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History
The Wyoming Afterschool Alliance was initiated in summer of 2006 under the name
the Wyoming Afterschool Network, as it was recognized that a core advocacy focus
would be needed to ensure the full potential of out of school time programming throughout
Wyoming. In the summer of 2006, Linda Barton, Lights On in Lander, began
formally inviting organizations and agencies to attend the initiating meeting to
gauge the interest in creating a Network. During the second meeting in September
06 the attending partners agreed that if there was enough interest in advocacy on
behalf of out of school time programming to begin operating as a coalition, the
Wyoming Afterschool Network was formed.
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Board Members
Amber Ash |
Amber Ash is a Wyoming native. She is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21 CCLC) Program Manager for the State of Wyoming. In addition to the managing the 21st CCLC grant, Amber also manages the Learn and Serve America grant. Amber has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. She is currently working towards her Master's in Public Administration through the University of Wyoming.
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Linda Barton
Executive Director of the WYAA |
Linda Barton is director of the newly formed Wyoming Afterschool Alliance, a statewide Afterschool network which has been recently admitted into the National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks.
She is also the Program Director for "Lights On in Lander" in Lander WY since its implementation in the fall of 2000. She developed the program in its current format as a year-round K-12 school-based program for Fremont County School Dist. #1, serving several hundred children each year. She has worked for Fremont Co. School District #1 since 1999. Prior to her current position, she was the School-to-Careers Coordinator helping to implement career education programs for all students in grades K-12. Prior to working in the education field, she was in Financial and Investor Relations for over 20 years in California and Massachusetts.
She currently is an Ambassador Emeritus for the National Afterschool Alliance, and is a member of the 2004-2005 first "Associates" Class. Her experience in relationship-building has led to a strong working relationship with her school district administration, building administrators, policymakers and key stakeholders throughout the state.
Barton holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from California State University at Northridge and a M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, and is current member of City Council in Lander, WY.
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Roy Brown |
Roy is the Project Director for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative at Fremont County School District 38 – Arapahoe School. A Wyoming native, Roy grew up on the Wind River Reservation. He attended Creighton University in Omaha, NE and studied Psychology and Native American Studies. In the fall of 2006, Roy was hired as the Program Supervisor for Arapahoe School's SS/HS Initiative. In this role, he helped develop "Cultural Expressions" a weekly, on-site, afterschool program that engages elementary students in tribal culture-centered activities. As the Project Director, Roy guides the implementation of the initiative in several key elements: Violence and Substance Use Prevention, Mental Health Promotion, Early Childhood Education, Student Achievement, and Community Involvement. He spends much of his free time with family and enjoys participating in community events.
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Warren Crawford
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Warren Crawford is a Youth Development Specialist with the University of Wyoming Extension Service. As a state youth development specialist, Warren’s primary focus is on developing volunteers do deliver 4-H educational programs and to foster developmental opportunities for youth participants. Warren has a M.A in Education and Instructional Technology from the University of Wyoming and a B.S. in Economics from Utah State University. Warren and his wife Samantha are the proud parents of a six year old daughter.
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Samin Dadelahi |
Samin joined the staff at the Wyoming Community Foundation in
2001. She holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Wyoming in Entomology
and a graduate minor from the Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources.
Currently, as the Senior Program Officer, Samin directs the Wyoming Community Foundation's
grantmaking and scholarship programs totaling over 3 million dollars annually. She
participates in the design, implementation and evaluation of new program initiatives
by the Foundation. Involvement in the Wyoming Afterschool Alliance began because
the program staff of the community foundation could identify that there was no leader
in the field available to provide support and advocate on behalf of the afterschool
programs in the state.
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Jan Estebo |
Jan moved to Wyoming 27 years ago as a direct result of having visited her grandparents in Casper from the time she was a young child. She worked for friends in child care and also taught prepared child birth classes over the next five years. Her interests led to nursing school and a 3 1/2 year career as an RN on the neurology floor at Wyoming Medical Center. Looking for something service oriented with a more flexible schedule, she found a job and place at Children and Nutrition Services in late 1994. She is currently the regional manager for the central east office of Child Care Finder, a program of CNS. In this position, she helps families with child care needs and also collects child care industry data. High quality school aged care is essential for communities and being on the board of WYAA is a great fit for CNS. Jan has a B.S. in Education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and an associate's degree in nursing from Casper College. Her favorite recreation is doing long runs in new and favorite spots in Wyoming and the West, the absolute best way to see things in her opinion.
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Linda Jennings |
Linda is a native of Virginia and graduate of Virginia Tech.
After teaching elementary school for 8 years in Virginia, Missouri, and Colorado,
she moved to Douglas in 1985. Linda served as a school board trustee for Converse
County School District #1 for three years. The Jennings transferred to Gillette
in 1995. Linda is presently serving as VP for the WY League of Women Voters. Linda
is proud to serve on the Board of Directors of Children's Developmental Services
of Campbell County. For the past five years she has served as staff for the 21st
Century Community Learning Centers Grant in Campbell County. This grant provides
funding for much-needed afterschool programs in Campbell County. Linda is a proud
graduate of the Class of 2005 Leadership Wyoming. She is presently serving her second
year as a trustee for Campbell County School District #1.
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George W. Kopf
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George W. Kopf is the Principal of Chugwater Schools (K-12) and the Wyoming Healthy Student Success Model Coordinator for Platte County School District #1. He is a retired Command Sergeant Major from the United States Army where he served in a plethora of academic and leadership positions for over 21 years. His public education career started in 1999 first as a School Social Worker in Saratoga and then as the Administrator/Principal at Arapaho School (K-8) and finally Chugwater Schools. His priorities are faith, family, and career/vocation.
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Craig Williams |
Craig Williams is a Cheyenne resident and has lived in Wyoming
for most of his life. He graduated from the Univeristy of Wyoming with a Bachelor's
Degree in Elementary Education and from Walden University with a Master's Degree
in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. he began his teaching career in Rock
Springs, Wy and has been in Laramie County School District #2 for the last 12 years.
Craig has taugh third through sixth grade and is currently an Instructional Facilitator.
Craig has served as Vice-President of the over 6,000 member Wyoming Education Association
for four years. He is proud of the involvement of the WEA in the Afterschool Alliance.
Craig feels that the WEA's advocacy for students and educational staff is a perfect
fit with the WyAA and he has served on the WyAA board and steering committee since
its inception. Craig currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
WyAA. Craig's wife is the Mathematics Coordinator in Laramie County School District
#1 and he has two beautiful daughters ages 11 and 8.
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Financial Supporters
- C.S. Mott Foundation
- Homer A. & Mildred S. Scott Foundation
- Lights on in Lander
- Parent Education Network, WY State PIRC
- Wyoming Community Foundation
- Wyoming Department of Education
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Wyoming Education Association
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What is an Afterschool
Network?
An afterschool network is a tool for working toward quality youth development opportunities
that ensure all students are successfully educated and prepared for life's opportunities.
The afterschool network for Wyoming includes all organization and decision-makers
that work within or have an interest in youth development. A statewide afterschool
network is a critical tool for providing guidance to develop high-quality services
in all out-of-school time environments from early childhood through high school
and beyond.
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About the National Network
of Statewide Afterschool Networks.
The national network of statewide afterschool networks brings together established
statewide afterschool networks in their collective mission to build partnerships
and policies that are committed to the development and sustainability of quality
afterschool programs. These partnerships - funded through the support of the Charles
Stewart Mott Foundation - are focused on actively engaging key decision makers
in support of school-based/school-linked afterschool programs, particularly in underserved
communities. Currently 38 statewide afterschool networks are funded to coordinate
and influence the systems that support the success of children and young people.
The network is centered around three goals:
- Goal 1: Create a
sustainable structure of statewide, regional and local partnerships, particularly
schoolcommunity partnerships, focused on supporting policy development at all levels.
- Goal 2: Support
the development and growth of statewide policies that will secure the resources
that are needed to sustain new and existing afterschool programs.
- Goal 3:
Support statewide systems to ensure programs are of high quality.
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