Leadership

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is a dynamic team of community members who volunteer their time and expertise to develop quality early childhood education in our community. According to the Head Start Program Performance Standards, our Board must always include the following members:

an experienced accountant or financial manager
a specialist in early childhood education and/or development
an attorney familiar with issues which impact the people we serve
members who have children currently or formerly enrolled in our program
members with expertise in education, business administration, or community affairs

Our Board of Directors meets monthly to discuss issues pertinent to the program and actively participates in strategic planning for the entire agency.

Member	Board Position	Occupation/Employer
Dr. Erin Allen	Board Chair	Pediatrician at Billings Clinic
Jennifer Stark	Vice Chair; Planning Committee Chair	Stockman Bank
Heidi Christison	Secretary / Treasurer; Past Chair; Finance Committee Chair
Daniel Brooks
Chase Brown	Grievance Committee Chair	Attorney at Netzer Law Office
Jessica Gaard	Development Committee Chair	Realtor with Century 21
Lynette Schwalbe	Member	Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Montana State University-Billings
Paul Law	Member	Policy Council Representative
Genia Castro-Waller
Sue DeVries
Eric George

Policy Council

Our Policy Council holds equal power to the Board of Directors, and it’s made up of elected parent representatives from each classroom. The primary purpose of Policy Council is to assist in making important decisions regarding policies, hiring and termination of employees, curriculum, and budget decisions. Policy Council members are both the voice of the classroom parents at the monthly Policy Council Meeting and the voice of Policy Council when reporting back to their Parent Committees. Policy Council members have a broader involvement in the education of all Explorers Academy children. Members play a role in building relationships between Explorers Academy and the community in which we all live.

“Being part of Explorers Academy’s Policy Council and parent committee gave me the confidence to be part of my child’s PTA. It taught me that I had a say and I have a voice!” – Amy

Policy Council Position	Name
Chair	Ryen Thomsen
	Paul Law
	Micki Morrow
Secretary	Jennifer Scheafer

	Stephanie Adkins
	Lynda Pancich
	Gary Jones
	Daniel Brooks
	Doug Anderson
	Jon Osier
	Diane Kron
	Rebecca Kittock
	April Park
	Leigha McGarvey

Management

Our Management diligently oversees all operations of Explorers Academy related to the children and families we serve in our community.

Department	Director	Contact
Executive Director	Janice King	Email
Community Relations	Megan Martin	Email
Education	Jessica Pingle	Email
Enrollment and Attendance (ERSEA)	Anna Mason	Email
Family and Community Partnerships	Janice King	Email
Finance	Richard Geiger	Email
Human Resources	Mandy Hurr	Email
Nutrition	Kathy Huck	Email
Operations	Christopher Belcher	Email