Leadership
Meet the NEEC Team
NEEC’s strategic direction is led by a Community Advisory Council, a broad cross-sector of stakeholders involved in childcare in Nashville, with the goal of becoming a central connection point for childcare conversations, information sharing, and engagement. The founding council includes:
Advisory Council
Councilwoman Burkley Allen
Council Member At Large
Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County
Corinne Bergeron, Executive Committee
CEO
The Frist Foundation
Laura Bilbrey, Executive Committee
Senior Director of Learning and Implementation
Teaching Strategies
Hal Cato, Executive Committee
CEO
Community Foundation of Middle TN
Anne Clem
Grant Manager
ChildcareTennessee
Stephanie Coleman
CEO
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Leslie Cowell
Dean, College of Education
Lipscomb University
Tracey Dill
Chief Community Impact Officer
United Way of Greater Nashville
Debbie Ferguson
Childcare Director
Glen Leven Presbyterian Church Day School
Alyssa Garnett-Arno
Executive Director
St. Mary Villa Child Development Center
Dana Glenn
Director of Child & Adult Care Licensing
TN Dept. of Human Services
Megan Godbey
Director
Raising Readers Nashville
Angela Goddard, Executive Committee
Executive Director
Joe C. Davis Foundation
Monique Hodison
Executive Director
Schrader Lane Childcare & Learning Academy
Micha Johnson
Director, Early Embrace
Raphah Institute
John Mikos
CEO
YMCA of Middle Tennessee
Erica Mitchell, Executive Committee
CEO
United Way of Greater Nashville
Cynthia Osborne
Executive Director, Professor of Early Childhood
Education and Policy Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, Vanderbilt University
Viva Price, Executive Committee
Executive Director
Youth Encouragement Services
Rebecca Woods
Vice President of Government Relations
TN for Quality Early Education
Tamiko Wright
PreK Teacher
St. Luke’s Community House
NEEC Staff
Melanie Shinbaum
Executive Director
Nashville Early Childhood Education
Melanie Shinbaum, founding NEEC Executive Director, is an active contributor to the nonprofit and early education sectors, with 25 years of experience in various leadership roles, including CEO of St. Luke's Community House, Executive Director at Fannie Battle Day Home for Children, and positions at United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, among others. Melanie’s commitment to the community is evident in her roles on several influential committees and boards. Her tenure as Board President for Nashville’s NAEYC and her leadership in community-wide solutions for underserved populations echo the coalition’s goal of enhancing childcare quality and accessibility. Melanie holds a master’s degree in public administration (MSP) from Cumberland University, and a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Away from work, Melanie enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. On any given evening or weekend, she can be found on the sidelines of one of her children’s various sports activities. She is a serial-hobbyist, "crazy plant lady", and loves to curl up with a good book or work a jigsaw puzzle on a rainy day. Melanie is an avid lover of the outdoors and enjoys a beautiful weekend camping at one of our amazing TN State Park campgrounds.
