Our Staff
Debbie Carlsen, Director
Emily Felix, Communication Specialist
Mary Hsu, Executive Assistant
Debbie has built a distinguished career as an educator, advocate, and leader in the non-profit sector, with a focus on children and youth since 2016. She has collaborated with the Children’s Alliance to enhance the voices of children and families throughout the state and has served as the Interim Policy Director for NAMI Washington. In 2
Debbie has built a distinguished career as an educator, advocate, and leader in the non-profit sector, with a focus on children and youth since 2016. She has collaborated with the Children’s Alliance to enhance the voices of children and families throughout the state and has served as the Interim Policy Director for NAMI Washington. In 2023, she participated in a significant school board election, addressing key issues affecting the Seattle School District. Additionally, in 2016, she was appointed by Councilmember Dave Upthegrove to a four-year term on the Best Start for Kids Advisory Board, where she developed a strong passion for early learning and education.
She co-founded and was the executive director of a local LGBTQIA+ organization for eleven years, initially known as LGBTQ Allyship and now Queer Power Alliance, through which she championed economic and housing justice for the LGBTQIA+ community. She played a pivotal role in advocating for the establishment of the Seattle Department of Labor Standards, initiated the first LGBTQIA+ renters' rights program in collaboration with the City of Seattle, developed the inaugural South King County LGBTQIA+ Housing Coalition, and implemented the first statewide LGBTQIA+ Housing Leadership Development Training. Additionally, she partnered with Entre Hermanos to form the first regional Queer the Census Coalition.
In her early career, she taught English as a Second Language for six years, five of which were at Renton Technical College. More recently, she has worked as an early learning educator.
As a committed advocate for disability rights, racial equity, gender equality, LGBTQIA+ issues, and class transformation, Debbie endeavors to apply an intersectional perspective to every project, program, training, or professional engagement in which she participates. She currently holds the position of Training and Education Chair for the National Women's Political Caucus of Washington, the founder of Champions of Educational Empowerment, and is a proud Girl Scouts Troop Leader for her seven-year-old daughter.
Mary Hsu, Executive Assistant
Emily Felix, Communication Specialist
Mary Hsu, Executive Assistant
Mary is Executive Assistant to the Director of the Early Learning Coalition of Snohomish County. Her experience with state and local governments includes the Washington State Legislature and Dept of Information Services, the King County Executive’s Office and Dept of Human Resources, the Seattle City Council, and the former Seattle City
Mary is Executive Assistant to the Director of the Early Learning Coalition of Snohomish County. Her experience with state and local governments includes the Washington State Legislature and Dept of Information Services, the King County Executive’s Office and Dept of Human Resources, the Seattle City Council, and the former Seattle City Treasurer’s Office. Prior to that, she worked at the University of Washington in Academic Personnel and the Staff Training Office. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Chinese Information & Service Center and previously served on the Boards of the Girl Scouts Totem Council, Ethnic Heritage Council, Puget Consumer Co-op, and the International Examiner community newspaper. She continues to work with other local non-profits including Companis, Mwanzo, and the Northwest African American Museum.
Emily Felix, Communication Specialist
Emily Felix, Communication Specialist
Emily Felix, Communication Specialist
Emily is excited to join this amazing coalition and work toward its mission. I have a degree in Health Promotion and a Master's in Business Administration. I have developed a passion for communications, in particular, social media, website design, and writing. Outside of work, my husband and I welcomed our first son in June. We have be
Emily is excited to join this amazing coalition and work toward its mission. I have a degree in Health Promotion and a Master's in Business Administration. I have developed a passion for communications, in particular, social media, website design, and writing. Outside of work, my husband and I welcomed our first son in June. We have been enjoying baby giggles and snuggles ever since. We also have two large dogs that keep us active. We are looking forward to the weather warming up and spending summer days at the local lakes. I look forward to connecting with all of you in the coming weeks!
Our Steering Committee
Musu Bakoto Sawo, Director of Fundraising and Grants, Community Foundation of Snohomish County
Musu Bakoto Sawo is a feminist and human rights lawyer and defender with over 20 years of experience in children’s and women's rights advocacy and activism. She holds a Master of Laws in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa and a Master of Global Affairs in International Peace Studies and Gender Studies. With over 10 years of leadership experience in program and policy development, advocacy, and fundraising, Musu has made significant contributions in non-profit organizations and public institutions in The Gambia and across the African continent.
Throughout her career, she has gained extensive experience working with women, girls, and marginalized and oppressed groups and communities. She has applied this knowledge to contribute to capacity building, research, networking, program development, and practical engagement with women and youth-led initiatives. Musu has collaborated with grassroots, national, and international organizations, while leading and supporting the establishment and growth of several social change organizations and initiatives in The Gambia. In these roles, she has been dedicated to empowering women and girls by equipping them with human rights knowledge while advocating for their involvement in decision-making positions, including active participation in politics and peacebuilding. She is deeply committed to nurturing leadership, promoting diversity, equity, and addressing issues of racial, social, and gender justice within the philanthropic landscape.
Musu is the recipient of numerous international and African human rights awards, including the 2018 Commonwealth Points of Light from Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 2020 Daily Trust African of the Year, and the Vera Chirwa Award from the Center for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. All these awards recognize her work for women and girls in The Gambia and beyond, particularly in relation to harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM). Her advocacy efforts contributed to the enactment of the legislation that banned both FGM and child marriage in The Gambia.
Elaine Larson, Regional Manager Opportunity Council /Child Care Aware of NW WA
Elaine has been in the field of early childhood and school age care for over 40 years. She has worked as a classroom teacher, director, child care center licensor and training coordinator. Currently, she is the Regional Manager for Opportunity Council/Child Care Aware NW (serving Snohomish, Skagit, Island, San Juan and Whatcom counties). Elaine is the mother of two amazing children and has two adorable grandchildren.
Naina Nanayan, Owner/Director, Anayan Academy
Bio Coming Soon.
Lisa Neumann, Dean of Student Engagement and Support, Edmonds College
Dean of Students and Engagement at Edmonds College and former Director of Edmonds College’s Center for Families has been involved with and dedicated to early learning for over 35 years including infant/toddler programs, cooperative preschools, ECEAP/Head Start and licensed childcare. As a director of childcare, I was a driving force for creating nurturing and quality early learning environments as recognized through national accreditation with the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Washington State quality improvement system (QRIS), Early Achievers. My dedication to early childhood education and family support was further recognized during my tenure as President of the Washington Association for Education of Young Children (WAEYC) from 2016-2024, where I championed innovative approaches and continues to lead advocacy efforts for diversity, inclusion and equity for families to have affordable access to quality early learning programs, fair wage pay for early learning professionals and access to higher education for current and future early learning providers.
Terry Clark, Retired Early Learning Professional
I have worked in the not-for-profit sector in Snohomish County since moving here from Japan in 1987. My time was split between Compass Health (and all its predecessors) and ChildStrive. In these organizations I have primarily focused on work with children birth to five and pregnant women. I have been a counselor working with preschoolers and their families, a program developer, a program manager, a grant writer, a Development Director and an Executive Director. While providing counseling to preschoolers, I became convinced that we must prevent the things that result in very young children needing counseling - including child abuse and neglect, behavioral challenges, and family conflict. My passion is work that helps children get off to a great start within a supportive family structure, as I believe this is the way to change the world for the better.
Amanda Mullins, Early Learning Program Manager, Foundation for Edmonds School District
Amanda Mullins has been the Early Learning Program Manager at the Foundation for Edmonds School District since November 2023. She holds an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education and brings a wealth of experience working with children of all ages, from infancy through school age. Throughout her career, Amanda has held a variety of roles, starting as an assistant preschool teacher and advancing to lead teacher, program manager, supervisor, and director. Her passion for early childhood education drives her to support the growth and development of young learners.
Correne Bonkoski, Pacific NW WAEYC
Correne is a retired early childhood educator with 34 years working in the field, mostly teaching Pre-K in a Parent Cooperative, but also teaching adult workshops including at the Community College level. She has a BS in Home Economics Education from Oregon State University and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. Correne currently is Co-president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of WAEYC and has volunteered in many organizations centered around children's education.