Alethea Etinoff is a dedicated advocate and entrepreneur, specializing in business sustainability, workforce development, and policy advocacy. She is the CEO and Founder of The Business of Early Childhood Education™, the founder of POC Learning Academy, and the CEO of Point of Care Staffing and Training, a company dedicated to supporting ECE professionals through staffing solutions and professional development. She also serves as a leader in initiatives that support early childhood educators and business owners, including her participation in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

Alethea’s leadership extends beyond early childhood education. She was recently elected as Secretary of the DC for Democracy Steering Committee, where she advocates for policies that support educators, families, and small business owners. Additionally, she is an active participant in WeVision Lab, a national initiative focused on reimagining the future of early learning and workforce systems.

Through these roles, Alethea actively shapes policies that strengthen the early childhood workforce—expanding opportunities for educators, ensuring business sustainability, and fostering a more equitable and thriving ECE sector. As Interim President of DCAEYC Board of Directors, she will lead DCAEYC through this critical period of transformation, working closely with the board to enhance advocacy efforts, strengthen operations, and build long-term leadership strategies.

Kamren Rollins has dedicated his life to servant leadership and creating pathways to ensure
underserved communities have opportunities and access to high-quality education and holistic
support. Kamren attended Morehouse College, where he served as the President of the Student
Government Association, a member of the Board of Trustees of the college, and co-founder and
President of LYTEhouse, a mentoring and community engagement organization.

Since moving back to Washington, DC, Kamren has hosted and planned workshops around
financial literacy, career development, black masculinity, and academic success at local schools
featuring hundreds of students. In July 2019, Kamren began his role as Chief Operating Officer
of Southeast Children’s Fund. He recently became the President of the Black Child Development
Institute – District of Columbia and a co-convener of DC Men in Early Childhood Education. He
is eager to continue to change and impact communities of color through his passion for writing,
education, policy, mentorship, and storytelling. Kamren has a great love for education and
believes that it is the key to Black liberation. In the future, he plans to open additional schools
worldwide and write novels and short stories. He lives by a quote from Maya Angelou, “If one is
lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities,” which reminds Kamren to
accomplish goals while simultaneously changing lives.

Arshad Ali is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in program
management, technical consulting, and community engagement. Holding a Bachelor of
Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from Morehouse College, he has
cultivated a versatile skill set that combines technical expertise with a deep commitment to
social impact. Driven by a passion for improving early childhood education and fostering
positive outcomes for children and families, Ali currently serves as Deputy Operating Officer at
Southeast Children’s Fund. Ali also actively contributes to various organizations that support
child development and education as a member and contributor to the Black Child Development
Institute - District of Columbia (BCDI-DC) and as a founding member of the District of Columbia
Men in Early Childhood Education (DC Men in ECE). Ali is elated to now serve as a board
member and treasurer of the District of Columbia Association for the Education of Young
Children (DCAEYC), championing equity in education and ensuring financial accuracy within
the early childhood education landscape.

Beatriz Barros is the Deputy Chief of Education and Youth Programs at Martha's Table. She has been committed to the Martha’s Table mission for over ten years, beginning her work in the Out-of-School Time program as the Education Group Leader in our original home on 14th Street Northwest. In her director role, Beatriz led the Maycroft Education team in achieving and maintaining a High-Quality designation for the past four years, played an integral role in our community-led strategic planning process, and consistently identified opportunities across the organization to connect with and serve team members, families, and the community. In her current role, she leads the work to build out older youth programming to align with community wants and needs.

Beatriz’s career in education began in 2001 as an AmeriCorps Team Member before working in both DC Public Schools and Charter Schools. She has worked in various non-profits in the District before beginning her work at Martha’s Table. Beatriz holds a Master’s in Elementary Education from Trinity University.

Stephen O’Connor is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Masters in Somatic Psychotherapy. He is currently Branch Chief with the Healthy Futures Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program at the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health. Steve has been with Healthy Futures since its inception in 2010 and was an early childhood mental health consultant for the first 6 years of the program. Steve has worked with children and young adults for over 30 years as a therapist, director of a program for homeless young adults in Oakland, CA., and as a high school teacher in New York City, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.