Kids Win Missouri Announces Latest Cohorts of Parents and Providers Participating in Its ECE and Health Leader Fellowship Programs
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Kids Win Missouri today announced the fifth cohort of its ECE Leader Fellowship and the launch of a new Health Leader Fellowship pilot, bringing together a combined 43 advocates from across the state to advance early childhood and health equity at the Missouri State Capitol.
ECE Leader Fellowship — Cohort 5
The ECE Leader Fellowship connects parents and early childhood providers with the knowledge, relationships, and tools to become effective advocates for Missouri’s youngest children. Now in its fifth year, the fellowship recruits leaders from communities across the state and supports them through a year of policy education, peer learning, and direct engagement with state legislators and agency officials.
“The ECE Leader Fellowship exists because the people closest to the child care crisis are also the most powerful advocates for solving it,” said Joe Gallant, Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator at Kids Win Missouri. “When parents and providers can walk into the Capitol and tell their own stories, it changes the conversation.”
The 29 members of Cohort 5 are:
- Amie Wildman-Winick, Farmington (St. Francois County) — Provider Fellow
- Terry Hardieway, University City (St. Louis City County) — Parent Fellow
- Tiffie S. Jackson, St. Louis (St. Louis City County) — Provider Fellow
- Cynthia Brown, St. Peters (St. Charles County) — Provider Fellow
- Philece Horton, Florissant (St. Louis County County) — Parent Fellow
- Teresa Seals-Taylor, St. Louis (St. Louis City County) — Provider Fellow
- Erika Jacobs, Rolla (Phelps County) — Provider Fellow
- Faith Dalton, Saint James (Phelps County) — Parent Fellow
- Melanie Spotten, Windsor (Henry County) — Parent Fellow
- Trena Willoughby, Climax Springs (Camden County) — Provider Fellow
- Amanda Vega-Mavec, Kansas City (Jackson County) — Provider Fellow
- Danielle Jennings, Kansas City (Jackson/Cass County) — Provider Fellow
- Kristy Howerton, Odessa (Lafayette County) — Provider Fellow
- Lacey Helmig, Kansas City (Jackson County) — Provider Fellow
- LaTrice Irving, Kansas City (Jackson County) — Provider Fellow
- Rachelle Banhart, Lexington (Lafayette County) — Provider Fellow
- Sarah Jean Baker, Springfield (Greene County) — Provider Fellow
- Lindsey Kasinger, Springfield (Greene County) — Provider Fellow
- Daniel Barker, Perryville (Perry County) — Parent Fellow
- Ayanna Depree, Cape Girardeau (Cape Girardeau County) — Parent Fellow
- Cora Sanders, Hayti (Pemiscot County) — Provider Fellow
- Kelly Lusso, St. Joseph (Buchanan County) — Parent Fellow
- Penny Graeff, Clarksdale (DeKalb County) — Provider Fellow
- Sara Clark, Monroe City (Ralls County) — Provider Fellow
- Katie Harris, Memphis (Scotland County) — Parent Fellow
- Allyson Rose, Jefferson City (Cole County) — Provider Fellow
- Alex Russell, Jefferson City (Cole County) — Parent Fellow
- Brandy Bradt, Centralia (Boone County) — Provider Fellow
- Lindsay Leonard, Pilot Grove (Cooper County) — Provider Fellow
Fellows include both parents of young children and early childhood providers. Together, they represent communities from every corner of Missouri.
Health Leader Fellowship — Pilot Cohort (2026–2027)
Kids Win Missouri is also launching its first cohort of Health Leader Fellows in partnership with Missouri Budget Project. This pilot fellowship applies the same model of community-based leadership development to health equity — connecting Missourians with lived experience in navigating Missouri’s health care system, including Medicaid and SNAP, with the tools and relationships to advocate for policies that improve health outcomes for families and children across the state.
The 14 members of the Health Leader Fellowship pilot cohort are:
- Amberlee Miller, Webb City (Jasper County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Angela Keller, Columbia (Boone County) — Parent Fellow
- Anne Volland, St. Louis (St. Louis County County) — Provider Fellow
- Carrie Blakley, Fair Play (Polk County) — Provider Fellow
- Danielle Stewart, St. Louis (St. Louis City County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Denise McDrummond, Seymour (Webster County) — Provider Fellow
- Essence Prince-Lewis, Kansas City (Jackson County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Jeannie Thurston, Marceline (Linn County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Juli Helfer, Caruthersville (Pemiscot County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Laura Logan, Charleston (Mississippi County) — Provider Fellow
- Louis Jones, St. Louis (St. Louis County County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Megan Murray, Marble Hill (Bollinger County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Nasebo Coleman-Robinson, St. Louis (St. Louis City County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
- Yolanda Redd, Sikeston (Scott County) — Parent & Provider Fellow
Like the ECE Leader Fellowship, Health Leader Fellows include parents, providers, and individuals with direct experience as health care consumers and community navigators.
“We are so proud of how this fellowship has grown, and this Health Leader cohort is a reflection of that,” said Gallant. “We have recruited an incredibly talented group of leaders who bring lived experience and deep community roots to this work, and we could not be more excited to have them with us.”
About Kids Win Missouri
Kids Win Missouri is a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the well-being of Missouri children. Its mission is to further child well-being by advancing the health, education, safety, and development of Missouri children and their families, especially those who are at-risk because of poverty, abuse, neglect, racial inequities, or other risk factors. For more information, visit kidswinmissouri.org.