Leadership Staff

Harriet Meyer, M.A., is the President of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, a position she has held since 1991. At the local and national levels, she is recognized for her work shaping public policies and creating innovative programs that help young, at-risk children and their families. In Illinois, Ms. Meyer helped fight for and secure an historic expansion of early education funding as well as the passage of Preschool For All, which made Illinois the first state in the country to offer a quality preschool opportunity for all 3- and 4-year-olds while setting aside funds for services to at-risk infants and toddlers. Ms. Meyer co-chairs the Illinois Early Learning Council, the first coordinating council for young children to be housed in an Illinois governor's office. On the national level, Ms. Meyer served on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee that created our country's Early Head Start program. Ms. Meyer received her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and her graduate degree from Middlebury College after completing most of her studies in Paris.

As Executive Director, Diana Rauner oversees the Ounce's Illinois program and policy work. She serves as a primary spokesperson, communicating early childhood issues and our mission to private sector audiences, funders, and partners. Ms. Rauner holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago. After a decade in investment banking and private equity investing, she worked as a Senior Researcher at Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago from 1992-2004. There, she worked with public agencies and private foundations on the evaluations of programs that support early childhood development. Ms. Rauner was a member of the Ounce's Board of Directors from 2002-2008. She currently serves on the boards of several other institutions devoted to education and child development. Ms. Rauner joined the Ounce in 2007.

Sarah Bradley leads the implementation of strategic initiatives and oversees operations at the Ounce. In addition to holding a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago, she has more than 25 years of experience in financial management, planning, and administration. Prior to joining the Ounce in 1991, Ms. Bradley held senior positions in local philanthropy and with a small management/information systems consulting firm.

Claire Dunham oversees the two main program divisions at the Ounce of Prevention Fund – the Illinois Birth to Three Institute and Child and Family Support Services. With a M.S.W. and more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Dunham's areas of expertise include child abuse prevention, home visiting, new program development, management and training. She worked at the Ounce from 1990 to 1992 and then returned in 1996 as Director of Parents Too Soon. She became Vice President of Programs in 2004.

As the Vice President of National Affairs, Sonya Anderson is responsible for cultivating relationships with the philanthropic community, state and federal policy makers, elected officials, and partner organizations to support program and policy change at the national level. Prior to joining the Ounce, Ms. Anderson was the Education Program Director for the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, where she led a multi-national team in the design of the educational program for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa. She received her B.A in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and a doctorate in education from Harvard University.

Karen Freel oversees our evaluation activities and leads the Ounce's efforts to build an early childhood mental health system in Illinois. Ms. Freel holds a M.A. in Applied Clinical Psychology from Indiana State University as well as a M.A. in Public Policy and a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago. In addition, she has much experience with research in urban, lower-income, African-American communities and served as a Zero to Three Fellow from 1986 to 1987. Ms. Freel joined the Ounce in 1995.

Hanke Gratteau, a former award-winning journalist, serves as Vice President of Public Affairs. Ms. Gratteau has over three decades' experience reporting on matters of public interest. She left the Chicago Tribune in 2008, after a long and productive career that saw her rise from an assistant to columnist Mike Royko to managing editor for news, a masthead position at the Midwest's most influential newspaper. At the Chicago Tribune, Ms. Gratteau directed the reporting efforts for "Gateway to Gridlock," an examination of national air traffic congestion that won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism. Before joining the Ounce, she served as executive director of the John Howard Association of Illinois, a sentencing and corrections reform advocacy group.

Ann Kirwan provides strategic direction and leadership to the development of the Ounce of Prevention Fund's policy work outside of Illinois. Ms. Kirwan holds a M.A. in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago and a B.A. with distinction in History from the University of Virginia. Prior to her current position, she served the Ounce as Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Assistant Director of Kids PEPP, the Ounce's policy and advocacy division in Illinois. Ms. Kirwan is a Graduate Fellow of Zero to Three. She joined the Ounce in 1996.

Chaunda Roseborough-Smith spearheads the communications and public relations efforts for all of the Ounce's programs and initiatives. She has 14 years of experience developing and implementing strategic public education, communications, marketing, and media relations programs for nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups. Before joining the Ounce, Ms. Roseborough-Smith served as Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, for the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National MS Society. She holds an M.A. in Social Services Administration from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University. She joined the Ounce in 2008.

Toyia is responsible for the strategic direction of the Ounce's talent initiatives and manages the day-to-day operations of human resources, learning and development, and administrative services. She has a M.B.A. in Organizational Behavior and Policy from Case Western Reserve University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Ohio State University. Prior to joining the Ounce, Ms. Rudd held organizational development positions at PepsiAmericas and Honeywell International. She holds certifications in HR Project Management and The Goldsmith Coaching Process and has a Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Ms. Rudd joined the Ounce in 2007.

Portia Kennel has worked for the Ounce of Prevention Fund for more than 25 years and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Bounce Network. During her tenure, Ms. Kennel led the creation of the Ounce's innovative Educare school on Chicago's South Side as well as the expansion of a statewide network of specially trained home visitors called doulas. Ms. Kennel directs the Bounce Learning Network, an innovative partnership between the Buffet Early Childhood Fund and the Ounce of Prevention Fund that is helping communities across the country create state-of-the-art early childhood centers for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Educare schools implement evidence-based practices designed to better prepare at-risk children for success in school. She holds a Master's degree in social work from the University of Illinois and has more than two decades of progressive experience in social work and program development and administration with a concentration in the design and management of programs for infants, children, and their families. She is a Zero to Three Fellow and has served on a variety of statewide committees striving to improve, expand, and coordinate services to young children and families.

Bela Mote is the Vice President of Bounce Network, an LLC of the Ounce of Prevention Fund. In this role, Ms. Mote works to cultivate and sustain relationships with various stakeholders, including philanthropic partners, to ensure strategic and successful expansion of the Educare model. Prior to joining the Ounce of Prevention Fund, she worked as the Director of Government & International Programs at Teaching Strategies where she led all statewide and international business development initiatives. Ms. Mote has extensive experience in philanthropic grant-making and worked as a Senior Program Officer at the McCormick Foundation. She also has experience as an infant/toddler and preschool teacher and administrator in early childhood programs for low-income children, including Early Head Start, where she developed and implemented multiple research-based, innovative teacher and parent training programs. In addition to her role at the Bounce Network, LLC, Ms. Mote works closely with diverse early childhood stakeholders as part of the Global Leaders for Young Children project and is the chair-elect for the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) Council on Accreditation. Ms. Mote holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute.

Cynthia Stringfellow oversees the Bounce Learning Network's approach to Educare implementation and learning. Ms. Stringfellow will design, direct, and ensure the effective delivery of implementation assistance and consultation for Educare sites. She also oversees the institutionalization of a comprehensive learning and development system for the expanding Bounce Learning Network. Ms. Stringfellow has devoted the last 14 years of her career to developing training and training systems for the early childhood field. She previously served as the Director of the Midwest Learning Center for Family Support at Family Focus, Inc., a training and technical assistance center for family support, early childhood, and other human service agencies statewide and nationally.

Cornelia Grumman is the Executive Director of the First Five Years Fund, the Ounce's national advocacy and communications campaign to increase federal investments in early childhood programs. Before joining the Ounce in 2008, Ms. Grumman served on the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, where she wrote primarily about education, juvenile justice, Illinois politics, and the death penalty. Her numerous awards include a Pulitzer Prize for her series of editorials calling for death-penalty reform. Ms. Grumman earned a master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in public policy from Duke University.

Joe Byrd, Director, Information Technology