About Us
About Us
What ECE Leaders Say About Us
EARLY INTEL’S MISSION
We accomplish this through a three part strategy:
Organize the metrics and analytics that enable programs to understand their quality opportunities.
Provide training and support for programs to implement continuous quality improvement.
Facilitate and staff a learning community of program leaders to identify bright spots and advance the practice of CQI.
OUR VALUES
Care
Care and commitment to children, families, and the staff serving them is at the foundation of our work.
Curiosity
Alongside the programs we serve, we continually investigate ways to improve child and family outcomes.
Access
We work to ensure that all staff, children, and families receive the support they need to overcome barriers and close the achievement gap.
Innovation
Using data and inquiry, we support adaptive change informed by the principles of human-centered design and continuous quality improvement.
Q.I. Network Members
- EAlbina Head Start
- EChild Start Inc. / Napa - Solano
- EChild Start, Inc. / Wichita
- EChildren's Institute
- ECommunity Action Marin
- EDouglass Community Services Head Start
- EEagle County EHS
- EEasterseals Southern California
- EEncompass Community Services
- EEpiscopal Children's Services, Inc.
- EFirst Start Partnerships for Children and Families
- EGLEAMNS Head Start
- EIzzi Early Education
- EKings Community Action Organization
- EKitsap Community Resources
- ELong Beach Unified School District Head Start
- EMercer County Head Start/Early Head Start
- EMission Neighborhood Centers, Inc.
- EMonterey County Office of Education
- EMonticello Area Community Action Agency
- EMurray Board of Education
- ENeighborhood House Association
- ENew St Paul Head Start Agency, Inc.
- ENorthcoast Children's Services
- EPacific Clinics Head Start
- EPlacer Community Action Council, Inc.
- ERegion 10 Education Service Center
- ERosebud Sioux Tribe
- ESETA Head Start
- ESonoma CAN
- ESouth Central Missouri Community Action Agency
- EThe Centers for Families and Children
- EThe Unity Council
- ETri-County Head Start
- EVerner Center for Early Learning
- EWild Plum Center for Young Children
- EWu Yee Children's Services
- EYMCA of the East Bay
Receive Our Blog
Our “Early Insights” blog offers occasional updates and analysis for early childhood program leaders, at the intersection of data and quality improvement.
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OUR TEAM
Our team is composed of seasoned Head Start directors, analytics experts and improvement trainers and coaches with a shared passion for helping program leaders and improving the lives of children and families.
Dr. Shannon Calderone
CQI Coach
Dr. Shannon Calderone
CQI Coach
Dr. Calderone’s scholarly work focuses on the importance of social cohesion to school success. To this end, she is most interested in understanding the drivers of trust and risk perceptions among educators and students, as well as the impact of these perceptions on educational decision-making and change efforts.
Dr. Calderone earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. She holds a B.A. in History from Georgetown University.
Dr. Julie Kallio
DR. JULIE KALLIO
CQI Coach
Dr. John Hall
Coaching Lead
John Hall
Coaching Lead
John Hall is an Assistant Professor of Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies in the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University. Dr. Hall studies the organization of school systems, the development of school system leaders, and the application of design-based approaches in schools and other organizations. His publications include, with Rick Mintrop, Design-based school improvement: A practical guide for education leaders. Dr. Hall also serves as the Chief Academic Officer of bina, a system of online international schools serving children aged 4 to 12. He serves as an advisor to a range of other early-stage school design efforts.
Previously, Dr. Hall led the Oakland Unified School District’s academic redesign team, providing support and guidance to the district’s leaders, developing systems to support the coaching of teachers and principals, and serving as a “boundary spanner” between research and practice. Prior to that, he helped launch a charter school network in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded a support organization for charter and district leaders across the region.
Dr. Hall has been a teacher and an administrator in district schools, charter schools, independent schools, and international schools. Dr. Hall began his career as a research scientist, managing neuroscience laboratories at the University of Washington and at UC San Francisco. Dr. Hall received a BS in Biology and BA in Education from the University of Washington and an MEd and PhD in Education Policy from UC Berkeley.
Dr. Maritza Lozano
CQI Training Lead
Dr. Maritza Lozano
CQI Training Lead
Dr. Lozano earned her Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. She holds an M.A. in Education with an emphasis in Reading, K-12, from California State University, Los Angeles and a B.A. in Spanish Literary Studies from Occidental College.
Dr. Desiree Del-Zio Walker
Director of Services
Dr. Desiree Del-Zio Walker
Director of Services
Dr. Desiree Del-Zio Walker is a proven management systems and operations leader with a track record for creating high-functioning teams. Her professional development is grounded in organizations serving children and families. Notable leadership roles include operations management, regional management, evaluation and monitoring, program design and improvement, and federal oversight. Dr. Del-Zio's most recent professional work was with the Office of Head Start Federal Monitoring contract. During her service to the contract, she facilitated or managed approximately 400 federal reviews.
Dr. Del-Zio earned a Master of Arts Degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management and an Education Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership. In her years of academic development, Dr. Del-Zio received a lifetime membership in Mu Lambda Nu and Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Societies for academic excellence in public service and education studies. Dr. Del-Zio is certified in Diversity and Inclusion and Nonprofit Management and Leadership.
As the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Consultant for D.E.&C Consulting, Dr. Del-Zio offers services such as Federal Monitoring Review Preparation, Gap Analysis and Change Implementation, Leadership Coaching, Training and Technical Assistance, and customized services that meet organization's unique learning and growth development needs.
Rick Mockler
Principal and Founder
Rick Mockler
Principal and Founder
Rick previously served as the Chief Quality Improvement Officer at the National Head Start Association (NHSA), and as Executive Director at the California Head Start Association. He has built and led several nonprofit and social ventures, including CoHousing Partners and Catholic Charities of California. He holds a BA in Political Science, MA in liberation theology, MPA in organization change and a certificate from the UCLA Anderson School’s Head Start Management Fellows Program.
April Morris
Analytics Lead and Trainer
April Morris
Analytics Lead and Trainer
Kimberly Leon-Grey
Senior Program Manager
Kimberly Leon-Grey
Sr. Program Manager
Kimberly earned her B.A. in psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. She will bring her years of experience in human services and logistics to the Early Intel team as the Membership and Program Manager.
Dr. Marissa
Kalu-Thompson
CQI Coach
Dr. Marissa Kalu-Thompson
CQI Coach
Dr. Kalu-Thompson earned a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario), an Honors Bachelor of Social Work from York University (North York, Ontario), a Master’s in Education in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning from the University of Toronto/OISE, (Toronto, Ontario), and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership that researched the impact Emotional Intelligence may have on the leadership of K-5 Principals), from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. In her spare time, reading (for pleasure), creative writing, visiting new restaurants and traveling keep her cup(s) of happiness filled!
Rebecca Trivax
Trainer and Coach
Rebecca Trivax
Trainer and Coach
Rebecca holds a Master’s in Public Health and has bilingual fluency in English and Spanish. She is passionate about her work to assist Head Start agencies in all-things data.
Linda Sheriff
CQI Coach
Linda Sheriff
CQI Coach
Peter Huffaker
Peter Huffaker
Partner
Holly DeBell
Holly DeBell
Data Coach
Holly DeBell brings over 20 years of experience leading initiatives that have had a profound impact on the lives of vulnerable children and their families. Her leadership with Head Start management systems, program design, school readiness, monitoring, and community collaboration, combined with her experience as a former teacher and content manager, provides valuable direct service insights and guidance. Holly's expertise in leveraging processes to streamline and standardize systems ensures effective communication and supports high-functioning teams.
As a federal review lead for the Office of Head Start, Holly has managed large-scale programs and teams. Her tenure on the OHS monitoring contract included organizing, facilitating, and evaluating federal monitoring events for programs serving up to 6,000 clients and receiving as much as $70 million in funding. She also directed review teams, providing subject matter expertise to promote quality, fair, and consistent monitoring outcomes across the United States. Holly's passion for preparing children for kindergarten and developing their lifelong love of learning is evident in her professional outcomes and is truly inspiring.
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.
~ Mark Twain