Executive Council

A young child wearing sailor 's outfit and looking at the camera.

Director

Shannon Tremblay has been in the early childhood education field for 18 years, working in various roles in privately owned as well as non-profit organizations. She has an undergraduate degree in Childhood Studies from Plymouth State University, as well as a master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Champlain College. Shannon was the director of a non-profit child care center in Portsmouth, NH, before leaving that position to focus on child care advocacy throughout the state. As a mother of 4, she is a major advocate for affordability in child care: "Families shouldn't have to pay more for child care than college tuition."

A young girl standing in front of a tree.

Chair

Marianne Barter has been in early childhood education for 25 years. She worked as a child and adult food care sponsor for many years, which allowed her to engage with providers throughout the state. Marianne is currently the Executive Director of Merrimack Valley Day Care Services and Blueberry Express. She holds a bachelor's degree from UNH. She is a strong advocate for social justice and equal access. "It's time that we acknowledge the importance and contributions of the people that have been doing this work for a very long time."

A baby is smiling for the camera.

Vice Chair

Lynn Ouellette has 41 plus years in the early childhood education field. Lynn holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Granite State College and is currently pursuing her master's degree in leadership/non-profit leadership. She is the master of mutitasking who is frequently seen cooking lunch while on ZOOM calls. She is a huge advocate of accessibility, "all children should have the same access to safe, high-quality early education and care."

A young girl with red hair and white shirt.

Secretary

Jacqueline Firmin has worked in the field of education for the past 26 years. She started out working in private child care programs from an assistant teacher to a director. She has worked in public schools in the special education department and coached a multitude of sports through middle school. Jackie has her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and English Literature as well as her master's degree in Child and Adolescent Psychology. Following her master's degree Jackie worked as a Preschool Outreach Specialist under a McKinney-Vento grant and as a mental health clinician working with children 2 to 13 years of age. Currently Jackie is the Policy and Advocacy Director for NH Early Childhood Initiatives which is an incubation for the revival of our NH NAEYC affiliation working in partnership with Maineaeyc. She is an advocate for the mental health of tiny humans, early education and childcare who has worked on creating and implementing initiatives and workshops specific to those areas. Jackie and her husband have a 21-year-old son who is currently in college in Maine where he is majoring in sports management and plays college baseball.Â