special emphasis in managing the organization’s accounts payable and sub-recipient monitoring process. Tamara obtained a B.A. in Accounting from St. Thomas University. Previously, she served as a Senior Auditor Accountant for a certified public accounting firm. She has over ten years of public accounting experience performing accounting related services for various industries, including auditing services for NPOs and Municipalities in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

Faye Franklin - Administrative Assistant

(954) 377-2193

 ffranklin@elcbroward.org

Faye is the Administrative Assistant/Receptionist for the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, Inc. She assists with the daily operations of the office including answering the phones, handling incoming and outgoing mail and packages, assisting with departmental projects and monthly meetings. Faye is the first ELC employee to greet visitors and answer phones and also provides support to the Community Relations and Resource Development Director. Prior to coming to ELC, Faye was Administrative Assistant to the Supervisor of Foster Care at the Department of Children and Families. She graduated from West Kentucky Vocational School with a diploma in Business Education.

Inez Webb - Administrative Assistant

(954) 377-2195

 iwebb@elcbroward.org

Inez provides administrative support to the Early Care & Education Team and general office management to the ELC department. Previously, Inez worked with NYC Dept of Transportation, City of Sunrise and Bank of America as an Administrative Assistant. Her goal is to organize and enhance ELC staff’s ability to produce positive outcomes in early care and education.

Brian J. Guerdat, M.PH. - TOUCH Quality Counts Coordinator

(954) 377-2197

 bguerdat@elcbroward.org

Brian worked in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine for 10 years managing pediatric resident education, community based research projects and children’s preventive health programs before joining the Early Learning Coalition of Broward, Inc. The latter included coordinating child obesity training for childcare center staff, and providing preventive oral health screenings for children in early learning centers in Miami. Brian is originally from upstate New York and graduated from the University of Florida. He received a Masters degree in Public Health from Florida International University in 1998. He served for 3 years in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, organizing potable water and sanitation projects. He and his wife have two children.