Children's Alliance: Meet Us

Paola Maranan, Executive Director Paola

Paola Maranan is the executive director of the Children's Alliance, an organization she has been involved with, in one role or another, since 1993.

For nine years, Paola served as Public Policy Director at the Children's Alliance. Among her key activities were helping the organization define its public policy priorities, designing and providing advocacy training to groups across the state, and coordinating the organization's efforts to look at and respond specifically to the needs of children and families of color.After leaving the Alliance to work as Program Manager for the Children's Initiative at United Way of King County, she served on the Alliance's Board of Directors. She returned to the Alliance in 2003 to serve as the organization's Executive Director.

Paola has also worked for the Washington State Family Policy Council and the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs. Prior to returning to Washington, she worked in Alabama in the areas of voting rights and prison reform.

Paola received her BA in Government from Harvard University. Contact her at paola [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Linda Stone, Eastern Washington Director

Linda is the Eastern Washington Director of the Children's Alliance. Since 1994 she has been a national leader on food policy work and was recognized as national child advocate of the year in 1998. She has also led advocacy efforts in the Alliance's Eastern Washington office and chaired a regional ten state coalition on anti-hunger issues.

In 1997 when Congress revoked food stamps for legal immigrants, Linda pushed for state funds to restore food stamps for Washington's immigrants. Most recently, in her work with the Western Regional Anti Hunger Consortium, she successfully advocated for the national reinstatement of food stamps for legal immigrants and an additional $6.5 billion in funds for the national food stamp program. Linda has been with the Children's Alliance since 1994.

Linda is a 22 year resident of Spokane. Prior to joining the Children's Alliance, she directed the Governor's Task Force on Hunger and founded Washington Food Policy Action Center. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, and Clemson University with a Masters in City and Regional Planning. Linda's daughter,Tegra, is a freshman at Connecticut College in New London, CT. Contact her at linda [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Jon Gould joined the staff of the Children's Alliance in 1997. As Deputy Director, he coordinates the organization's public policy, mobilization, lobbying, communications, and outreach activities.

Jon was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 1989, he graduated from Cornell University with a BA in history. Shortly after, he moved to Seattle, where he began working as a community organizer with the Seattle Tenants Union. After an experience as a guest trainer at the Children's Alliance's first Advocacy Camp, Jon accepted a staff position. Prior to becoming Deputy Director, Jon served as the organization's Community Action Director.

Jon has a long history of community involvement in housing, human service, children's and other issues. He has held board leadership positions in several housing, human service, and political action organizations in Washington. In 2003, he earned a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Washington's Evans School.

Jon Gould is married to Tamara Dyer and they are parents of two sons, Aram and Ellis. Contact him at jon [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Nancy Norman, Finance Director Nancy

Nancy joined the staff of the Alliance in September 2000 and oversees the Alliance's financial and administrative services. Nancy brings a blend of for-profit and non-profit expertise to her work with the Alliance, having spent her early career working with a large for-profit long term care corporation, and later years working with community health centers in Seattle.

Raised on a North Dakota farm, Nancy is a graduate of Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota, and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington. Contact her at nancy [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Deborah Bowler, Administrative Director Deborah

Deborah is in charge of coordinating support for the policy and program staff of the Alliance and also writes and edits the newsletter and other publications. She has worked at the Children's Alliance since it was initially formed in 1983 in a merger of two statewide groups of children's services providers and a coalition of citizen advocates for children.

Deborah was raised in Montana, attended schools in New York and has an MSW in Community Organization and Development from the University of Washington. She has experience in anti-hunger work, community organizing, and political campaigns. Contact her at deborah [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Ruth Schubert, Communications Manager

Ruth

Ruth leads the Children's Alliance communications efforts, focusing on strategic and organizational communications. She came to the Children’s Alliance from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where she was a reporter for seven years. In that role, she covered social issues and education. Her coverage looked at a wide range of issues affecting children and families, including childcare, foster care and educational opportunities for minority students post-Initiative 200.

Ruth holds a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an undergraduate degree from Yale University. She has two daughters. Contact her at ruth [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Sarah Cherin, Advocacy and Legislative Relations

Sarah

Sarah joined the Children's Alliance in 2005 as the staff person for Advocacy and Legislative relations. She brings great passion for children and families, and a strong enthusiasm for positive policy change to support them.

In her role Sarah will represent the Alliance in Olympia by leading staff governmental relations and oversee the staffing of the volunteer Public Policy Council. Further, she will be responsible for staffing of the Children's Budget Coalition. Sarah will spend a significant amount of time traveling to communities around the state and building relationships with local child advocates. She will rely on those relationships to keep her connected to children and families around the state, as to better inform her work in Olympia.

Sarah was born in Long Beach, California and attended New York University, receiving her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies. After several years of working in the Undergraduate Admissions office at NYU, recruiting and admitting students, she traveled to Seattle, Washington to pursue her graduate education. Sarah completed her Masters of Social Work from the University of Washington in 2004 and worked in the State Legislature as a Legislative staff person until the summer of 2005. Contact her at sarah [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Teresa Mosqueda, Health Policy Coordinator

Teresa

Teresa Mosqueda serves as the Children's Alliance lead staff on health policy issues as the Health Policy Coordinator. She works with the Alliance's diverse public and private partners to advance and implement comprehensive health policies for Washington's children.

Teresa came to The Children's Alliance from the Washington State Department of Health where she served as the Legislative and Policy Coordinator for the Community and Family Health Division. Prior to this, Teresa worked at Sea Mar Community Health Centers as the Latino Senior Program Manager. In these positions she gained valuable skills and experience as an active member of various coalitions dedicated to advancing policies in health promotion and disease prevention.

Raised in Olympia, WA, Teresa attended the University of Washington and graduated with a BA in Latin American Studies. She received a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College with a focus in public policy and health policy. Contact her at teresa [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Julie Bell, Fund Development Associate

Julie Bell serves as the Fund Development Associate at the Children's Alliance. She is based in our Seattle office and assists the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, and other Children's Alliance staff with implementation of the organization's annual fund development plan.

Julie came to the Children's Alliance after attending Seattle University's Masters in Non-Profit Management program. Prior to that she spent several years as a full-time parent and volunteer. Her volunteer work ranged from President of a non-profit board of directors, to Project Manager for construction of the Aki Kurose Peace Garden, to Coach of a fifth grade Math Olympiad team. Julie was also an attorney for Safeco Life and Investments and for Washington Mutual's WM Life.

Raised in Corvallis, Oregon, the East Bay of San Francisco and Bloomington, Indiana, she attended Kalamazoo College and Indiana University, where she received a B.A. in Psychology. Julie received her J.D. from the University of Oregon. She has two children, both in high school. Contact her at julie [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Claire Lane serves as the project manager for End Childhood Hunger at the Children’s Alliance. She began in June 2007, working with Eastern Washington director, Linda Stone, and a diverse group of community partners to develop a statewide plan to end childhood hunger in Washington.

Claire has 15 years’ experience working with social service providers and policy issues in the Seattle area. She graduated Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in 1991 with a degree in religion, after spending a year in India and Washington DC. Growing up outside Chicago gave her an abiding passion for that city, but Seattle became her adopted home in 1992. After several years working as a service provider with children and families and serving on the boards of grassroots nonprofits, Claire received her Master’s degree in Public Administration from University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs, with a focus on nonprofit management. As a research assistant, Claire focused on state and local collaboration on children’s policy issues, as well as organizational development in nonprofit organizations. After graduate school she worked as an early learning manager at United Way of King County, and then as an independent consultant to nonprofit social service providers prior to joining the Children’s Alliance. Contact her at Claire [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Leslie Dozono, Early Learning Policy Coordinator

Leslie Dozono is the Children's Alliance lead staff on early learning policy issues as the Early Learning Policy Coordinator. She works with a wide range of organizations committed to improving outcomes for children from birth to five in Washington.

Leslie was born in Portland, Oregon and received her undergraduate degree in English at Scripps College in Claremont, California. After working in nonprofit youth programs focused on education and literacy in Los Angeles, she moved to Seattle where she managed youth development programming at Atlantic Street Center. She has also worked for Mary Gates Endowment for Students at the University of Washington’s Center for Experiential Learning and with a Northwest Area Foundation research and grant-making project called Strategies to End Poverty (STEP). Leslie completed her Masters in Public Administration at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs in 2007. Contact her at leslie [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Siobhan Ring is the Website and Electronic Communications staff for the Children's Alliance. She joined the Children's Alliance staff in November, 2007.

Siobhan gained her experience in member engagement, advocacy and communications through 11 years as a community organizer and Executive Director at the Tenants Union of Washington. She brings to her position a commitment to the power and potential of technology to mobilize, engage and connect advocates and leaders for kids. Siobhan was raised in rural upstate New York. She attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where she received her BA in Sociology. She moved to Seattle in 1995 where she lives with her partner and their young son. Contact her at siobhan [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Tera Bianchi joined the Children's Alliance as the communication and mobilization Associate in January 2008. Tera graduated with her masters in Social Work from the University of Washington in 2005. Upon graduation, she spent a year traveling and working for a social justice NGO in Nicaragua. She brings extensive experience in both child welfare and communications to her position at the Children's Alliance. In her leisure time Tera enjoys reading, hiking, traveling and listening to music from around the world. Contact her at Tera [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.

Ashley Russell, Communications Intern

Ashley Russell has worked as the Communications Intern for the Children’s Alliance since January of 2007. She assists in the advocacy efforts for the children of Washington State by producing communications pieces, assisting with outreach to the media and supporting the communications team. Ashley came to us with experience from previous communications internships ranging from print to radio. This year she is a senior at the University of Washington double majoring in Communications and Political Science.

Ashley was born in Seattle, Washington and attended Renton High School. Contact her at Ashley [at] childrensalliance [dot] org.