Jessica Boren Jessica was born and raised in the south region of Brazil. In 2008, she moved to Lincoln, NE with no previous knowledge of English. Over the next few years she was able to learn English and Spanish through immersion. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies, with focuses on Spanish and Psychology, and a Master’s degree in International Family Studies. Being an immigrant herself, she decided to work to support the immigrant, refugee, and low-income communities. For many years, Jessica has provided services to these communities in many different ways. In the past, Jessica has been an Assistant Director of a non-profit organization serving the latino community, where she oversaw and managed Adult Education classes, Citizenship classes, and other educational programs. She has also investigated employment discrimination cases across the state of Nebraska, where she fought for equal rights. Finally, she has coached Family Literacy programs in Nebraska, helping schools implement the four-component Family Literacy model to further support families in their educational goals. Currently, Jessica is the Nebraska State Director for the Nebraska Statewide Family Engagement Center.
Monica Huber As the Project Manager for Ready Rosie, Monica Huber is dedicated to supporting and championing the centers, schools and sites that utilize this valuable resource. She also assists and supports any agency that is interested in learning more about or implementing the Ready Rosie Program. Through NCFL and the Nebraska SFEC, Monica is an Adult Coordinator and Adult Educator for the Family Literacy Program in O’Neill, Nebraska. She works closely with the agencies within her community that provide resources and opportunities for the parents and families in the program. Monica is a core team member of the O’Neill Public Schools Continuous Improvement Team and works with a variety of businesses, organizations and individuals along with Nebraska Children in efforts to identify the needs of our underserved community members. Monica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Law and Public Administration from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. She has worked in the O’Neill Public School system as a Special Education Paraeducator and Substitute Teacher, and is a licensed EMT with O’Neill Volunteer Fire and Rescue. As a parent of a child on the Autism Spectrum, she is an advocate for all parents of uniquely defined children who need assistance in navigating the school system and community resources. |
Hannah Van Horn Hannah was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She attended Colorado State University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a concentration in U.S. Government and Policy and a minor in Spanish. She is currently pursuing a masters in Educational Leadership. In the past, she has interned at the Colorado State Capitol in the House of Representatives where she explored education policy and educational inequity issues. Hannah sought out an opportunity to confront systems that lead to educational inequity and joined Teach for America as an elementary teacher. She spent two years teaching in Oklahoma City as an early childhood teacher in a district where she had the opportunity to serve ethnically and socio-economically diverse students and families. During her time in the classroom she focused on investigating culturally-responsive teaching models that encourage diversity and inclusion among students. Hannah currently serves as a Training Specialist for the National Center for Families Learning where she works closely with local school districts across Nebraska to implement family literacy and family engagement programming.
Leesa Kraeger Leesa was raised in Kearney, Nebraska. She attended the University of Nebraska - Lincoln where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development and the Family. During her 30+ year career, she has worked with families, community non-profits, school districts, and Head Start programs in Nebraska and South Dakota. Leesa has been an advocate for parent involvement in education and community asset development in all her work. She spent thirteen years with a four component family literacy program in Lincoln Nebraska as the program specialist, parenting class facilitator, and adult educator serving an ethnically diverse population of immigrant and refugee parents and families. Throughout her career, she has worked to educate parents, school staff, and community leaders on the importance of parent voice and advocacy. Leesa currently serves as a Training Specialist for the National Center for Families Learning in the Nebraska State Family Engagement Center where she works with local school districts to implement family literacy and family engagement programming.
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