"As a collaborator of this great CDI Team, failure can only be achieved if we do not give the opportunity to the rest of our team members to assist us."
— Aniceto Colunga
Meet the Principals
CDI’s leadership is experienced in working with large and small public and private organizations. All principal staff are certified in Appreciative Inquiry – a leading, strengths-based, development training model.
Carolyn
Miller is CDI’s Executive Director. As one of CDI’s
three founders, she has designed and led all of CDI’s corporate
activities for 30 years.
Her background includes extensive organizational development work with government departments and private corporations. With an M.A. in Organization Development Carolyn is a national leader in the fields of redesigning organizations and building and sustaining high-performance teams. An associate with the Corporation for Positive Change, Carolyn has successfully led Appreciative Inquiry based change efforts in many educational settings including the New Mexico State Office of Education, The University of Nebraska statewide Adult Education Division, the Office of Head Start in the federal Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., and numerous “turn around” initiatives with Head Start programs around the country, including Los Angeles County Office of Education city-wide Head Start program.
Patricia
(Tish) Wilson is the senior lead site manager for CDI’s
National Interim Management Contract (NIC). Tish provides training
and coaching for the project’s lead site managers, site managers
and other NIC staff. Tish began her Head Start experience in 1970
as a teacher aide. She has an M.S. in Family and Human Development
with an Early Childhood Education emphasis. In addition to her Appreciative
Inquiry certification, she is also an associate with the Corporation
for Positive Change in Taos, NM.
Leann Earl is CDI’s Project Director for the National Interim Management Project (NIC). She has 30 years experience in managing a
range of early childhood education programs. For 10 years she was the Executive Director of a Colorado Head Start grantee and for
six years served as the District Manager for a large national child care corporation. Leann has a B.S. in Psychology and graduate
work in management and early childhood administration.
Janice Moore currently serves as the NIC Assistant Project Director. She brings 25 years of work in management and social work in Head Start
and other community human services programs. She received her M.A in Guidance and Counseling and is a licensed social worker in the State of Nevada.
Deborah
Hinrichs has over 30 years of Head Start experience beginning
as a teacher in 1972. She served as CDI’s Region VIII Head Start
training and technical assistance manager for 14 years. Deb has extensive
experience in Head Start project management, including fiscal oversight,
and has successfully supervised, coached and mentored diverse staff and
multiple projects. She has an M.A. in Early Childhood Education.
Grace
Hardy has over 40 years experience in early care and education with 30 in local Head Start management and state, regional
and national Head Start training and technical assistance. She served as CDI’s project director of the national QUILT initiative
and has supervised CDI’s implementation of the Head Start English Language Learners Project and the TABLE Project – both Head Start
Improvement and Innovation grants. She has a B.A. in English and Elementary Education, with Masters Degree work in Early Childhood
Education. She is a certified Appreciative Inquiry Trainer.
