Composed of leaders from finance, education, research, legal, nonprofit, and business communities, Committee for Children’s board of directors serves as the governing body charged with providing oversight and counsel on matters related to the organization’s mission, vision, strategic plan and financial sustainability. The composition of the board reflects a broad range of expertise, with all members demonstrating a strong commitment to fostering the safety and well-being of children through social and emotional learning and development. Kumar Mehta, PhD President Read Bio × Kumar Mehta, PhD President Dr. Kumar Mehta is the bestselling author of The Innovation Biome: A Sustained Business Environment Where Innovation Thrives. He is the founder of Bridges Insight, a think tank helping organizations in the public and private sectors accelerate their rates of innovation. Dr. Mehta currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future and speaks around the world about innovation, disruption, and preparing for an uncertain future. Previously, he was the CEO of Course5 Intelligence, an innovative data-analytics company employing more than a thousand professionals worldwide. He also spent 14 years at Microsoft Corporation in a variety of roles. Dr. Mehta holds a PhD in pharmaceutical socioeconomics from the University of Iowa. He joined the board in 2016. Erin J. Maher, PhD Vice President Read Bio × Erin J. Maher, PhD Vice President Dr. Maher is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Oklahoma. She is also an adjunct associate professor of pediatrics in their College of Medicine and senior associate director of the Data Institute for Societal Challenges. Her research focuses on the intersection of poverty and child maltreatment, child well-being, and family functioning. She works with state agencies to evaluate social programs in these areas. John C. Andrews Secretary Read Bio × John C. Andrews Secretary John is retired from a long career in high-tech sales management. He worked for both small and large high-tech companies such as Computer Associates, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Unisys. He also worked for several consulting services firms specializing in business and technology consulting, including KPMG Consulting, Statera, and Aquent. His most recent position was as the vice president of international sales at Daptiv Software, a company that specialized in project portfolio management solutions. He is currently involved in angel investing and commercial real estate. John served on the International committee at CFC and joined the CFC Board in 2016. Alonda Williams Treasurer Read Bio × Alonda Williams Treasurer Alonda Williams is a senior executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience across the technology, education, and nonprofit sectors. She has led teams for several Fortune 500 companies—including Microsoft Corporation, Verizon, and Qualcomm—where her performance has been awarded and recognized with high honors. While Williams has deep subject matter expertise in product management, marketing communications, and CRM, she is also passionate about people development and coaching others for high performance. She is known for her direct yet collaborative style. Williams currently serves as the senior vice president and chief experience officer for one of the largest nonprofits in Washington State, the YMCA of Greater Seattle. She is responsible for membership sales, customer experience, digital strategy, marketing, and communications. She leads her team and is also a member of the senior leadership team, where she is a spokesperson and shapes policy and long-term organizational strategy. In addition to her professional experience, Williams has served as an adjunct instructor at Rutgers University and Bellevue College, where she taught marketing, human resource management, and CRM. She has also taught several corporate leadership development programs through City University of Seattle. Williams is also a TEDx organizer and brings communities together to share ideas for TEDx events. Outside of work, Williams is committed to empowering young people, with a particular focus on empowering young girls. She is the author of Penny and the Magic Puffballs, a children’s book created to build healthy self-esteem in young women. Williams is an active volunteer with several nonprofit organizations and is married with two teenaged children. Board Members J.J. Jones × J.J. Jones Biography coming soon. Maria Langworthy × Maria Langworthy Maria Langworthy is a global leader accelerating innovation in education by spearheading new edtech and AI products. She focuses on value creation for learners in her work with education systems across the P20W spectrum. Her thought leadership includes speaking at over 300 US and international events and publishing on new models of education. In her two decades of leadership roles at tech startups, Microsoft, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she has built industry-defining teaching and learning experience models and has successfully scaled global partnerships centered on using data to improve learning systems. She is currently a founder and managing partner at CampusEvolve, a new company building generative AI products for student success. Ashok Shimoji-Krishnan, MD, MPH × Ashok Shimoji-Krishnan, MD, MPH Dr. Shimoji-Krishnan is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. He is currently the Behavioral Health Medical Director for Amerigroup of Washington’s Medicaid services, where he oversees mental health programming, services, and education across the state. Dr. Shimoji-Krishnan started his career at Kaiser Permanente of Washington in direct clinical care, telepsychiatry, media relations, and education and psychiatry consultation for primary care providers. He has an avid interest in the education and support of youth with mental health challenges, as well as reducing societal stigma toward mental health. Jenny Vaydich, PhD × Jenny Vaydich, PhD Dr. Jenny Lee Vaydich is an associate professor of psychology at Seattle Pacific University. Her research focuses on child and adolescent emotion regulation and stress coping, parental emotion socialization, and the cultural contexts of child development and family functioning. As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Vaydich has worked with diverse parents, teachers, schools, and legal experts to support parent and child well-being. She has provided workshops, trainings, and curriculum for parents and teachers on child emotional development and mental health. Dr. Vaydich continues to work with parenting groups in the community and provides trainings and consultation on coparenting plans and support for parents and children through divorce transitions. She is committed to supporting children and families in culturally relevant ways. Dr. Vaydich’s past projects have included evaluating the cultural acceptability and cultural adaptation of parenting program content, and she currently focuses on projects supporting parent-child discussions about race and cultural understanding. Tom Weeks, PhD × Tom Weeks, PhD Tom Weeks is the former executive director of human resources for Seattle Public Schools, as well as a former Seattle City Council member, where he sponsored Seattle’s first Families and Education levy as chair of the Human Services and Education Committee. Mr. Weeks has served on numerous education-related boards, including Lakeside School District, the New School Foundation, and League of Education Voters, and has been a lecturer at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. He holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College. Tom enjoys athletics and has coached girls’ high school teams in basketball, volleyball, and softball. Board Advisors Croix Thompson × Croix Thompson Biography coming soon.