Staff

ECCS Executive Director

Joanne Kelleher, who became the ECCS Director in July 2016, came to ECCS with an extensive background in business operations and administration, project management, marketing, grant writing and community engagement. She and her family, including two sons who are products of the Southington school system, have resided in Southington since 1992.

Joanne currently serves as a board member of the Southington Public Library and Museum and a volunteer with the Southington Education Foundation.  She has served as the Moderator of the First Congregational Church of Southington and on their COVID Phasing Forward taskforce and is now chair of the Pastoral Relations committee. As ECCS Executive Director she attends meetings and events held by the Southington Behavioral Health Stakeholders, Interfaith Clergy Association, Activate Southington, Southington Pride and other community organizations.

In 2022 she completed the Circle of Security® Parenting™ Facilitator Training class and is now a Registered Facilitator.

Joanne was formerly an Assistant Scoutmaster at Boy Scout Troop 32, Cubmaster of Pack 8 at Derynoski Elementary School, and Communications Chair for the Sleeping Giant District of Boy Scouts of America. She held two three-year terms on the Executive Board of the Southington Band Backers as Publicity Chair and then Vice President of Student Administration. Through her work with Literacy Volunteers of America, New Britain/Bristol (now Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut) as a tutor and Board member, she has experience working with adult students who did not learn to read, write or speak English in their youth.

Joanne also does grant identification and proposal writing for the Southington Public School system and is a certified yoga instructor. She previously served as Vice President of Operations at Veridify Security, Director of Marketing at Imaging Solutions, Inc. and as Director of Marketing and Human Resources at Pinnacle Decision Systems, Inc. She also has experience as a project manager, systems trainer and user systems analyst at a Travelers Insurance Company.

Joanne earned her Master’s in Business Administration in Finance, and her Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from The University of Connecticut.

She can be contacted at southingtonearlychildhood@gmail.com

Marketing Administrator

The ECCS hired Siera Murray in September 2018 as an undergraduate marketing intern to work with our Director to help advance the group’s mission. Siera continues to help with event promotion, social media outreach and other marketing activities.

Partner Ambassadors

In 2021 the ECCS recruited Parent Ambassadors under a grant from the CT Early Childhood Funders Collaborative. They will help with outreach and provide feedback about what is happening in the community.