Join today

the KAIMH Board

We need KAIMH members interested in leading our organization into the future! If you are interested in serving, we are soliciting nominations.

How? Send us a letter of interest and your resume/vita. Let us know why you want to serve on the KAIMH board and what skills and knowledge you would bring to the board.

Send applications and questions to: [email protected] or complete the online form: Online Board Nomination Application

 

Vice President, Secretary and Co-Treasurer positions are open for 2024-2025. 

Learn About Us

Board & Committees

Read more about board positions and committee descriptions by clicking Here

KAIMH Board of Directors - 2023-2024

Tammy Wallin

IMH-E®
President/Endorsement Committee Co-Chair

Members at Large & Committee Chairs

Peggy Kemp

IMH-E®
Partner/Staff/Grant Collaboration Committee Chair

Suzy Green

Race and Social Justice Committee Chair

Your Name Could be Here

Education Committee Chair

Trina Morgan

IMH-E®
Endorsement Committee Co-Chair

Theresa Hitt

Member at Large

Lisa Isaacson

IMH-E®
Member At Large

Chad Childs

Member at Large

Amittia Parker

IMH-E®
Special Consultant to the Board

Beth Blubaugh

IMH-E® 
Endorsement Coordinator

Marie Treichel

IMH-E® 
Project Manager

Amittia Parker

IMH-E® Special Consultant to the Board

Tammy Wallin

IMH-E®~ President/Endorsement Committee Co-Chair

Tammy Wallin is a 2003 graduate of Emporia State University, with her B.S in Elementary Education. Tammy graduated from ESU with endorsements in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Special Education, and completed her master’s in early childhood special education in 2005. Tammy completed her Building Level Leadership degree in 2016. She started teaching at Cloud Elementary in Wichita, KS where she co-taught in a Kindergarten/Kindergarten Special Education classroom. After teaching Kindergarten Special Education, Tammy was a Preschool Special Educator where she worked with a diverse group of children and families. After teaching in Part B, Tammy stepped in the role of Coordinator, Family Service Provider, and Service Provider for the Pottawatomie Wabaunsee County Infant Toddler Program. Tammy has enjoyed the opportunity to lead such a diverse and talented team that has a passion for serving families with the up most evidence-based practices. Also, Tammy has enjoyed supporting families in being advocates for their children! Tammy currently is an Early Intervention Technical Assistance Specialist for Kansas Inservice Training System (KITS)- Life Span Institute at Parsons. Tammy has participated in and provided several training opportunities for professionals from multiple disciplines within Part C. These professional development activities include providing in-service trainings to local Part C networks, providing peer coaching Part C networks, developing training materials to help local Part C networks, supporting state staff, and presenting on evidence-based topics at both State and National Conferences. Her passion for ensuring Part C providers is providing services in accordance with the Mission and Key Principals and DEC Recommended Practices is one of the many characteristics Tammy shows continuously that leads her in her current role at KITS.

Teran Frick

Treasurer

Teran earned her bachelors and master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Kansas State University. While attending KSU, Teran worked as a lead teacher in an early head start collaborated community childcare center before becoming a graduate teaching assistant at the university lab school, working in several varied aged classrooms, which provided experience in mentoring pre-service teachers as well as working with typically developing children and children with special needs and their families in a childcare setting. Teran’s research centered on cultural diversity and the development of culture. After Teran completed her practicum with infant/toddler services, she worked as a toddler teacher at the University of Kansas Hilltop CDC before becoming an early interventionist at Pottawatomie / Wabaunsee Infant Toddler Services. She is served as Coordinator of the program as well for 4 years. She currently is a doctoral student and University Supervisor at the University of KS. She has served as secretary of KDEC and is a current DEC member and serves as treasurer of the Tiny-K Alliance and is member of KAIMH.

Courtney Hultgren

Secretary

My name is Courtney Hultgren. I graduated from the University of Kansas with my Bachelor’s in Applied Behavioral Sciences. I’ve also completed my Master’s in Early Childhood Studies with an emphasis in Administration, Management and Leadership. I am currently the Assistant Director at Hilltop Child Development Center in Lawrence, Kansas. I also sit on the Success by 6 Coalition of Douglas County and various committees for The University of Kansas. I am an
advocate for Early Childhood Education as a career and professional field. I believe learning never ends and that we can always work towards a better future for the children we are teaching today.

Peggy Kemp

IMH-E® Partner/Staff/Grant Collaboration Committee Chair

As Executive Director of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), Peggy Kemp is a recognized leader and tireless advocate devoted to quality services to families of young children with disabilities and the professionals who serve them. She guides DEC’s strategic direction and oversees daily operations.

Before joining DEC, Peggy Kemp served in the Kansas early childhood system for more than 15 years. She has worked in the field of early childhood since 1984 and specifically in the field of early intervention since 1997. Peggy has a variety of experiences at the local, state and national level. Peggy most recently served as statewide technical assistance provider for the Kansas early intervention programs through her position at the University of Kansas, Kansas Inservice Training System (KITS). Prior to her time at KITS, Peggy served as Kansas Part C Coordinator, local Part C program director, early intervention teacher and early childhood teacher. Peggy spent the early years of her career within the military childcare system serving in various capacities including teacher, education specialist, assistant director and center director.

Peggy’s commitment to families is both personal and professional. Her life experiences as a family member of persons with disabilities fuels her passion to support policies that enhance the lives of families. Peggy’s experience has helped her to understand the impact of high-quality supports to professionals. Families benefit from competent, informed, connected, and diverse professionals and policy makers. In addition, experience as a family member has taught her the importance of relationship-based services at all levels of our service system, to include our professional membership organizations. Peggy lives in Kansas with her husband Tim. Peggy and Tim have six children, one daughter-in-law, and two beautiful grandchildren. Peggy loves to travel with her family.

Suzy Green

Race and Social Justice Committee Chair

Suzy Green, LMSW, is the Early Childhood Coordinator for birth to 3 services with Lawrence Public Schools, which includes Lawrence Parents as Teachers and tiny-k Early Intervention of Douglas County. She is a graduate of KU’s School of Social Welfare and has worked in early childhood and home visiting since 2006. Her experience is grounded in child and family therapy and parent support with a focus on equity. Ms. Green partners with families and staff to address personal and systemic inequities that are embedded in the narratives we expose to young children as they grow and develop. It is only through this awareness that we can actively move towards justice. Ms. Green has been on the board of Kansas Parents as Teachers Association (KPATA) in the role of Regional Representative, President, and Past President. She has presented on anti-racism in early childhood and home visiting at local, national, and international conferences. Currently, Ms Green facilitates an Anti-racism Community of Practice with Part C programs and partners across Kansas. She looks forward to continuing to serve infants, toddlers, and their families throughout Kansas on the KAIMH board.

Trina Morgan

IMH-E® 
Endorsement Committee Co-Chair

Trina Morgan is the West Region Assistant Director of Healthy Families at the Kansas Children’s Service League. She has been at KCSL for 5 years managing operations at 6 Healthy Families programs in Central Kansas. Trina has spent 30 years working in non-profit Early Childhood programming both in Washington and Kansas. Trina is a graduate of Western Washington University and Newman University where she has an ME in Organizational Leadership. Trina has two grown sons, two dogs and one horse.  The family enjoys spending time travelling to horse shows. 

Theresa Hitt

Member at Large

Theresa Hitt has worked with young children and their families for over 30 years. Theresa attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO for her B.S. in Child and Family Development, M.S. in Child and Family Development with an emphasis in Child Life Specialist and her Ed.S. in Counseling Psychology. She has held a variety of jobs working with children – Child Life Therapist, preschool teacher, family support advocate, and as a mental health therapist. She is a Kansas licensed clinical professional counselor and a registered play therapist. Theresa works for Attachment and Trauma Therapy agency as one of their clinicians. Some of the modalities she is trained in are Child Parent Psychotherapy, Integrative Attachment Trauma Therapy, EMDR, play therapy and TF-CBT. She provides therapy at a Head Start setting in addition to the agency’s office.

For several years, Theresa has pursued the goal of providing mental health support for children and their families. She aspires to educate others on young children’s social/emotional needs. She wants parents, teachers and caregivers to know that children impacted by adverse events can learn to be resilient with buffering from supportive adults.

Theresa enjoys walking, reading, traveling and working in her vegetable garden.

Lisa Isaacson

IMH-E® Member at Large

Lisa Isaacson has been an Infant Toddler Specialist for KCCTO-KITS for two years.  She has been working in the field of early care and education with children, families and child care providers for over twenty years. Her educational background is in Psychology (Bachelor of Arts) and Early Childhood Special Education (Master of Science); both from Fort Hays State University.  Lisa has extensive experience working with military families and has lived abroad supporting military children for eight years with both the Marine Corps and the Army before returning home to Kansas. This is Lisa’s first year on the KAIMH board. She resides in the Manhattan/Junction City area.  She has three children and two fur babies: a dachshund named Moose and a cat named Vinnie.  Lisa enjoys hiking, traveling, drinking coffee on patios and spending time with her family.

Chad Childs

Member At Large

Chad Childs (he/him) is a parent and stepparent of five incredible children and the partner of an incredible leader.  He is the Prevention Initiatives Manager for the Community Engagement Institute, and a member of the Trauma-Informed Systems of Care and Early Childhood Initiatives teams.  Chad is a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist with over 20 years of management and leadership experience in the mental and behavioral healthcare field and the fields of higher education, child welfare, and prevention.  He is a current board member of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition and the Kansas Mental Health Coalition and the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care (Steering Committee). Chad is also Chair of the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition and a member of the Sedgwick County Advisory Council on Aging & Physical Disabilities, the Sedgwick County CCBHC Advisory Board, the FFPSA KS Strong Statewide Interagency and Community Advisory Board, and the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council Kansas Citizen’s Committee and Tobacco Subcommittee.  Chad’s career focus has been on providing direct services and facilitating larger systems changes with the goal of helping people to both overcome barriers to their well-being and using their strengths and resources to improve their quality of life.

 

Passionate about: equity

Optimistic about: community connections

Inspired by: Love

Amittia Parker

IMH-E® Special Consultant To The Board

Amittia Parker, LMSW, MPA, PhD, has worked for a decade as a mental health consultant across a variety of settings in Kansas City, including home-based services, childcare centers, school-based services, and health clinics. She recently graduated from the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare where she was engaged in research, teaching, and service. Her research agenda is focused on advancing minority mental health, with a particular interest in African American and Latinx families with young children. Her current research projects focus on maternal mental health among African American mothers, natural helping spaces, and behavioral health service access and delivery. Amittia’s teaches Intro to Social Work and Macro Social Work practice and promotes racially sensitive practice both within her courses and in guest lectures. Amittia’s provides consultation services across the state and also serves in leadership roles in local, state, and national venues focused on infant and early childhood, the African American community, and Black Social Workers. Amittia is a wife and mother of three who loves to spend time with family, travel, paint, eat great food, and take naps.

Amittia has training and expertise in project, program and policy selection, design, implementation and evaluation generally in human services and more specifically in early childhood care and education and direct family support services. Additionally, her experience includes training in Urban and Regional Planning mainly focused on regional economic restructuring and political response. She also has entrepreneurial experience as the developer of a 23-unit co-housing neighborhood in East Lawrence, Kansas. Her goals are to facilitate the development and delivery of effective and efficient human services and to develop urban design systems that preserve and enhance community and family life.

Beth Blubaugh

Endorsement Coordinator, IMH-E ®

Beth Blubaugh, LCMFT, IMH-E ®: I have a BS in psychology, MS in Marriage and Family Therapy, am PBS certified and IMH Endorsed®.  I am licensed in the state of KS as a LCMFT (Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist). I have been lucky to be a part of KAIMH since 2014.  I work as a Mental Health Liaison in USD 311 and USD 312, along side my therapy dog Jag. In the past I have been employed as a Mental Health and Behavior Consultant for Head Start and Early Head Start sites, a Mental Health Specialist for Rainbows United, Family Therapist for Family Preservation with St. Francis Community Services, a Regional Trainer for KU’s Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support, and a case manager for a community mental health center.

I am a mom of 4 amazing boys, ages 5, 11, 16, 17. I enjoy spending time at home with my family on our small farm; we have cattle (show and commercial), chickens, horses, mules, cats and dogs. I stay active with my husband, 4 boys and their activities of sports, livestock showing, 4H, FFA, music practices and many other activities. 

Kansas families and youth have always had my heart and I find passion in serving them.

Marie Treichel

Project Manager, IMH-E ®

Marie Treichel is the project manager for KAIMH, currently working on a DCF grant to expand IMH endorsement opportunities. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a B.A. in Music Education/Therapy. She has worked in integrated early learning classrooms, family child care programs, and as a provider services manager at Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas where she oversaw grant work and provided direct services (coaching and education) to early learning educators. She is currently still doing some small project work for CCAEKS involving professional development and coaching on social/emotional development and supports. In 2022 she received the Hunter Advocacy award from CCPC (Child Care Providers Coalition of Kansas) for her work in supporting family child care providers in Kansas. She lives and works from her home outside of Lawrence, KS with her husband, two cats and a dog. Her three children also live in Lawrence, as well as two grand-dogs. On occasion you can catch her playing guitar, keys or drums with her band, Pool Boy Party.