The EveryChild NOW 2025 Inaugural Conference
In partnership with:
February 26-27, 2025
Embassy Suites
Charleston, WV
EveryChild NOW and West Virginians for Affordable Health Care are excited to invite you to the 2025 EveryChild NOW Conference and a special Legislative Reception to kick off an event full of connection, collaboration, and learning!
Here’s what you need to know:
Legislative Reception
When: Wednesday, February 26th, 2025
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: Embassy Suites, Charleston, WV
EveryChild NOW Conference
When: February 27th, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Location: Embassy Suites, Charleston, WV
This is your chance to connect with lawmakers, policy advocates, and community leaders who share a passion for improving the lives of West Virginia’s children. The reception will have light hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and plenty of opportunities to network and collaborate.
We can’t wait to see you there and work together to build a brighter future for every child in West Virginia.
Thank You to our Funding Partners:
Conference Speaker List
EDUCATION
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of WV Statewide Literacy Program
Jamie Lima, State Director, Imagination Library, June Harless Center at Marshall University
The Magic of Play: A Guide to Better Understanding Children’s Nervous Systems
Brittany Hutchinson, Psychotherapist at Whole Brain Solutions
WV Healthy Schools in Action: Transforming School Wellness Practices in Mercer County
Sean Bulger, Dana Voelker, and Amanda Aliff, Center for Active WV,
WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, Mercer County Coordinator of Pupil Services
Impact of Quality Early Childhood Education
Kristy Ritz, Executive Director, West Virginia Association for Young Children
Tiffany Gale, WV Women’s Alliance
Melissa Colagrosso , A Place to Grow Children’s Center
Analyzing the Correlation of Expanded School Based Mental Health & County Demographics
Dr. Deb Koester, Assistant Professor, Director – Division of Community Health, Marshall University
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Tiffany Pittman, MA, LPC, AADC, School Mental Health Coordinator, Marshall University Research Corporation
HEALTHCARE
After the Storm: The Effects of Trauma on Children
Nakia Austin, Co-Founder & CEO, The Healing House
Benefits of Multi-Year Continuous Healthcare Enrollment for West Virginia Children
Joan Alker, the Executive Director of The Center for Children & Families (CCF) at the McCourt School
of Public Policy at Georgetown University
The West Virginia Physical Activity Plan: How Population Sectors Can Collaborate Effectively to
Promote Children’s Physical Activity
Eloise Elliott, PhD, and Emily Murphy
Center for ActiveWV, WVU College of Applied Human Sciences
PIVOT: Connecting REAL Food 4 Health
Dr. Jamie Jeffrey, Medical Director, KEYS 4 Healthy Kids and Project HealthyKids
Mandy Curry, Co-Founder, Healthy Kids Inc
It’s Time for a Dental Check Up!
Gina Sharps, Executive Director, WV Oral Health Coalition
ECONOMY
EveryChild NOW Data Release
Dr. Deb Koester, Assistant Professor, Director – Division of Community Health, Marshall University
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Employment and Training for Working Families
Josiah Hannah, Community Impact Director of Coalfield Development
Community Action Agencies: Addressing Poverty Among West Virginia Children & Families
Mary Chipps, Executive Director of West Virginia Community Action Partnerships
Dreama Padgett, CEO of MountainHeart Community Action Services
Matthew Hinkle, CEO of Eastern Action
Susan Knibiehly, COO of Eastern Action
Trauma Informed Community Development
Alecia Allen, Co-Executive & Clinical Director, Keep Your Faith Corporation
Funding the Future: Exploring the Economic Impact of Philanthropy in West Virginia
Jennifer Goddard, President & CEO, Philanthropy West Virginia
NEIGHBORHOOD
ICARE: A Systematic & Unified Approach to Student Support
Tabitha Mays, Mountaineer Foodbank
Alysha Crawford, ICARE Facilitator, Mercer County Schools
The MARVEL Center: So Much More than Childcare
Sally Hurst, Board Chair of the MARVEL Center
Connecting with the Faith Community
Rev. Jeffrey Allen, WV Council of Churches retired
Strengthening Rural Communities: Innovative Partnerships for Children’s Mental Health
Tracee Hinkle, Positive Behavior Support Specialist, Playmates Preschools & Child Development
Centers
Amanda Kent, Quality Director, Playmates Preschools & Child Development Centers
Morgan Black, Director of Children’s Programs, Playmates Preschools & Child Development Centers
Repaving County Roads: Data Informed Strategies and Progress in Mental Health Service Reform –
Helping Kids Thrive in their Communities
Laura Hunt, Director of the Office of Quality Assurance for Children’s Programs, West Virginia
Department of Human Services
CONNECTION
Beyond the Screen: The Benefits of Delaying Smartphones and Social Media
Jim Strawn, Jim Strawn & Company
Breaking the Cycle – The Power of Positive Relationships in Overcoming Adverse Childhood
Experiences
Kasidi Legg and Tricia Kingery, Co-Coordinators of the WV ACEs Coalition
Kathy Szafran, ACEs Board President, Aetna Better Health
How Domestic Violence Impacts Children
Andrea Brown Riley, Protective Services Coordinator, West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic
Violence
Big Brothers Big Sisters: Mentoring Outcomes in Practice
Lee McCloud, Director of Programs, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Connecting Youth to Community
Beth Casey, CEO, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council
Larry Wunderly, Assistant Scout Executive, Scouting America Buckskin Council
ABOUT YOUR CONFERENCE HOSTS
EveryChild NOW is transforming the way West Virginia values, empowers, and invests in every child. Our vision is to create a better West Virginia where every child is safe, healthy, educated, and loved.
West Virginians for Affordable Health Care brings a consumer voice to public policy so that every West Virginian has quality, affordable health care and the opportunity to lead an informed, healthy, and productive life.