Our Team
Chief Executive Officer
Kristin Bernhard is a nationally recognized leader in early childhood policy, system change, and cross‑sector collaboration. As Chief Executive Officer of GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, Kristin brings nearly two decades of experience centering family and practitioner voices, building public-private partnerships, and advancing public policy solutions that strengthen early childhood systems and expand opportunity for children and families.
Kristin previously served in senior leadership roles across state government, national nonprofit advocacy, and the private sector, giving her a uniquely comprehensive view of the early childhood landscape. She spent a decade in Georgia state government, most recently as Deputy Commissioner for System Reform at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, where she led statewide initiatives to improve quality, access, and coordination across the early learning system. Earlier in her public service career, Kristin served as Education Policy Advisor to Governor Nathan Deal and held roles in the policy office of Governor Sonny Perdue, where she worked on P–20 education policy and helped bridge early education priorities with broader state education and workforce strategies.
Following her service in state government, Kristin joined Start Early, a national nonprofit advancing quality early learning and care. She served as Chief Policy and Research Officer, leading the organization’s federal, state, and community‑level advocacy, policy, and research agenda to strengthen prenatal‑to‑age‑five systems nationwide.
Most recently, Kristin served as Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Advocacy at Primrose Schools, where she oversaw the Primrose Schools Partnership for Children (formerly the Primrose Schools Children’s Foundation), and led the company’s federal and state‑level advocacy efforts to advance access to high‑quality early education.
Kristin is a 2018 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow and has been recognized by the University of Georgia Alumni Association as part of their 40 under 40 Class of 2018 and the Association of Junior Leagues International as part of their 40 under 40 Class of 2026. Kristin is deeply engaged in civic and nonprofit volunteer service and currently serves on the board of directors of the Vote Mama Foundation, the Executive Committee of the Nonprofit Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, and has held multiple leadership roles within the Junior League of Atlanta.
A graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University College of Law, Kristin lives in Marietta with her husband and their two young sons.
PAACT Community Outreach Manager
Dawan, a proud Georgia native, is passionate about making education and early learning better for everyone. As the PAACT Community Outreach Manager, he loves bringing people together and inspiring groups of advocates who support early education. After spending twelve rewarding years with Atlanta Public Schools (APS) as a Certified Spanish Interpreter and Bilingual Community Liaison, Dawan joined GEEARS excited to keep making a positive impact. He enjoys using his Spanish—whether he’s interpreting or teaching—and finds real joy in sharing his skills with the community.
Dawan believes that connecting with parents and building community involvement are key ingredients for success. He cherishes his role as a parent to three wonderful children: two daughters and one son.
Senior Manager - Leadership & Learning
Starting his career as an early elementary teacher in NYC and abroad, Greg has been passionate about early education for over a decade. Building from his B.A. in American Studies from Amherst College, Greg earned his M.Ed. from Hunter College School of Education while teaching in a Brooklyn public elementary school, before teaching again overseas in Hangzhou, China. Previous to working with GEEARS, he was involved in expanding families’ access to Pre-K in New York City through the Pre-K For All initiative, and consulted school districts on their master planning and educational environment design.
Greg is now focused on developing leadership across systems that impact early learning so young children, their families, and their educators all have the best experiences possible in these critical first years.
Executive Assistant
Ethel Bynum is a seasoned executive administrative professional with over 30 years of experience, primarily in the nonprofit sector. A native of Houston, Texas, and raised in Maryland, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Networking from Strayer University in 2004.
Ethel brings extensive expertise in administrative support, project management, and program operations. She specializes in event coordination and management, consistently delivering well-organized, impactful experiences. Her strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence make her a valuable asset to any organization she serves.
Beyond her professional career, Ethel is deeply rooted in the arts. She has received formal training in ballet, modern, jazz, and African dance, and served for 10 years as the Coordinator of the Dance Ministry at Fort Foote Baptist Church in Fort Washington, Maryland. Her leadership extended to coordinating the dance component of the 2008 “Write the Vision Conference” in Washington, D.C.
Ethel is also a passionate playwright and director, having written and directed two stage productions, Got Issues and The Man in the Mirror, both performed in multiple show runs.
Director, Strategic Operations
Lisa has 20 years of operations and management experience in non-profits and board governance. At GEEARS, she guides development strategy, fundraising events, finance & accounting, HR, and general business operations functions for GEEARS. Prior to this role, Lisa was the Director of Partnerships & Special Projects, where she administered the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club program and focused on fundraising, stewardship, and community and corporate partnership activities for GEEARS. Lisa is currently the Board Chair of the Whitefoord Early Learning Center, and on the boards of the Red & Black (UGA’s independent, student-run newspaper), and the Alpha Phi Fraternity Foundation. Lisa has spent many years supporting early childhood and public education through her volunteer work in Atlanta Public Schools and other community endeavors. She is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, of which she was president in 2011-2012, and a member of Leadership Atlanta’s 2014 Best Class Ever.
Prior to GEEARS, Lisa managed project operations for Constella Group, a contractor for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Her projects included the Youth Violence Initiative, HIV/AIDS training, and various other public health initiatives. While with the American Cancer Society, she managed the “tlc” catalog for women undergoing cancer treatment, which was the perfect intersection of her retail operations and management background.
Ms. Dwyer has an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University and an undergraduate degree in Advertising from the University of Oregon. Lisa and her husband reside in Atlanta, GA, where they raised their two grown children.
PAACT Program Manager
Gbemi Famule supports PAACT: Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive‘s day-to-day communications, coordination, community engagement, and data functions.
Gbemi, who spent part of her childhood in Nigeria, holds a freshly minted Master of Public Health in Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences from Emory University. She comes to GEEARS from Resilient Georgia, where she was a health education analyst. An avid reader of historical fiction, murder mysteries, and classic children’s books, Gbemi moved to Georgia from Milwaukee in 2020. She’s been getting to know her new home state on foot, both running in nature and hiking the trails in places like Providence Canyon and the Len Foote Hike Inn.
Director of Research & Policy
Hanah directs research and policy initiatives for GEEARS. A passionate advocate for young children and their families, Hanah brings to GEEARS a range of early childhood and research experience, having worked with students in clinical settings and as an elementary educator. Her research experience spans a number of areas, including early language and literacy development, school readiness, program evaluation and fidelity, and health literacy. In addition to her responsibilities at GEEARS, Hanah teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology, education, and child development.
Hanah received her B.A. in Psychology and Educational Studies from Emory University. She earned her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, both from Georgia State University.
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Hanah lives in the Grant Park area of Atlanta with her husband and two children.
PAACT Director
Shawnell Johnson serves as the PAACT Director. As PAACT Director, Shawnell is responsible for building strong backbone functions, including developing the PAACT board, strengthening partnerships with implementation partners, community stakeholders and public officials, raising private and public funds to help implement the recommendations, and identifying best practices for implementation.
As a former early childhood educator with extensive experience in public policy, Shawnell started her career teaching as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at a child care program in Atlanta and became the center’s Curriculum Director, where she provided instructional support to teachers and helped the center achieve national accreditation.
After gaining direct knowledge and experience in the child care field, she moved into state government. She has spent over a decade at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) as the Director of Program Administration of the Child Care and Parent Services (CAPS) program, where she lead the operation of a comprehensive system of child care financial assistance and services for families who experience low incomes. She has experience with delivering training and providing technical assistance to child care providers and families. She has served on numerous committees and worked collaboratively with other state agencies, professional associations, and stakeholders to support quality improvement efforts for child care providers to become Quality Rated and improve access for families. Supporting families and child care providers has been an integral part of her career.
Shawnell has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Fisk University and a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Mercer University. She is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, where she is on the Community Council as a Committee Chair, partnering with a local community organization serving children and families who are experiencing homelessness. Shawnell enjoys volunteering and spending time with her family. Shawnell and her husband William have two young children, Savannah, who is nine years old, and Everleigh, who is four years old.
Staff Writer
Elizabeth Lenhard came to GEEARS after a long career as a freelance writer. She’s been a journalist and restaurant critic (most notably for Chicago magazine and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) and has written more than 50 books for children and young adults. She’s also been an author escort for children’s authors. Her through-line, in other words, is children. That’s what led her to GEEARS. As Staff Writer, Elizabeth is our storyteller, showing us the families, activists, legislators, businesses, and board members that drive GEEARS’ mission.
In her spare time, Elizabeth continues to write children’s fiction, bakes the best chocolate chip cookies, and reads many, many novels. She lives in Decatur with her husband, Paul, teen daughters Mira and Tali, and a tiny mutt named Maisy.
Statewide Engagement Manager
Trequita Overton brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, community engagement, and strategic partnerships, with a deep commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for children and families. Throughout her career, she has led transformative, equity-centered initiatives and mobilized cross-sector coalitions to drive collective impact across the Southeast.
Her work has centered on strengthening workforce development pathways, designing place-based youth and family initiatives, expanding access to critical services through school and community partnerships, and advancing innovative models such as resident-led grantmaking. Known for her ability to build trust and cultivate meaningful relationships, Trequita creates spaces where community voice, lived experience, and data come together to inform sustainable solutions.
In her role as Statewide Engagement Manager at GEEARS, Trequita leads the Early Childhood Changemakers initiative (EC2), a statewide effort to identify, train, and activate community leaders as advocates for young children and their families. She is responsible for building and sustaining a powerful network of members who elevate community voice, influence policy, and advance systems-level change in early childhood. Her work focuses on equipping leaders with the tools, strategies, and connections needed to shape equitable policies and strengthen outcomes from birth to five across Georgia.
Trequita enjoys cooking, dancing, coloring, watching documentaries, and interior decorating. She is passionate about curating meaningful gatherings for family and community, and she actively invests her time, talent, and resources into mentoring emerging nonprofit leaders and supporting local charitable efforts. Guided by her core values of equity, collaboration, and accountability, Trequita remains dedicated to ensuring that all children in Georgia have a strong and thriving start.
Policy Outreach Manager
Caitlyn Sanders supports GEEARS’ research and statewide outreach efforts, including parent and provider focus groups, surveys, interviews, and grant and program evaluations.
Having worked in Gwinnett County as both a behavior support specialist and a teacher for children with autism and intellectual disabilities, Caitlyn brings a wealth of experience in special education and teacher leadership to our policy work. She recently completed a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Georgia, commuting from her home in Decatur, which she shares with partner William and their two dogs. She cares deeply about ensuring equitable experiences and outcomes for Georgia’s youngest children and those who teach and support them.
Office Manager
A graduate of Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. Degree in Business Administration, Colette serves as the Office Manager for GEEARS. The Administrative Professional brings with her 20+ years’ experience from the private sector, government and non-profit industries. She specializes in organization and administrative support services, project management, program and event coordinating. With her highly effective management and broad range of skills, Colette’s mission is to assist GEEARS in operating more effectively and efficiently while simultaneously increasing their productivity.
In addition, she uses her skills as a Clutter Consultant. Cleaning clutter is a process of assessing all the things in your environment in terms of the practical purposes that they serve. Many people are looking for a lasting change in their relationship to their physical environment that leads to greater effectiveness, productivity, spontaneity, creativity, fulfillment, and peace of mind in their lives. Colette enjoys sharing how you can transform your ways with clutter so your environment can nurture and support you on an ongoing basis.
The Atlanta native and mother of two adult sons is also a professional singer who enhanced her vocal talents and training under Andrew Terry, an Alumnus of the New England Conservatory and The Julliard School of Music. With this extraordinary gift of vocal abilities and a passion for performing; organizations locally and abroad enjoy the motivated energy and inspirational uplift they receive when Colette sings. When she’s not singing or volunteering, her favorite pastime is reading a good book; she spends the rest of her time enjoying her grandchildren.
Senior Health Policy Manager
Callan Wells leads early childhood health policy initiatives at GEEARS. Throughout her career, Callan has advocated for consistent, high-quality, and affordable mental and physical healthcare for young children and their families. She believes access to comprehensive healthcare services is essential for fostering healthy development and resilience in early childhood.
Callan serves as the Policy Advisor for the Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health (GA-AIMH), co-lead of Mindworks Georgia’s Whole Person Health working group, and a board member of Motherhood Beyond Bars. She was a ZERO TO THREE fellow in 2022-24.
Callan has received several awards for her work, including the Black Child Development Institute of Atlanta’s Emerging Leader Award, ZERO TO THREE’s IECMH Policy Emerging Leader Award, the Friend of NAMI Award from NAMI-Georgia, the IECMH Champion of the Year Award from GA-AIMH, and the Individual Merit Award from DBHDD’s System of Care Academy.
An Atlanta native, Callan currently resides in Grant Park with her husband and daughter.
PAACT Communications Coordinator
Senior Policy Manager for Early Childhood Education
Jessica Woltjen is the Senior Policy Manage for Early Childhood Education at GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. Jessica has spent over a decade working in child policy and advocacy. Prior to joining GEEARS in March 2019, Jessica worked at Voices for Georgia’s Children (Voices) and the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN) for nearly five years on early childhood and afterschool initiatives. Jessica has participated in the 2Gen Academy hosted by the Georgia Children’s Cabinet, White-Riley-Peterson Fellowship, and the Southern Education Leadership Initiative. Previously, Jessica interned at the Public Schools Forum of North Carolina and the North Carolina Center for Voter Education. Jessica earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jessica lives in Decatur with her cat, Emma, and enjoys crafting, dancing, and volunteering for various causes.
Research and Policy Fellow
Allison Anderson, a fellow with the Southern Education Leadership Initiative (SELI) will be interning with GEEARS’ Research & Policy team this summer. From Trussville, Alabama, Allison is a rising junior at the University of Alabama pursuing degrees in English and Political Science, with minors in Education Policy and Reform, Social Innovation and Leadership, and Psychology. She is a member of the 18th Cohort of the UA Honors’ College Witt Fellows Program and an undergraduate research assistant in the Well-Being Interventions for Teachers and Youth Lab in the UA Psychology Department. Her current project in the lab has her conducting and synthesizing research surrounding teacher mental and physical health and the direct impact of education policy on teacher well-being.
Allison enjoys trying new recipes, reading, and rewatching her favorite TV shows. She is incredibly excited to learn from the GEEARS team this summer!