Dodi Swope brings over 40 years of experience across the behavioral health continuum, including prevention, intervention, and treatment. She began her career as an early childhood educator specializing in learning and mental health disorders before earning her master’s in education and counseling psychology and moving into clinical practice with individuals, families, and groups.

Driven to address systemic challenges, Dodi shifted her focus to prevention and positive youth development, working for more than two decades at the community, regional, state, and national levels as a training and technical assistance specialist. She currently coordinates local community coalitions focused on middle school girls’ empowerment and early childhood wellbeing, and serves as adjunct faculty at Clark University’s Sustainability and Social Justice Program.

Dodi serves as a consultant for the Together for Kids Coalition (TFKC), supporting strategic planning, community engagement, and systems-level impact. Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, she also works independently as a coach, facilitator, trainer, and writer, helping community organizations and nonprofits build healthy, just communities. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Massachusetts.

Yolanda Guzman Ramos is a consultant, clinical mental health provider, and certified doula with over a decade of experience supporting children, families, and communities. She is the founder of Yolanda Ramos LLC, providing consulting, program development, and training in early childhood wellness, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, maternal health, and community engagement.

Yolanda serves as a consultant for the Together for Kids Coalition (TFKC), supporting strategic planning, partnership building, and policy advocacy to strengthen early childhood initiatives across Worcester and Massachusetts. She is dedicated to advancing equitable access to early childhood education, family resources, and maternal wellness programs.

As a doula and clinical mental health provider, Yolanda works directly with families through pregnancy, postpartum, and early childhood. She offers culturally responsive, bilingual support in Spanish and English, leads parent groups, including Spanish, language programs, and advocates for breastfeeding support, maternal health, and access to care, informed by her own experience as a mother.

A graduate of Leadership Worcester and a 40 Under 40 Alum, Yolanda also serves on several local boards. Through her work, she bridges gaps in services, fosters systemic change, and develops programs that promote positive outcomes for children, families, and communities. Her approach combines clinical expertise, community advocacy, and culturally grounded support to create lasting, meaningful impact.

Kim Davenport is the CEO of Edward Street, an early education advocacy and policy organization dedicated to improving the quality and impact of early education and care in Central MA. She has over 30 years of experience in early education and nonprofit management, previously serving as Edward Street’s Vice President of Initiatives & Aligned Programs, where she led citywide birth-to-3rd-grade alignment efforts and helped secure state funding for preschool planning, Covid recovery, and special education supports.

Before joining Edward Street, Kim was Chief Program Officer at Jumpstart for Young Children, where she developed a national early education curriculum and launched the Pearson Teacher Fellowship to prepare early childhood educators.

Kim chairs the Together for Kids Coalition, represents Central MA on state advisory groups, and serves on multiple local boards, including the Worcester Education Collaborative and the Worcester Education Equity Roundtable. She is an adjunct faculty member at Fitchburg State University, Worcester State University, and Quinsigamond Community College.

A graduate of Leadership Worcester, Kim holds an M.A. in Child Development from Tufts University and a B.A. from Villanova University.

Tempe Staples (she/her) is the Research and Evaluation Coordinator for the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester, and oversees the monitoring and evaluation processes for the Greater Worcester Community Health Improvement Plan (check it out here!)

Tempe is a life-long Massachusetts resident, and holds her Master of Health Science in Global & Community Health from Clark University, where she worked on a range of community-based research projects, including community needs assessments and policy solutions for early childhood education and care, teen parenting, and restorative justice. Prior, Tempe earned her Bachelor of the Arts in Global Studies, Geography, and Community Health from Hofstra University. There, she served as a Health Leads Advocate at Nassau University Medical Center assisting new parents with their WIC applications. 

Tempe's publications represent the nexus of social policy and health outcomes. Her 2016 human geography thesis and map "Paid Family Leave & Maternal Mental Health" earned honors and was presented at the American Association of Geographers. Her 2020 article "Understanding stakeholder positionalities and relationships to reimagine asylum at the US-Mexico border: Observations from McAllen, TX" was published in the Journal of Human Geography.  Most recently in the spring of 2025, she lead the authorship of the article  "The Use of Trusted Messengers to Conduct Qualitative Research: A Community Health Improvement Plan Case Study in Worcester, MA" in the Journal of Health Promotion.

Having experience with community engagement, trust-building, and data-driven storytelling, Tempe endeavors to keep her work human-centered and equity-focused.

Elyzabeth Frontaan is a public health advocate, behavioral health communicator, and community organizer with over 15 years of experience advancing health equity, educating and promoting healthcare access.  Elyzabeth is also a published award-winning writer and speaker whose work has been featured in national health advocacy projects and public health forums. She is an active member of several statewide coalitions focused on autism, child wellness, and public health equity. As well as a parent and the founder of Follow the A.R.LO an educational project aiming to support parents of children will disabilities,  maternal health advocacy, and mental health educational services.