Our Team
We are one team, working toward a shared future.
Early Futures Partnership is the organizational home of Communities for Kids and First Five Nebraska—two trusted initiatives united by a common commitment to children and families in our state. Our executive leadership, strategic communications, and operations are part of the Early Futures team, while the C4K and FFN teams bring their unique expertise, relationships, and perspectives to the work. Together, we honor what each initiative does best while strengthening our collective impact to advance early childhood across Nebraska.
Early Futures Partnership
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Marti Beard
Co-President
mbeard@earlyfutures.org
Marti launched the Communities for Kids initiative in June 2017 and co-leads Early Futures Partnership. Living in a rural ranching community in the sandhills of Nebraska, she brings a unique perspective to the value of collective impact and understanding of how local voices can achieve big dreams. -
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Jason Prokop
Co-President
jprokop@firstfivenebraska.orgJason Prokop has overseen the public policy work of First Five Nebraska since 2019. He has extensive experience in both federal and state government, having previously served as Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Ben Nelson, as well as External Affairs Manager at the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
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Elizabeth Everett
Vice President
eeverett@firstfivenebraska.orgElizabeth Everett serves as Vice President of the Early Futures Partnership, leading the organization’s federal and state policy agenda. She has spearheaded successful efforts to advance early childhood legislation that strengthens families and supports child care providers. Elizabeth is an Ascend Fellow with the Aspen Institute.
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Rachel Sissel
Vice President
rsissel@earlyfutures.orgRachel joined the C4K team in October 2019 and leads the work all across the state. She is passionate about working with rural communities and provides education and support to staff and communities working to prioritize early childhood care and education efforts.
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Katie Bass
Director of Policy Research
kbass@firstfivenebraska.orgKatie joined First Five Nebraska in 2020 to lead its public policy research efforts. Formerly Research Director for the Foster Care Review Office, she improved child welfare and juvenile justice outcomes through data analysis and legislative recommendations. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology, specializing in making research accessible to policymakers.
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Jennifer Kirkpatrick
Director of Business Operations
jkirkpatrick@earlyfutures.orgJennifer is the Director of Business Operations. She brings experience from diverse nonprofit organizations, knowledge related to strengthening organizational performance, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability while supporting statewide systems-building efforts through Communities for Kids and First Five Nebraska.
Communities for Kids
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Shonna Werth
Community Systems and Engagement Manager
swerth@earlyfutures.orgShonna joined the C4K team in November 2019. She provides support to communities in the south central/central area and leads the technical assistance work statewide. She prioritizes being available to the communities she works with to form trusting relationships, valuable connections, and "right fit" resources.
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Melissa Polinoski
Community Systems and Engagement Advisor
mpolinoski@earlyfutures.orgMelissa joined the C4K team in May of 2022 and provides technical assistance to communities in the northern and central regions of the state. She works to create sustainable child care infrastructures that act as foundational supports for children “cradle-to-career.”
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Laura Kemp
Community Systems and Engagement Advisor
lkemp@earlyfutures.orgLaura joined the C4K team in January 2025 and supports communities in western Nebraska with technical assistance, education, and resources to strengthen child care capacity and quality. She loves fostering connections and helping communities build systems and achieve goals that support thriving families.
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Chandra Berlin
Community Systems and Engagement Advisor
cberlin@earlyfutures.orgChandra joined the C4K team in June 2025 and supports communities in southeastern Nebraska. Previously active in her own community’s C4K efforts, she brings a strong understanding of rural child care systems and a passion for strengthening local early childhood initiatives.
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Kara Nickel
Contracts and Special Projects Advisor
knickel@earlyfutures.orgKara joined the C4K team in June 2022 and focuses on grant compliance, special projects, and contracts. She works to help communities understand and gain confidence in their ability to document their activities successfully and provides support to communities who have moved out of their contracting phase.
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Catie Ganzel
Logistics Administrator
cganzel@earlyfutures.orgCatie joined the C4K team in June 2022 and handles high-level organization and coordination, keeping the team informed and prepared for their everyday work with communities as well as special projects. She is the team’s primary event and travel planner, and coordinates the Thriving Children, Families, and Communities conference.
First Five Nebraska
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Sara Howard
Policy Advisor
showard@firstfivenebraska.orgSara joined First Five Nebraska’s policy team in 2021 after serving eight years in the Nebraska Legislature as a Senator representing District 9 including two years as the Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. Her work at FFN focuses on maternal and child health policy.
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Mitchell Clark
Policy Advisor
mclark@firstfivenebraska.orgMitchell joined First Five Nebraska’s policy team in 2022 to help advance the organization’s public policy and lobbying efforts. He leads public policy initiatives in regulatory reform, supporting educational pathways for a quality early childhood workforce and improving tax incentives which strengthen Nebraska’s early care and education ecosystem.
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Sara Brady
Researcher
sbrady@firstfivenebraska.orgSara Brady is a Researcher for First Five Nebraska’s data and research team. She utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods across many research projects that inform policymakers on issues concerning early childhood. She also supports other teams by maintaining and updating data sources on young children and their families.
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Mike Feeken
Strategic Partnerships Advisor
mfeeken@firstfivenebraska.orgMike joined First Five Nebraska in 2019, where he focuses on connecting early childhood policy and economic development. In his current role as mayor of St. Paul, NE, former city council member and longtime economic development director, he brings practical policy experience, cross-sector leadership, and statewide engagement to FFN's work.
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Jodi Renee Girón
Grassroots and Advocacy Advisor
jgiron@firstfivenebraska.orgJodi Renee (JR) is a community organizer and policy advocate with over 20 years’ experience advancing maternal supports, educational equity, recidivism reduction and other issues. She joined First Five Nebraska in 2021 as coordinator for the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy.
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Chris Triebsch
Communications Manager
ctriebsch@firstfivenebraska.orgChris became Communications Manager at First Five Nebraska in 2025, leading the organization's communications team. Chris brings more than 25 years of experience in communications and policy work, serving elected officials, nonprofits and government agencies at both the state and municipal levels, with an emphasis on workforce issues.
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Lauren Farris
Production & Content Designer
lfarris@firstfivenebraska.orgDrawing on extensive nonprofit marketing experience, Lauren Farris develops and creates impactful communications materials to support First Five Nebraska's advocacy and policy work. She specializes in creating visually compelling, multi-platform content that helps make complex information accessible to diverse audiences.
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Nancy Hammel
Digital Communications Specialist
nhammel@firstfivenebraska.orgNancy specializes in strategic digital communications at First Five Nebraska, managing social media, website, newsletters and blogs. Her editorial background includes work at the Omaha World-Herald, editor-in-chief of PC Today magazine, senior editor of illustrated history books and communications for the Nebraska Library Commission, Random House and Meredith Publications.
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Michael Medwick
Strategic Communications Advisor
mmedwick@firstfivenebraska.orgMichael has been a member of First Five Nebraska's communications team since 2011, supporting the organization's policy, strategic engagement and advocacy work. He has helped lead public education efforts through the My Nebraska Story and Nebraska Child Care Tax Credits campaign, among other projects.
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Amanda Felton
Office Administrator
afelton@firstfivenebraska.orgAmanda has been with First Five Nebraska since July, 2019. She supports day-to-day operations that keep the organization running smoothly. Known as a true “jack of all trades,” she brings flexibility, problem-solving skills and attention to detail to every aspect of her role.
