New Hampshire – PTAN Team

Hillary grew up in New Hampshire and holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. She spent the first 20 years of her career working as a Kindergarten teacher and Assistant Director of Program at a small independent school in the lakes region of NH. She joined the PTAN staff in June 2017 to start her new adventures supporting the social emotional needs of young children throughout the state.

Becky has more than 25 years of experience in early childhood education and has worked as a consultant since 2018, specializing in early education, trauma-responsive practices, and Pyramid Model implementation. She provides statewide and national coaching and technical assistance through the New Hampshire Preschool Technical Assistance Network (PTAN) and the Pyramid Model Consortium (PMC). Becky serves on New Hampshire’s Pyramid Model State Leadership Team and supports programs in building sustainable, equitable, and high-quality implementation. She regularly presents on Pyramid Model practices, coaching, data-driven decision-making, and systems-level supports, with a focus on creating inclusive environments where all young children can thrive.  

Jan Richards has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 30 years. She holds a B.A. in Home Economics with a focus on Early Childhood Education from Keene State College; a Master’s degree in Community Mental Health and Mental Health Counseling with a focus on Children and Families from Southern New Hampshire University; Pyramid Model TPOT and TPITOS Interobserver Reliability Trainer and Observer; and New Hampshire credentials that include Early Childhood Master Teacher, Infant and Toddler Foundational level 11, Workshop Trainer, Faculty, and Program Consultant. 

Jan recently retired from the Child Development Center on the campus of Keene State College where she worked with infants and their families. Her role also included mentoring undergraduate college students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at KSC. She is passionate about infant development; quality environments for young children; guiding and coaching adult learners working in the Early Childhood field; and the importance of healthy brain development within the first years of life and how it affects the person as an adult. 

Julie Sackett’s background in early childhood education (ECE) includes a variety of experiences, which began when she started a small child care center in Plymouth with her husband in 1991.  Since that time, she has served as Executive Director of a nonprofit child care organization in the Lakes Region, and as Director of Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care for Belknap-Merrimack Community Action Program.  in addition, she has worked in Child Care Resource & Referral, served as Adjunct Faculty for Plymouth State University, and she has been actively involved with state-level organizations, including Early Learning NH, Spark NH, and the Child Care Advisory Council.  

She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a Master’s degree in Community Psychology, and a Master’s degree in Education. Currently, she enjoys working on a variety of initiatives as an Independent Contractor, including PTAN consultation. Her primary focus is on supporting Pyramid Model implementation, as a Practice-Based Coach supporting individual practitioners in implementation of Pyramid Model practices in the classroom, as well as Program Coach supporting leadership teams in system development to support program-wide implementation. She is also a member of the NH Master Cadre of trainers and coaches, and is certified to administer TPOT and TPITOS classroom assessments.

Deb earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Plymouth State University and hold’s a Master Professional Credential from the State of NH. She is a Pyramid Model trained Master Cadre member. Deb is certified in the administration of the TPITOS and TPOT Pyramid Model Fidelity tools. Recently she was an adjunct faculty member in the Early Childhood Program at Great Bay Community College (GBCC) where she acted as the Project Manager for the GBCC Community Partners Initiative. She is a past Co-executive Director and Early Childhood Program Director for a large, non-profit, NAEYC Accredited program in the NH Seacoast area. Deb is a former private school owner as well as an Independent Contractor: Trainer, Mentor, and Consultant for public and private schools throughout New England. 

Tammy was a preschool special education teacher and coordinator for a public school district in NH for 33 years.  She earned a Master’s of Education from Keene State College and was National Board Certified as an Exceptional Needs Specialist.  She holds NH certifications in Elementary Education, Special Education and Early Childhood Special Education.  She has been a member of the NH Pyramid Model State Leadership Team since its inception.  During her 2 years as a Distinguished Educator with the NH Department of Education, she gained a depth of knowledge in systems work, which she applies as a Process Coach for several programs implementing the Pyramid Model.  She is also certified in administering the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) and the Teaching Pyramid Infant-Toddler Observation Tool (TPITOS).  She is the team lead for Monadnock Community Pyramid Model. Creating the Pyramid Model Outdoors guide and presenting an accompanying workshop has been a highlight of her career.  Tammy enjoys spending time in nature, especially with her grandchildren or while visiting National Parks with her husband.

Charna holds a BS in Family Studies and a M.Ed, in Early Childhood Education from the University of NH where she also did some post-graduate studies in Inclusion Facilitation. She has nearly 22 years of experience in the field including teaching at the preschool-4^th grade levels. Much of her career has been spent working in a Head Start Program as a Teacher, Family Advocate, Disabilities & Mental Health Services Manager and Administrator. Charna’s state level work includes membership on the Interagency Coordinating Council, Spark NH and the Pyramid Model State Leadership Team. She currently provides program coaching as part of the Master Cadre and has recently become a PTAN Consultant. Charna is passionate about play and nature-based learning and ensuring all children are supported to thrive and succeed in the classroom. When she is not working with young children, Charna enjoys spending quality time with her grandchildren and her dog, taking advantage of the beautiful lakes and mountains NH has to offer.

Katrina holds a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from New York University and is pursuing a CAGS in Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice at the University of New Hampshire. She is currently the Home-Based Specialist at Belknap Merrimack County Early Head Start and has a diverse background as an early childhood educator and practice-based coach.

Katrina is excited to be joining the PTAN cohort. She will be supporting programs in Pyramid Model Implementation through coaching, training, and consulting; she is committed to fostering awareness and intentionality among educators and administrators in their work with young children and families. She enjoys walking, yoga, and reading stories with her two young children.

Tabitha has a Master of Education from Antioch University New England. She is licensed through The New Hampshire Department of Education with an Early Childhood Education endorsement and is credentialed through the New Hampshire Early Childhood Professional Development System as an Early Childhood Educator III and as a Professional Development Specialist with Consultant and Coach endorsements.

Tabitha is an experienced early childhood educator, and she feels fortunate to have worked at a Pyramid Model implementation site where she participated on the school’s Leadership Team and received Practice-Based Coaching. These experiences were transformational for Tabitha as an educator, and she feels honored to support other early care and education programs with their Pyramid Model implementation and child inclusion efforts as a member of the PTAN Cohort. Tabitha is passionate about play-based learning and believes deeply that children need opportunities to be outside, to explore nature, and to build relationships with place.

With over 15 years of professional experience, Sarah has served in a variety of roles, including early childhood educator at the University of New Hampshire’s Child Study and Development Center while supervising and mentoring university students; kindergarten and first grade teacher in the public school system; practice-based coach; consultant; and adjunct faculty. She is passionate about promoting child-centered approaches, specifically play-based learning, co-design, and competency-based education models, as pathways to greater student agency and deeper learning. During her time as a coach with the UNH Early Childhood Coaching Initiative, Sarah supported NH’s PDG efforts to share best practices and promote the successful implementation of play-based learning statewide through practice-based coaching, professional development for key stakeholders, the creation and dissemination of resources, and research.

Sarah holds a Doctoral degree in Education from UNE; a Master’s in Human Development and Family Studies from UNH; and dual undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Early Childhood Education from Keene State College. Specializing in child development, early learning, leadership, and systems design, her work focuses on collaboration to deliver personalized professional development and support that strengthens coherence and drives meaningful, sustainable change across educational systems. 

Mary began her journey in the field as an undergraduate at the University of Maine, earning a degree in Early Childhood and Family Studies. She went on to receive her master’s from Tufts and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chaple Hill.  Both degrees intensely focused on inclusive early care and education.

Over her 40- year career, Mary has engaged with diverse children, families, and teachers in a wide variety of settings across the United States and Europe.  She has taught in infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms and directed a childcare program. In Head Start and military childcare she served as on-site professional development specialist. Mary is a recently retired professor of the Department of Early Childhood Studies at Plymouth State University.  During her 20-year tenure, she taught courses in culturally responsive early care and education and early childhood curriculum and instruction (birth though age 8). Mary believes that family engagement is paramount to young children’s learning and success.  This topic has been a major focus in her teaching, research, and writing. Since retiring, Mary joined NH’s Pyramid Model Master Cadre, became a PTAN child care consultant, and a Master Gardener.  Gardening is her favorite hobby.