Staff

ECCS Executive Director

Joanne Kelleher, who became the ECCS Director in July 2016, came to ECCS with an extensive background in business operations and administration, project management, marketing, grant writing and community engagement. She and her husband have resided in Southington since 1992 and have raised two sons who are products of the Southington school system.

As ECCS Executive Director she attends meetings and events held by the Southington Behavioral Health Stakeholders, Interfaith Clergy Association, Activate Southington, Southington Pride, Southington Chamber of Commerce, Friday Morning Breakfast networking club and other community organizations. In 2022 she completed the Circle of Security® Parenting™ Facilitator Training class and is now a Registered Facilitator.

Joanne currently serves as a board member of the Southington Public Library and Museum and member of LiveWell’s Dementia Positive Southington Advisory Committee. She has served as the Moderator of the First Congregational Church of Southington, on their COVID Phasing Forward taskforce, chair of the Pastoral Relations committee and is now a Trustee.  She also plays percussion in the Southington Symphonic Band, volunteers with the Southington Education Foundation and works as a polling place Moderator during elections.

Joanne was formerly an Assistant Scoutmaster at Boy Scout Troop 32, Cubmaster of Pack 8 at Derynoski Elementary School, and Communications Chair for the Sleeping Giant District of Boy Scouts of America. She served on the Executive Board of the Southington Band Backers as Publicity Chair and then Vice President of Student Administration. Through her work with Literacy Volunteers of America, New Britain/Bristol (now Literacy Volunteers of Central Connecticut) as a tutor and Board member, she has experience working with adult students who did not learn to read, write or speak English in their youth.

Joanne also does grant identification and proposal writing for local school districts and other organizations and is a certified yoga instructor. She previously served as Vice President of Operations at Veridify Security, Director of Marketing at Imaging Solutions, Inc. and as Director of Marketing and Human Resources at Pinnacle Decision Systems, Inc. She also has experience as a project manager, systems trainer and user systems analyst at a Travelers Insurance Company.

Joanne earned her Master’s in Business Administration in Finance, and her Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from The University of Connecticut.

She can be contacted at southingtonearlychildhood@gmail.com

Marketing Administrator

The ECCS hired Siera Murray in September 2018 as an undergraduate marketing intern to work with our Director to help advance the group’s mission. As the Marketing Administrator, Siera continues to help with event promotion, social media outreach and other marketing activities.

Partner Ambassadors

In 2021 the ECCS recruited their first Parent Ambassadors under a grant from the CT Early Childhood Funders Collaborative to coordinate the Community Cafe events, help with outreach and provide feedback about what is happening in the community.

With the ECCS’s new role as a Local Governance Partner, the Parent Ambassadors role is to be a bridge-builder between families and the ECCS, bringing family voice and lived experience to the partnership table.

Jessica Springer-Cap has been a Parent Ambassador with the ECCS since 2021. As a university professor of executive function and early childhood education, Jessica Springer-Cap is dedicated to shaping not only strong educators, but strong foundations for children’s futures. Her work centers on helping teachers and parents understand how skills like self-regulation, organization, and cognitive flexibility impact lifelong learning. A mother and a stepmother to four beautiful children, ages range from 14 to 4. While currently working on her doctorate in educational leadership, she remains deeply connected to the Southington community, where she actively works to bridge families with the resources and support they need to thrive.

Angelica Shaw has been a Parent Ambassador with the ECCCS since April 2026. She is a mother to two children, ages 5 and 2. She has grown up in Southington and is grateful to now raise her children in this amazing community. She is an office manager for a small construction business, but spends much of her time participating in early childhood programs with her son, as well as volunteering for her daughter’s school PTO, and beginning her first term as the PTO’s volunteer coordinator. Angelica loves connecting with people and looks forward to advocating for the needs of parents and children in Southington. 

Betsy Mintz served as Parent Ambassador until March 2026.