ADMINISTRATION
Lynda Gavioli
Lynda is the Executive Director for the Children’s Coalition. She works with the board of directors to develop the mission and goals for the organization with ultimate responsibility for achieving outcomes in the community.
Lynda’s job includes working closely with community, state and national leadership on issues affecting children and families. She sees her role with the Children’s Coalition as an outgrowth of her commitment to her own family including husband Lou, children–Laura, Lisa and Jesse, Robbie and Lauren, Lindsey and grandson, Coulter.
She loves traveling, entertaining family and friends, cooking, reading and shopping!
E-mail: lgavioli@childrenscoalition.org
Denna McGrew
Denna is the Director of Operations; she provides day to day oversight of the Coalition’s programs and staff.
She loves to spend time with her husband, Jim, and their two kids, Ethan and Jenna. She’s also a great cook and an avid reader.
E-mail: dmcgrew@childrenscoalition.org
Andrea Dyer
Andrea is the Director of Finance. She handles payroll, invoicing, accounts payable and receivable, all banking issues, audits, financial reporting and anything else financial.
In her spare time, Andrea enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, shopping and helping others.
E-mail: adyer@childrenscoalition.org
Michelle McIntyre
Michelle is the Development Coordinator. She handles fund development, marketing, communications, membership development, and public relations activities of the Coalition.
In her spare time, Michelle enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and husband, Andy. She also enjoys shopping, traveling, cooking and reading.
E-mail: mmcintyre@childrenscoalition.org
HEALTH CARE
Lindsey Murry
Lindsey is the Healthcare Director for the Coalition. She supervises all healthcare contracts, work and staff.
She is the mother of three: Addison (6), Aydan and Jackson (2) and the wife of Heath Murry. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys: reading, cooking, scrapbooking, shopping, girls trips, and getting pedicures!
E-mail: lmurry@childrenscoalition.org
Amy Pyles
Amy is the FIMR Nurse Abstractor. She provides health and safety trainings for childcare centers, presentations to the public, car seat checks and education, and coordinating the regional Child Death Review Panel.
In her spare time, when Amy isn’t chasing her two children around, she enjoys reading on her Kindle, watching football of any sort, and going camping in her family’s RV.
E-mail: apyles@childrenscoalition.org
Mary Barrios
Mary is the Child Safety Coordinator for Region 8. She assists with LaCHIP outreach targeting Spanish speaking communities in Region 8 and serves as regional coordinator for the Louisiana Asthma Management and Prevention Program for Region 8.
Mary enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, shopping, watching old movies, and reading a good mystery.
E-mail: mbarrios@childrenscoalition.org
Kelly Lowery
(Picture coming soon)
Kelly is our Healthcare Assistant. She is the lead contact person for LACHIP in Region 8, of which she is responsible for community outreach within our schools, childcare facilities, medical facilities, non-profit organizations and local businesses.
Kelly and her husband, Shannon, have two children, Trevor and Madelynn, whom she loves spending time with just being their mom. She is very hands-on with her family and enjoys participating in extracurricular events and school functions. In her spare time, she is a photographer and loves cooking, traveling and reading. She is also an advocate for autism awareness.
E-mail: klowery@childrenscoalition.org
Avius Zimmerman (Picture coming soon)
Avius is the Asthma Regional Coordinator for Region 8. She works with school districts to implement “Asthma Friendly Schools”, a program that improves the school’s air quality, making it safer for asthmatic students. She also co-coordinates our Healthcare Coalition.
Avius spends time doing experimental cooking, reading and playing recreational sports. Avius and her husband enjoy free-lance photography in their spare time.
Jennifer Campbell (picture coming soon)
Jennifer is a Nurse Family Partnership Nurse. She implements the NFP program, which has 3 goals: 1) to improve the outcomes of pregnancy, 2) to improve infant health and development, and 3) to improve mother’s own personal life-course development. In the service of these 3 goals, the nurses link families with needed health and human services and involve other family members and friends in the pregnancy, birth and early care of the child. The program serves first-time pregnant women, less than 28 weeks gestation, at least below 200% poverty.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys gardening, reading, and watching movies with her husband, Danny. She also loves spending time with her children and being involved with their school and extracurricular activities.
E-Mail: jcampbell@childrenscoalition.org
Brenda Handy (picture coming soon)
Brenda is a Nurse Family Partnership Nurse. She implements the NFP program, which has 3 goals: 1) to improve the outcomes of pregnancy, 2) to improve infant health and development, and 3) to improve mother’s own personal life-course development. In the service of these 3 goals, the nurses link families with needed health and human services and involve other family members and friends in the pregnancy, birth and early care of the child. The program serves first-time pregnant women, less than 28 weeks gestation, at least below 200% poverty.
Brenda loves her family and being a mom. When she is not working she enjoys riding horses, reading and working with the College Ministry at North Monroe Baptist Church.
E-Mail: bhandy@childrenscoalition.org
Jan Daniels
Jan is the program director for Teen Screen. Teen Screen is a program developed by Columbia University. Jan is responsible for making sure that the Teen Screen team follows the best practice recommendations for implementing the program. She is responsible for setting up the program in each school.
Her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her husband, Derek and watch their son play sports. Her other hobbies are playing tennis and reading.
E-mail: jdaniels@childrenscoalition.org
PARENT EDUCATION
Gatha Green
Gatha is the Parent Education Director for the Children’s Coalition. Gatha provides certified parenting education programs to families in Northeast Louisiana.
In her spare time, Gatha enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, shopping, comedy, singing and playing with the family pets: Berkley, Esther, Maggie and Red, the hyper dachshund.
E-mail: ggreen@childrenscoalition.org
Gerry Binkley
Gerry is the Child Care Development Specialist in Child
Care Connections, a program of The Children’s Coalition. She works with child care programs participating in Quality Improvement Rating System & new or existing child care programs that would like mentoring to be able to participate in QRIS. She also does training in early care and education for child care providers.
In her spare time, Gerry enjoys spending time with family, her husband, and her many grandchildren, doing home improvement projects, and watching HGTV for ideas.
E-mail: gbinkley@childrenscoalition.org
Chelle Brown
Chelle is the Resource and Referral Director for the Coalition. She assists child care providers in creating and sustaining quality child care programs. She also helps parents find child care to meet the specific needs of their family.
In her spare time, Chelle enjoys spending time with her husband and their three dogs – Major, Maggie, and Lolah. She also likes to shop, watch LSU football, and looks forward to trips to the beach.
E-mail: cbrown@childrenscoalition.org
Dee Cramer
Dee is a Child Care Specialist for the Coalition. Dee provides technical assistance to child care centers and she is also a trainer.
In her spare time she enjoys anything her four children are involved in, cheering her boyfriend on (in work and sports), teaching Pre-K/Kindergarten Children’s Worship, and singing in the choir at Cedar Crest Baptist church.
E-mail: ddeutsch@childrenscoalition.org
Earnestine Dunn
Earnestine is a Child Care Specialist for NELA Child Care Connections. She promotes, develops, and implements training sessions. Mrs. Earnestine is also provides technical assistance for the child care centers.
Earnestine enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grand children. She also enjoys developing activities for the youth ministry, going to see newly released movies and sitting on her patio reading, spending time with God, and or watching television.
E-mail: edunn@childrenscoalition.org
Patti McGilton
Patti is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is a Mental Health Consultant for the Coalition and works in childcare centers assisting staff with challenging behaviors and providing training on social/emotional development of children.
Patti is married to Brad and they have one son, Paxton. Patti loves to travel, read, and enjoy time with her family and friends.
E-mail: pmcgilton@childrenscoalition.org
Robin Pierce
Robin is the Training Director for Child Care Connections. Robin is in charge of all the training for child care providers in Region 9.
In her spare time, Robin enjoys spending time with her family, camping with her husband Pat, shopping with her daughter Rachel, and watching her son Blake perform with the Golden Band from Tiger land at LSU football games.
E-mail: rpierce@childrenscoalition.org
Romona Reed
Romona is a Technical Assistance for the Coalition. She provides technical assistance to the Family Child Care Home Providers in the Region 9 area.
Romona enjoys spending time with family and reading.
E-mail: rreed@childrenscoalition.org
Misti Thomas
Misti coordinates a life skills program called Al’s Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices. The lessons use guided creative play, brainstorming, puppetry, original music, role plays, and movement to develop children’s social and emotional competence. Over 1,000 preschool children participate in the program each year throughout Ouachita Parish.
In her spare time, Misti loves scrapbooking and watching movies. She enjoys spending time with her 6 year old son. They love playing board games and cooking supper together. The most important thing to know about Misti is that she finds hope, comfort, and strength in her relationship with God.
E-mail: mthomas@childrenscoalition.org
Carey Tomlinson
Carey works hands-on with child care providers to improve the quality of care they provide. Her job entails anything from helping with paperwork, brainstorming developmentally appropriate activities, to setting up the physical environment in classrooms.
In her spare time, Carey enjoys photography, gardening, and watching almost any sport!
Renae Williford (picture coming soon)
Renae is the Northeast Louisiana Child Care Connections Administrative Assistant. She is responsible for general clerical and receptionist duties for Child Care Connections.
Renae is new to Louisiana. She and her family recently relocated from North Carolina. In her spare time, she enjoys date nights with her husband, Jon and spending time with their three children Andrew, Noah and Chloe. She loves to read, shop, travel and meet new people.
E-Mail: rwilliford@childrenscoalition.org