The dynamic team leaders at Committee for Children work tirelessly with individuals, vendors, and organizations to make our mission possible. Whether they’re scaling our message, telling our story, creating dynamic, user-friendly design, advocating for children, or recruiting the very best in their respective fields, these are the people who champion our vision every day. Wendy Allen-Belleville Director of Marcom × Wendy Allen-Belleville Director of Marcom Wendy is a marketing communication thought leader who thrives on storytelling and is committed to developing content that’s focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The northern California native spent 18 years in Hollywood working in the television industry at Paramount Pictures. Wendy was a page on The Arsenio Hall Show and Cheers and a production assistant on the sitcom Wings before becoming a writers’ assistant and building a career in comedy writers’ rooms. In 2007, she turned her talents toward marketing and corporate communications. As Committee for Children’s director of marketing and communications, Wendy is responsible for developing and executing strategic campaigns and deliverables to elevate the organization’s brand identity, support its programs, and help reach more children with social-emotional learning (SEL). “I get to be part of something special, to put my whole energy into transforming the lives of millions of children,” she says. Wendy’s SEL superpower is building positive relationships. She believes in the philosophy of “designing alliances” with coworkers by being intentional, collaborating, and building trust. She also encourages open and honest communication with the goal of forming authentic and healthy relationships. Athletics are a big part of Wendy’s life—she’s a former skydiver and competitive gymnast who comes from a Pac-12 and NFL football family. In her spare time, when she’s not reading, she’s often watching her son’s college track meets. As an advocate of child well-being both at work and at home, Wendy has served as a foster parent along with her husband for years. The couple adopted their second son through foster care. Matt Carroll Director of Software Engineering × Matt Carroll Director of Software Engineering Matt Carroll has always been interested in how software could help people. Matt was most recently the senior director of platform development at Limeade, an employee experience software company, and previously spent 15 years at Microsoft in a variety of roles. After working at a company centered around helping improve the employee experience, Matt was excited at the prospect of transitioning to an organization focused on social-emotional well-being. “I was interested in the opportunity to improve kids’ psychological well-being through SEL [social-emotional learning]. So many people—both kids and adults—suffer from emotional distress and don’t get the support they need,” he says. “Between having two teenagers and seeing their social-emotional triumphs and troubles over the years, and being a late-bloomer emotionally myself, I can really appreciate the value of being taught these skills at a young age.” As director of engineering for Committee for Children, Matt guides the engineering practice and architectural direction of digital content creation and delivery systems. In his role, he designs elegant architectures and leads teams from inception through delivery. He sees his SEL superpower as empathy—specifically his ability to hear and understand others’ perspectives and try to find solutions that bring out common goals. “In my role at Committee for Children, this comes into play when mentoring my team,” Matt says. “It’s important to understand their interests and strengths and align their needs with that of the organization. I try to connect with how people are feeling, not just guide them in their work.” Matt graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Loretta Corwin Director of Finance × Loretta Corwin Director of Finance Loretta has always been able to see the bigger picture. Part of her role as Committee for Children’s director of finance is understanding how systems, data, people, and processes are connected to then help inform strategies, work plans, and activities. “I feel like it was meant to be,” Loretta says. “All of my experiences—what I felt has gone right and what I would’ve done differently—prepared me to be in this role.” Loretta was first attracted to Committee for Children by the chance to make a real difference. “Where there’s growth, there’s the opportunity to influence change, and that sparked my attention,” she says. As director of finance, one of Loretta’s top goals is to help cultivate an equitable environment where employees can learn from mistakes, reflect, and succeed as individuals. She appreciates the work of operationalizing strategy and enjoys collaborating with other departments to achieve goals. “I don’t want people to see the finance department staff as policemen of dollars—I strive to have them think of us as true partners,” she says. Loretta believes her social-emotional learning superpower is self-reflection. Each morning, she reflects on how she wants the day to go and what she hopes to accomplish. At the end of the day, she reflects on what went well and what she would have changed. “The power of self-reflection is that you see opportunities in everything,” she says. “That’s what’s so exciting about this role. It’s an opportunity to see how different parts of the organization are connected.” Brandon Hurtado Director of Information Technology × Brandon Hurtado Director of Information Technology Brandon is the director of information technology (IT) at Committee for Children. With more than 20 years of technology experience and more than 10 years of IT management, he provides strategic direction and leadership for the organization’s IT services, infrastructure, systems, and data center. Brandon leads a team responsible for developing and implementing IT initiatives as well as strengthening IT infrastructure to handle future growth and global expansion. Brandon is focused on ensuring the team can support and accomplish the technical goals of all CFC departments and says, “I’ve worked with shifting priorities and helped mitigate potential pitfalls. Part of my role is fostering technical growth, and that means making sure the team has the training, mentorship, and development opportunities they need to support technology goals.” Brandon joined Committee for Children in July 2022. As a father of two young children, Brandon says he was eager to join a company focused on helping kids grow and thrive. Brandon says, “I’m excited to use my experiences and skillset to help accomplish CFC’s technical initiatives, but more than that, I have the chance to be part of the mission, to reach more kids and change more lives across the globe.” In his spare time, Brandon enjoys traveling, learning about new technology, and spending time with his wife and two daughters. Stefani Kauppila Director of Curriculum × Stefani Kauppila Director of Curriculum As director of curriculum, Stefani Kauppila leads the team responsible for the vision and strategy behind Committee for Children’s innovative social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. Detail-oriented and a problem-solver by nature, Stefani sees issues through both a microscopic and telescopic lens. “I’ve always found big, hairy problems enticing,” she says. “But it’s by having an open mind, being willing to listen, and accepting some failure that I have learned to drive solutions with the greatest impact.” Stefani was drawn to Committee for Children’s research-based approach and its vision of safe children thriving in a just and peaceful world. She previously worked as an elementary and middle school teacher before developing web-based mathematics curricula at DreamBox Learning. It was there that she discovered a talent for designing learning experiences in technological environments, and a passion for leading teams and forming partnerships with educators and families. Stefani says her SEL superpower is building positive relationships. She believes it’s important to keep the big picture in mind without losing sight of the needs of individuals. “I call it benevolent friction, where you’re hard on ideas and soft on people,” she says. “Strong, trusting relationships will lead to more impactful conversations that help us reach the best solutions for our clients, our products, and the world.” Stefani holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and a master’s in teaching from Seattle University. She earned a certificate in women’s leadership and is on the board of advisors of the Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College’s Design Thinking Program. Stefani is also the author of two children’s books, Share Fairies: You’re a Big Kid Now and Share Fairies: Get Schooled in Sharing. Noah Koritz Director of Client Success and Support × Noah Koritz Director of Client Success and Support Noah joined Committee for Children in 2019 after spending a decade in education services—starting as an after-school teacher and moving into teacher training, program management, territory management, and finally national sales and partnerships. In his current role as director of client success and support, Noah leads the team that assists clients who use Second Step® social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. He enjoys helping ensure educational leaders can empower their students and staff with SEL. “I believe in the importance of social-emotional learning in our society,” he says. “This was not a subject that was explicitly—or often even implicitly—taught in school when I was growing up, and I feel that my classmates and I would have benefited enormously from this type of programming.” Noah, who has a bachelor’s degree in history from Beloit College, says his SEL superpower is social engagement—he’s always excited to meet and engage with others, both inside and outside of the workplace. Michael LaTempa Director of Legal × Michael LaTempa Director of Legal As director of legal for Committee for Children, Michael LaTempa enjoys using his SEL superpower of problem-solving to help the organization move forward. With over a decade of legal experience in various areas including corporate compliance, contracts, intellectual property, licensing, privacy, and non-profit, he supports CFC’s mission to positively and equitably transform the social-emotional well-being of 100 million children annually by 2030. “I’ve always been interested in working for a place with a larger mission and knowing that the work we do will help reach those goals,” he says. As director of legal, Michael provides leadership and strategic management of legal activities critical to CFC’s mission and legal compliance. Naturally, Michael’s role requires an ability to juggle many critical objectives simultaneously. “I support all CFC business functions at once by identifying, analyzing, and resolving matters of all sorts,” he explains, and adds, “Similar to how I manage having four young kids at home.” Outside of his work for Committee for Children, Michael enjoys skiing, hiking, kayaking, cooking, and spending time with his family. Angie Maynard Director of Content Platforms × Angie Maynard Director of Content Platforms Angie Maynard has always been a connector. She began her career in education as a teacher in elementary and early childhood classrooms, in both public and private schools. After transitioning out of the classroom, she landed at McGraw-Hill, a leader in educational publishing and technology, and grew her experience in project management as well as content and product management. Angie discovered Committee for Children early in her teaching career while seeking out learning resources for her students, and she’s been an advocate for the organization ever since. “The mission deeply resonated with me,” she says, “and I knew I wanted to be a part of it someday.” That hope came true in 2018 when Angie joined CFC, first as project manager and then as senior manager of content. Angie’s knack for connecting and organization serves her well in her new role as director of content platforms where she’s responsible for strategy and prioritization of content-driven platforms and tools. She collaborates with CFC teams to ensure content is accessible, extensible, and functional. As a leader, one of Angie’s greatest strengths is her sensitivity to the needs and feelings of those around her. She checks in on friends and coworkers consistently and is always willing to lend an empathetic ear. When she’s not connecting the dots for CFC, you can find Angie connecting literal dots in her science-themed needlepoint projects, taking an occasional hike, or spoiling her two dogs. Jessica Russom Director of Education Partnerships × Jessica Russom Director of Education Partnerships Jessica Russom joins Committee for Children as director of education partnerships with years of leadership experience in education tech sales and software as a service. As former senior sales director at Lexia Learning and Mentoring Minds in Texas, she has experience building sales teams, developing strategy, and increasing revenue in a rapidly growing, competitive education market. In her current role, Jessica will help Committee for Children expand its geographical and institutional reach as a leading provider of social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula. She was drawn to Committee for Children because she knows SEL is key to kids’ success in school and life, and she is dedicated to supporting educators’ efforts to foster holistic and consistent SEL instruction. Jessica says her own SEL superpower is responsible decision-making. A data-driven leader, she closely monitors the impact of her sales team and Second Step® programs on districts and schools. Outside of her role with Committee for Children, Jessica enjoys reading, traveling, and being a foodie. She’s thrilled to help the organization grow its partnerships across the country.