Leadership Staff

Diana Mendley Rauner is President of the Ounce of Prevention Fund. Prior to becoming President in January 2011, Ms. Rauner served for three years as Executive Director and for five years as a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Rauner oversaw the expansion of the Ounce's Early Head Start program and the advocacy work that preserved state funding for early childhood programs during the worst economic crisis in Illinois history. She has also launched several new training and research initiatives at the Ounce.

Prior to joining the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Ms. Rauner was a Senior Research Associate at Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, where she worked with public agencies and private foundations to evaluate programs that support early childhood development. Ms. Rauner has a background in investment banking and private equity and previously worked for private equity investment firms in Chicago and San Francisco. She holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Chicago, an M.B.A. from Stanford University, and a B.A. from Yale University.

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.

Portia Kennel has over twenty-five years of experience in developing, implementing and scaling effective early childhood education and family support programs for high-needs children and their families. In 2000, she created the first Educare school to serve very young children at risk of school failure in Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes public housing development. Currently serving as the Executive Director of the Educare Learning Network, she has led efforts to extend the reach of Educare nationally and oversees the Network's training and implementation assistance system. Ms. Kennel has significant experience in social service and research-based early learning models, with a concentration in the design, implementation and management of early childhood education programs for children at risk of school failure, and the staff who serve them. She has extensive experience in understanding family systems and clinical issues related to working with families in and low-income communities. Ms. Kennel holds a Master's Degree in social work from the University of Illinois, is a Zero To Three Fellow, and has served on a variety of state committees and task forces.

Tony Raden develops strategies to engage early childhood champions and key stakeholders in policy, research, practice and philanthropy to help the Ounce of Prevention Fund build consensus around common local, state and federal agendas. Before coming to the Ounce, Mr. Raden was the Deputy Commissioner for Policy for the City of Chicago's Department of Child and Family Support Services. A developmental psychologist, Mr. Raden also has been involved in the development and evaluation of programs and policies for children at risk due to poverty, violence or maltreatment. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University. Mr. Raden joined the Ounce in 2011.

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.

Mike Bechtel is responsible for ensuring that the Ounce of Prevention Fund employs the best tools to deliver the best outcomes for early childhood education in America. Accountable for the Ounce's present-state technology operations and future-facing technology strategy, Mr. Bechtel comes to the Ounce after 12 years with Accenture. There, he directed global innovation programs for the company and oversaw technology strategy engagements for many of its Fortune 100 clients. Mr. Bechtel graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he received his B.A. in Anthropology and Political Science. He joined the Ounce in 2011.

Harriet Dichter leads the Ounce's national policy work, bringing a record of innovation in local, state and federal early childhood policy. Dichter led the First Five Years Fund's federal policy work and served as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. As the founding deputy secretary of Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning, she gained national attention for the state's unique solutions. Dichter has supported foundations through work at the Pew Trusts and as a consultant to the Gates and Ford Foundations. She has driven early childhood action as Maternal and Child Health Director and as Deputy Managing Director of Children's Policy for the City of Philadelphia, and in leadership roles with the United Way and legal services. Dichter graduated from Yale University, summa cum laude, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude.

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.

Barbara Hoffman provides leadership and strategic direction to the Ounce of Prevention Fund's efforts to build partnerships with private sector champions and secure the funding needed to advance the organization's program, training, research, policy and communications priorities. Ms. Hoffman previously worked at the Oakland County School District as director of development and at the U.S. Department of Education. Ms. Hoffman holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Georgia and a bachelor's degree with distinction in urban studies from the University of Michigan. She joined the Ounce in 2001.

Ann Kirwan works with the Ounce of Prevention Fund's senior leadership and key external partners to develop and advance the strategic direction of the organization. Ms. Kirwan holds a M.A. in Public Policy 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 National Policy Consultation, 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.

As Vice President of Resource and Capacity Building, Amy Lusk partners with program and policy leaders across the country in efforts to build strong organizations and partnerships that can achieve and sustain long-term impact on behalf of at-risk young children. Lusk has more than 15 years progressive experience in strategic resource development, communications, and nonprofit board development and stewardship. She holds an M.A. in sociology from Northwestern University and an undergraduate degree from Alma College. Lusk joined the Ounce in 1997.

Bela Moté is the Vice President of Educare Development. In this role, Ms. Moté 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. Moté has extensive experience in philanthropic grantmaking 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. Ms. Moté also 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. Moté holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute.

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.

Nancy Shier is the Ounce of Prevention Fund's principal strategist in the areas of Illinois policy and governmental relations. Ms. Shier spearheads the organization's legislative and administrative advocacy activities, spanning a spectrum of issues that impact very young children's growth and development, including education, health care, child care, mental health and professional development. She served as the director of the Ounce's Kids Public Education and Policy Project (Kids PEPP) from 1989 to 2011. Ms. Shier was instrumental in the creation of the Early Childhood Block Grant and the infant-toddler set aside in Illinois' Preschool for All program.

Cynthia Stringfellow oversees the Educare Learning Network's approach to Educare implementation and learning. Ms. Stringfellow designs, directs, and ensures the effective delivery of implementation assistance and consultation for Educare schools. She also oversees the institutionalization of a comprehensive learning and development system for the expanding Educare Learning Network. Ms. Stringfellow has devoted the last 15 years of her career to developing training, training systems and programs for the early childhood field. Before coming to the Educare Learning Network, she 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 in Illinois and nationally. Previously, Ms. Stringfellow was the National Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Healthy Families America at Prevent Child Abuse America.

Janelle Weldin-Frisch leads the Ounce of Prevention Fund's training efforts designed for early childhood professionals who implement evidence-based programs to families with children ages birth to five. Weldin-Frisch's expertise includes staff development, adult and distance education, and public administration in the early childhood and family support fields. Previously, she served for seven years as the director of the Illinois Birth-to-Three Institute, a division of the Ounce of Prevention Fund responsible for program development of a statewide network of Parents As Teachers, Healthy Families and doula programs for teen parents.

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.