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.
Our Clients
Many of these programs have participated in our Q.I. Network:
- EAlbina Head Start
- EChild Start Inc. / Napa - Solano
- EChild Start, Inc. / Wichita
- EChildren's Institute
- ECommunity Action Marin
- ECommunity Services Office - Arkansas
- 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
- EPalmdale School District
- 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. John Hall
Coaching Lead
John Hall
Coaching Lead
John Hall has worked in the education space for over 30 years, as a teacher, administrator, district official, coach, and most recently a professor at Temple University. His work focuses on the development of leaders, the design of systems that support leaders, and the application of continuous quality improvement to nettlesome problems of practice.
John led the redesign of the preK-12 academic program in Oakland, CA, where he also coordinated coaching for site leaders and facilitated the district’s leadership team meetings. He was a founder and the Chief Academic Officer of a charter school network, re-visioning operational as well as academic systems. While in California, he founded a non-profit that encouraged collaboration among leaders of districts, early childhood programs, and nonprofit organizations. He was the founding Chief Academic Officer of an online international school for children aged 4-10, an especially inspiring and challenging experience. John currently resides in Philadelphia, where he has designed and led professional development on topics ranging from strategic leadership to the dynamics of race and class.
John earned a BS in Biology and a BA in Education from the University of Washington and an MEd and PhD in Education Policy and Organizations from UC Berkeley.
Dr. Maritza Lozano
CQI Coach
Dr. Maritza Lozano
CQI Training Lead
Dr. Maritza Lozano is a researcher and educator committed to the design of environments that support equitable learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Currently an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership Department at California State University, Fullerton, Dr. Lozano teaches courses in instructional leadership where principal candidates learn to use improvement science to bring about change within their own organizations. Dedicated to working in partnership, Dr. Lozano regularly collaborates with leaders, instructional teams, and scholars, in an effort to impact students’ learning trajectories and improve school-based learning experiences. Dr. Lozano brings 23+ years of professional experience working with school communities across the United States to her work with the Q.I. Network.
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
Product Development
Dr. Desiree Del-Zio Walker
Product Development
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.
She consults independently in addition to her work with Early Intel.
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 M.S. in Instructional Design & Technology from Georgia State University in 2023 and her B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She brings years of experience in human services and logistics to the Early Intel team in her role as Senior Program Manager.
Autumn Tomas
Trainer
Autumn Tomas
Trainer
Autumn Tomas is a seasoned nonprofit executive, strategist, and trainer with over 30 years of experience working with children and families, 20 of which have been dedicated to Head Start and Early Head Start programs. She began her career as a toddler teacher and Head Start parent, experiences that deeply inform her passion for equity, access, and family-centered services. Her journey from the classroom to the boardroom is a testament to the transformative power of early childhood education and community support.
Autumn has served in a range of roles, including Head Start Director, grant writer, federal reviewer, and governance coach. She has successfully led teams through Designation Renewal System (DRS) applications, federal reviews, and organizational restructures, and is nationally recognized for her ability to translate policy into practice with clarity and purpose.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Antioch University, a Master’s in Public Administration from Walden University, and is currently completing her Doctorate in Public Administration, with research focused on volunteer engagement and motivation.
Dr. Linda Sheriff
CQI Coach
Linda Sheriff
CQI Coach
Dr. Sheriff brings over 20 years of experience in coaching and building the capacity of school and community leaders on projects that improve the education, physical and mental health, and well-being of students, staff, and families. She has expertise in education leadership, organizational change, cross-sector collaboration, systems analysis, family and community engagement, whole child education, and school-based health and wellness supports. Dr. Sheriff has been coaching for Early Intel since 2022.
Dr. Sheriff's previous roles include Deputy Director of the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at George Washington University where she directed projects that advanced school-community collaboration, led Communities of Practice and provided technical assistance to school staff on improving family engagement efforts and school behavioral health supports, and supported district-wide improvement efforts for improving school mental health systems. Her experiences span school health, nonprofit communication, teaching, and developing educational products for the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Sheriff has a B.A. in English Literature from Colgate University, an MEd in the Social Foundations in Education from the University of Virginia, and her EdD in Education Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia, where she researched leadership practices and principles for the whole child principal.
Dr. Sheriff consults independently outside of her work with Early Intel, teaches professional courses on school health at the George Washington University, and is the elected chairperson of the National Collaborating Committee on School Health and Safety.
Peter Huffaker
Peter Huffaker
Partner
Amy Ogilvie
Learning and Development
Amy Ogilvie
Learning and Development
With over 18 years of experience as a Head Start Director, Amy Ogilvie is a seasoned leader in early childhood systems building, program design, and management. Her career has been dedicated to serving under-represented populations—including children, teens, individuals with mental health concerns, and economically disadvantaged families—through strategic, high-impact programming.
Amy is known for her commitment to excellence, having led her programs through 18 years of federal monitoring (FA1 and FA2) with zero findings. Her data-driven approach, combined with a deep understanding of community needs, school readiness, and family wellness, has resulted in consistently high-quality programs and a strong, collaborative leadership team.
She holds a B.A. in Psychology from St. Mary's College of Maryland, an M.A. in Psychology and Human Resource Development from the University of Colorado, and is a proud alumna of the UCLA Anderson School of Management Head Start Fellows Program. In addition to her leadership work, Amy has served as a coach and mentor to emerging Head Start Directors across the country.
Tenaya
Tenaya
Chief Zen Officer
Tenaya is responsible for advancing the zen in our kaizen.
She brings awareness and sensitivity to her work. As an empath, she's on the lookout for situations that might stress colleagues. She has limited tolerance for long meetings, she loved to hug, and she's only three years old! A reminder that youngsters have a lot to contribute.
Naya is so chill about her C suite position, we're not sure the title actually matters to her. She prioritizes simplicity and responsiveness. Her intent stare will sometimes force us to rethink complex solutions, or at least to take her outside for a walk. Aligned with our mission, she loves young children.
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.
~ Mark Twain