Dan Albaum

Director of Marketing

When Dan Albaum was thinking about the next step of his career, he reflected on all the areas where he’d used his marketing expertise: consumer packaged goods, technology, fitness equipment. What he’d never done was work for a cause-based organization.

“I wanted to have the opportunity to apply my skills and knowledge around creating a multigenerational impact,” says the father of five. “I would love to help Committee for Children leave a positive legacy.”

That decision brought Dan to Committee for Children, where he leads a team that’s responsible for emarketing, social media, event management, encouraging potential clients, and planning the launch of new products.

With ample experience in everything from product management and product marketing to field marketing and channel marketing, Dan jumped eagerly into his role in the midst of the biggest set of product launches at one time that Committee for Children has ever had. One of his top goals moving forward is implementing marketing automation, a system that will help make email marketing campaigns more targeted and efficient.

Dan says his social-emotional learning (SEL) superpower is relationship-building, something he takes seriously in his role as a manager. “I have a real passion for developing people and enabling them to have more impact inside the organization,” he says. “I hope to inspire and help the team prioritize the most impactful work.” He puts an emphasis on collaborating with other teams at Committee for Children—such as sales, product management, and IT—so that everyone can benefit.

Dan has an MBA from the University of Texas and a BA in communication from the University of Washington, and colleagues know he’s an ardent college football fan, cheering on the Huskies every weekend.

He brings that same passion to his work here. “I’m excited and energized around the mission of Committee for Children,” he says. “The future’s incredibly bright, and I can’t think of a better time to come in and be part of it.”

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.

Åsa Douglas

Creative Director

Åsa Douglas brings more than 20 years of agency and in-house marketing and visual design experience to her role as creative director for Committee for Children’s Marketing Department. As part of leading the team responsible for executing creative vision and strategy, Åsa encourages conceptual thinking, provides art direction, and builds the organizational brands.

While growing up in Sweden, Åsa developed an early passion for art and marketing. “I was 12 years old, and for some reason, I would always draw advertising posters,” she says. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in advertising arts from the Art Institute of California–San Diego. She then worked as a graphic designer, art director, and creative director for a range of advertising agencies, and as a graphic design instructor.

But it was her time working at a screen addiction rehabilitation center for young adults that increased Åsa’s interest in psychology—and her desire to use her skills to make a difference. She began pursuing a degree in art therapy, then discovered a position at Committee for Children that melded her experience and passions. “Things just really clicked,” she says. “It was the perfect fit for me.” Since then, Åsa has been instrumental in developing and refining the visual brands of Committee for Children and Second Step® programs.

In addition to her BA, Åsa holds certificates in project management and web design from Bellevue College. She says her SEL superpower is organizational skills, which she uses to balance the creative and operational aspects of her role.

On the weekends, Åsa and her family enjoy cyclocross racing—a type of cycling with challenging terrains, obstacles, and conditions. Though she found the sport intimidating at first, she didn’t let that stop her. “If I’m a little bit scared and nervous about something, I get even more determined,” Åsa says. “And when I do succeed, I always remind myself to remain humble. That’s part of being a good leader.”

Michael Eckert

Director, UX and Program Design

As Committee for Children’s director of UX and program design, Michael Eckert leads the team of designers who develop the user experience (UX) and visual design components of our Second Step® family of social-emotional learning programs. The team strives to elevate the user experience by improving how features are organized, ensuring that information is presented to educators in a way that’s easy to understand and navigate and increases accessibility and inclusivity. “We want to make it simple for schools to set up and roll out our programs,” Michael says. “Teachers are already overburdened, so our goal is to help educators find their way around, know what resources are available to them, and get started as quickly as possible.”

Michael has always been passionate about design. With more than 15 years of experience developing software across mobile, desktop, and hardware devices, he held a variety of design and leadership roles at Microsoft before working as a senior UX design manager for Nordstrom. Through design, Michael is committed to meeting people where they are and guiding them to where they need to be. “It’s about understanding how to see things through the viewer’s eyes,” he says. “Instead of imposing a design on them, you’re letting them discover a design as they work through something.”

Michael credits the welcoming culture at Committee for Children as a major motivation for joining the company. His overall goal as a leader is to foster a positive, supportive environment where everyone on his team is given the chance to challenge themselves and, as a result, grow as both designers and people.

Frances Francia

Director, Project Management Office

“Education is where my heart is,” says Frances Francia, who joined Committee for Children to support a culture of continuous improvement and learning as Director of Project Management. “The people and culture here drew me to this organization,” she says, adding that she’s also excited about the opportunity to play a bigger role in driving positive change in children’s lives.

Frances, who runs half-marathons as a hobby, understands that going the distance to meet ambitious goals requires patience and endurance. She developed those traits, along with a deep understanding of people, technology, and process, in various project management roles across industries. She has experience as a Scrum Master and Agile leader and knows how to triage team and customer issues with grace and a sense of humor.

Most recently, she led program management and platform delivery across six teams at McGraw Hill, where she was recognized as a highly skilled, empathetic project manager with entrepreneurial energy and a nuanced understanding of how to get big projects done. In addition to her professional experience, Frances has been a longtime volunteer tutor, which she says is a refreshing balance to her office work.

Though she became familiar with Committee for Children while working at McGraw Hill, Frances recalls that she first experienced Second Step® programs as a student at Madrona Elementary in Seattle. “I remember learning about conflict resolution in first grade through Second Step (lessons),” she says, “and though I might not have realized it at the time, those skills are truly impactful.”

Frances’s ability to calmly manage fast-moving projects and clear obstacles with common sense and an upbeat attitude helps her teams be most effective, but she says appreciating diversity is her social-emotional learning (SEL) superpower. “I see everything through that lens,” she says, explaining that she has an ethnic studies degree from University of California, Berkeley, and lived experience as a second-generation immigrant.

A lifelong learner, Frances says she’s currently gaining a lot of knowledge about social-emotional skills mothering her two-year-old. “We talk about big feelings and learn a new lesson together every day,” she says with a smile.

Carolyn Hubbard

Director of International Partnerships

As International Partnerships Director, Carolyn Hubbard wears multiple hats and collaborates with organizations on initiatives in more than a dozen countries and in multiple time zones—all on any given day. It’s all part of her work to help organizations around the world choose and adapt resources to fit their social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula interests and needs.

Since joining Committee for Children in 2012, Carolyn has developed partnerships in Australia, Brazil, and China; produced full Spanish curricula for eight grade levels; and started initiatives in Mexico and Panama.

In looking for an organization that had education and international priorities at its core, she found the perfect fit here at CFC—and found a link to her roots as well.

“The clincher was the subject matter,” Carolyn says, “since my father’s PhD dissertation, written back in 1972, was about what we now call SEL, and it was part of my upbringing.”

Unsurprisingly, she names her SEL superpower to be self-motivation, and her career certainly reflects that. Carolyn graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with her bachelor’s degree in international studies, Spanish, and publishing, plus certificates in education and global management. Before joining CFC, she worked in publishing at Lonely Planet for more than a decade, spent four years as a bilingual fifth-grade teacher in Title 1 schools, and managed a small nonprofit organization in Kenya.

Kerry L. Hughes

Director of Business Systems

As the director of business systems, Kerry L. Hughes makes sure Committee for Children runs on systems that are always in good working order and with the correct security and permissions. She also oversees data reporting and analytics.

Kerry earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Washington University and is a certified information professional (CIP). Prior to joining CFC in 2019, Kerry spent 15 years at Emeritus Senior Living, where she served as the director of financial applications. In working for a large and growing organization, she gained valuable experience that now informs her role in enabling CFC to successfully scale up. “I wanted to work someplace where I felt like I could contribute, so it was a nice blend of what I was looking for and what I thought I could give,” she says.

A self-described lifelong learner, Kerry is curious about physical objects and systems—she wants to know how things work. “I’m always going to ask the next question and the next question,” she says. This helps her form a deeper understanding of both systems and people—and is part of her self-identified social-emotional learning (SEL) superpower, perspective-taking.

Kerry loves the fact that even though she doesn’t directly work with children, she still has the opportunity to impact their lives through her role at CFC. “I want to make sure that anything that my team and I do helps Committee for Children be able to grow, pivot, and change as needed,” she says. “It’s all about the success of the organization and furthering the mission to positively and equitably affect the lives of millions of children annually.”

Rachel Kamb

Director of Product Management

For the past 25 years, Rachel Kamb has been creating user-friendly, award-winning education content for schools, government entities, and organizations. “I absolutely love learning and creating things that people want to use,” Rachel says. “The content, more than the technology used or final format, is what interests me most.”

As director of product management, she oversees the development of products from concept to delivery. Currently, she’s focused on social-emotional learning (SEL) programs for students in Grades K–12, as well as SEL for educators. She balances her time between strategy mapping, product research and planning, partner relations, pilot programs, and team management and collaboration. “I want to make a difference in people’s lives, and I like that we’re creating positive change in the world,” she says.

A lot has changed in education since Rachel first joined Committee for Children in 2007, but what has not changed, she says, are the fundamentals of quality product design, which start with empathy. “To engage your audience, you really need to understand them,” Rachel says. She taught high school during her graduate studies and learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t in the classroom. She says that content has to be meaningful and authentic in order for students to be engaged, and lessons have to be easy to teach and integrate into busy schedules.

“Ultimately, our mission is all about the kids,” she says. “But before we can reach students, we have to have reach teachers. It’s also important to understand the bigger picture and what districts are up against. Every interaction matters.” With that in mind, she and her team rigorously research and field test every product prior to launch to spot potential pitfalls as well as opportunities for improvement and innovation.

The team uses a combination of Scrum and Agile methodologies for digital product development and human-centered design for the content. Rachel says the Second Step® family of programs stands apart from the competition because it’s not just a collection of materials. “We very conscientiously have developed a holistic approach to SEL, using decades of research to work toward specific outcomes. We adhere to best practices and are very thoughtful about our design, from the inclusive examples we use to the precise language we choose,” she says.

Rachel says that, while she loves the “outstanding products,” it’s the people at Committee for Children she loves even more: “We’re invested in each other and in creating something meaningful together. That shared feeling of accomplishment is beyond amazing!” She identifies teamwork—or collective efficacy, as it’s known in the SEL world—as her superpower, and explains that effective teamwork requires “clear communication, transparency, and deep empathy.”

Rachel received a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in learning and instruction from the University of Utah.

Stefani Kauppila

Director of Instructional Design

As Director of Instructional Design, 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 is able to see 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.

Katy Klinkenberg

Director of Client Success

At Committee for Children, we work hard to get our social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to schools throughout the United States and across the world. But just selling the programs isn’t enough—Katy Klinkenberg makes sure the schools have all the support they need to effectively implement them.

“We’re not just interested in getting our curriculum in schools,” she says. “We really want to engage with our customers and help them.”

Katy first started working with CFC as a consultant in 2001. She stayed in that role for more than a decade before departing for a job with a software company, where she learned the ropes of what it’s like to have customers on subscription. When she heard that CFC was about to release our first digital program, she knew she could be of service. She came back as a consultant in 2017 and was hired as the client success director the following year.

As the first person to hold this position, Katy oversees two teams. She leads the client support group, which handles incoming customer inquiries, and the new client success group, which focuses on post-sale implementation success at the school level. This team makes sure principals have what they need to train teachers, and that everyone understands the curriculum and is excited to teach it.

Katy believes her SEL superpower is solving problems. “I’m just that kind of person who likes to take in a lot of information, analyze it, organize it, and create order out of chaos,” she says. “I like solving puzzles—there’s a human side to it and an organizational side to it.” She brings that skill set to her work at CFC, always with the goal of making a real impact on the lives of children.

Katy graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in geography and environmental studies. She loves playing sports of all kinds, gardening, and being on the water. “I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of other things, but I’ve always been drawn back to this place because of the important nature of what we do,” she says. “I really feel like it’s something that will change the world if we do it right.”

Jessica Martin

Director of Human Resources

Every day, Jessica Martin is motivated by Committee for Children’s North Star Goal: to positively and equitably transform the social-emotional well-being of 100 million children annually by 2030.

“I don’t feel like you can turn away from a mission that is fostering the well-being of children,” she says. “The combination of the mission and where we are as a company—we’re in a very exciting phase—drew me in.”

Jessica’s role as director of human resources is to attract, develop, and retain top talent for Committee for Children. Her team helps people through the entire employee life cycle to ensure a positive and meaningful experience.

“In order for organizations to be successful, HR needs to be aligned with leadership on strategic priorities. That’s hugely important at Committee for Children, given the incredible mission we have and the 2030 goal we’re steering toward,” she says.

Jessica has a BA in psychology from the University of Washington and has spent more than 17 years in HR. In that time, she’s worked for companies in health care, software, and education technology. This variety of experience has given her a well-rounded view of what HR can do to support an organization successfully.

Fittingly for someone in a people-oriented job, Jessica calls relationship-building her social-emotional learning (SEL) superpower.

“I’ve made HR my career for a variety of reasons,” she says, “but primarily because I have the ability to influence change and positively impact employees and the organization as a whole.”

Kelly Merkling

Director of Education Partnerships

Several years ago Kelly Merkling discovered just how important social-emotional learning (SEL) really is while working as a director of industry strategy focused on workforce development.

“Through that process, I realized people need those skills early on, from a young age, to be successful,” she says. “Social-emotional skills really tie in throughout your journey as an individual.”

That realization made Committee for Children a natural fit. Here, as the director of Education Partnerships, Kelly provides strategic leadership and development to her staff, who work with school districts to find the right Committee for Children programs for their needs. And although they set ambitious sales goals, the underlying motivation is to change lives.

“The team is really dedicated to ensuring that we’re always doing the right thing,” Kelly says. “We’re not here to just make a sale; we’re here to help decision makers find the program that’s going to work for them and the kids in their district.”

When Kelly started at Committee for Children in May 2017, there was a team of five salespeople. Today, there are 18—and her team is only growing. She considers it a top priority to be properly staffed so the team can provide a high-touch, consultative relationship with all their clients.

Evaluating is Kelly’s SEL superpower, because she has a strong ability to analyze each step of a process. “There were many times in this journey that I could have gone for the quick solution—there were easy solutions along the way, but they were not the right solutions,” she says. “I work to be thoughtful in evaluating and understanding the ramifications; I’m always looking to play the long game in my decision-making process.”

Kelly graduated from the University of Maryland with a dual degree in business management and human resources management. She has always enjoyed camping, hiking, and gardening in her free time.

She loves the strong culture of Committee for Children and the role her team plays in spreading those all-important social-emotional skills. “It’s wonderful when you hear from teachers and principals about how our programs are affecting their students in a positive way and creating better communities,” she says. “It truly feels amazing when you walk away at the end of the day to know you’re making a difference in the work you do.”

Maheen Mustafa

Director of Public Relations and Communications

Before joining Committee for Children as director of public relations and communications, Maheen Mustafa founded and served as CEO of Maheen The Globe, a Seattle-based media outlet covering global stories and perspectives on topics such as social impact, race, and wellness. She has written bylines and produced, directed, and televised video panels, music projects, and news reports for a global audience.

Committee for Children was Maheen’s client while she was working as a consultant for APCO Worldwide. She really clicked with the staff and vision, and when the opportunity surfaced to join the team, she knew right away that she wanted to be a part of evolving the brand. Maheen felt she could add real value by leveraging the education connections she made as a journalist and her experience exploring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues.

As a mom, she appreciates Committee for Children’s resources, which she uses to facilitate conversations with her young daughter about ways to recognize, refuse, and report bullying and abuse. “She’s a very empowered child,” says Maheen, adding that she’s excited to work at the intersection of social-emotional learning (SEL) and DEI in an evidence- and research-based way. She emphasizes that she wants her daughter—and kids globally—to feel safe, included, and accepted.

Maheen believes that being a good team leader requires motivating people and helping them be happy, which she does by bringing positive energy to work. She describes her leadership style as empathetic and says that her values and those of Committee for Children are very aligned. “My SEL superpower is identifying emotions. With this superpower I’m quick to identify facial expressions and body language and have a keen sense of how to boost team morale,” she says.

When asked what she values about her current position, she says, “I thrive in a nurturing environment where initiative, honesty, mentorship, and ingenuity are valued.”

Maheen received a bachelor of science degree with honors and multiple concentrations in the social sciences from Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan. In her downtime, she loves to dance, run, and read.

Amy Walker

Director of Strategic Partnerships

A national expert on implementing systemic social-emotional learning in large school districts, Amy Walker has spoken at dozens of conferences in the United States and abroad about SEL, violence prevention, bullying prevention, and child protection. At Committee for Children, she works to develop and maintain partnerships with businesses, organizations, and individuals to help expand our reach and impact.

Prior to joining Committee for Children in 2001, Amy taught at an elementary school and an Argentinean university, in addition to having a successful career in corporate sales. She joined Committee for Children to use her sales skills for greater good, and earlier in her tenure here, she helped bring Second Step, our SEL curriculum, to Australia and the UK.

A fan of practicing mindfulness, Amy—who has a bachelor’s degree in international cultural studies from Western Washington University—believes her own SEL superpower is relationship-building. “I see the good in others,” she says, “and I try to use my relationship skills to lift others up so we can all shine brighter together.”