Get to know this year’s fantastic lineup of speakers!
Keynote Speakers
Kendra Adachi Founder, The Lazy Genius Collective
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Kendra Adachi is a New York Times bestselling author, nationally ranked podcaster, wife, and mother (no awards for those last two). Her lifelong attempts at perfection have thankfully been tempered by age and therapy, and now she empowers people to get their stuff done without turning into a tired robot. Favorite things include birds, books, Oxford shoes, and James McAvoy. Kendra lives with her husband of 20+ years and three kids in their forever hometown, Greensboro, NC.
Wei-Li Chong Co-Founder, WIN Consulting
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Wei-Li Chong is the Co-Founder of WIN Consulting where he helps organizations boost employee productivity as a way to improve EBITDA and drive sustainable business growth. Prior to launching WIN, Wei-Li held multiple C-Level positions and led successful transformations in organizations including KinderCare Education, Ann Taylor (ANN INC), and MindGym. Wei-Li focuses on the intersection of business performance and company culture, and is considered a subject matter expert in building high performance teams.
Main Stage Speakers
Kathy Ligon Founder & CEO, HINGE Advisors
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Kathy is the Founder and CEO of HINGE Early Education Advisors. Trained as a public accountant, Kathy has a unique 35+ year background in educational operations. Early on, she directed growth management for a growing educational organization helping the company multiply from five to 125 sites operating in several states in the Southeast. In 2003, Kathy formed the early education advisory firm now known as HINGE Advisors where she and her team have successfully aided the sale of more than 300 school transactions.
Phil Vaccaro Managing Director, EY-Parthenon
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A leader in EY-Parthenon’s Education consulting practice, Phil works across the global education sector with a focus on public K-12 education and early childhood. Phil has led numerous strategy and business planning projects for school districts, non-profits, service providers and private equity firms. He has also conducted market studies and strategic planning projects for some of the largest early childcare providers in the U.S. Phil has 15 years of experience as a teacher, district administrator and consultant to the K–12 education sector.
Malavika Dhawan Principal Strategy, EY-Parthenon
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Malavika is a principal in Ernst & Young LLP’s Education and Government sectors serving ECE organizations, K-12 districts, foundations, curriculum providers and private equity investors. She has worked on engagements including organizational design, grant-making, business planning and financial management. Malavika has a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School.
Nick Williams Founder, Childcare Business Growth
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Nick Williams has worked in child care for more than 15 years alongside his partner Jenna Williams. Together, they've founded and owned their own childcare facilities as well as Childcare Business Growth (CBG) and trained thousands of childcare professionals. At CBG, Nick leads the marketing strategy and development of the company. His direct experience marketing and working in his childcare business has allowed him to use and share his own strategies to help thousands of childcare business owners worldwide.
Fran McIntyre Founder, Pendulum Solutions
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Fran McIntyre founded Childrens’ Creative Learning Centers in 1992 motivated by her passion to provide working parents and employees with the best benefits possible to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In this role, she worked side-by-side with HR teams to develop long-term strategies to provide optimal benefits to their employees. Today, Fran remains dedicated to developing both corporate childcare programs and working alongside HR professionals, helping them create the most valuable benefits for their employees through her consulting firm, Pendulum Dependent Care Solutions.
Radha Mohan Executive Director, ECEC
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Radha Mohan is the Executive Director of the Early Care & Education Consortium (ECEC), a non-profit alliance of childcare providers, state childcare associations, and premier educational service providers representing 6,500+ programs in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Alongside ECEC partners, Radha creates strategic alliances, develops political messaging and drafts legislative solutions to advocate for strong federal and state policies that bring quality early education programs to scale. Radha's work on behalf of childcare providers has influenced policy solutions that made their way into the American Rescue Plan and the American Families Plan.
Elsa Jacobsen Government Relations, ECEC
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Elsa Jacobsen serves as Director of State Government Relations for the Early Care & Education Consortium (ECEC). In this role, she leads ECEC’s policy and advocacy efforts in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington. She has also served as the Director of Public Policy for Child360, an early learning non-profit in Los Angeles; as a law clerk with Young, Minney & Corr, LLP where she worked on a host of education issues for over 75 charter school clients; and as an Education Pioneers Fellow with the California Charter Schools Association. Jacobsen earned a BA in History and an MA in Education Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Stanford University and a JD from the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
Thad Joiner CEO, Better Beans Branding
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Thad founded his first company, TS Express, and bought his first restaurant at age 21. It quickly grew and he sold to partners after just one year. He went on to purchase his first Golden Corral franchise and became the youngest Golden Corral owner in company history. Since then, Thad has bought, grown and sold more than a dozen successful businesses within the service industry. In 2016, he founded Better Beans to address the need for a turn key provider of brand development, interior design and signage services to support restaurants, childcare and retail clients.
Leigh-Ellen Louie CEO, Cadence Education
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Leigh-Ellen Louie is the Chief Executive Officer of Cadence Education, one of the largest early childhood educators in the the United States. Leigh-Ellen has more than 25 years of experience in multi-site consumer service businesses, with a career encompassing general management and strategy roles in industries such as education, consumer health, retail, hospitality and leisure. Her career has focused on enhancing customer experiences, developing strong teams, and delivering business growth.
Gigi Schweikert CEO, Lightbridge Academy
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Gigi is the CEO of Lightbridge Academy, overseeing 60 centers in seven states. She is an international thought leader in early childhood education and has 30 years of experience and 18 published books. Gigi has appeared on CBS, NBC, Fox and the Wall Street Journal Lunch Hour News. She has also been quoted in The New Times, Entrepreneur, and Forbes. Gigi was the former Director of the United Nations Child Care Centre and developed and managed on-site employer-sponsored childcare programs for Fortune 500 companies including, Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, and SC Johnson Wax.
Mary Ann Curran CEO, Busy Bees North America
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Mary Ann has been part of what is now known as Busy Bees North America since 2012, helping the company raise the bar for early years education in Canada. Before moving into childcare, she gained over twenty years' experience in strategic roles, including holding executive positions at well-known brands. Today Mary Ann leads Busy Bees work in North America, overseeing centers across Canada and the United States. Motivated by her passion for education and childcare, she is driving our mission and business as we expand across the continent.
Zubeen Saeed CEO, Building Block Learning Centers
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Zubeen Saeed is the President & CEO of Building Blocks Learning Center, a company she founded in 2001 with a fundamental belief that children should always be valued and respected. Her leadership has been the driving force behind the organization’s growth and success. Zubeen serves as a national mentor to leaders within the Association of Early Learning Leaders and has been an active board member since 2021. She contributes to the field of education on a national level, serving on the advisory board of a strategic planning group for Early Childhood Education leaders.
Breakout Speakers
Amit Dhanani Founder, The X Mentor Group
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For nearly 20 years Amit has worked with some of the top brands in achieving customer experience mastery, ranging from Canada’s largest food service operator, to leading the guest experience division for a global luxury 5-star hotel brand and served as strategist of customer experiences with Canada’s top luxury automotive manufacturer. As Founding Mentor of The X Mentor Group, Amit’s leadership and unique consulting style fosters employee empowerment, operational improvement, strengthening relationships and delivers memorable customer experiences.
Tym Smith President, Early Care and Education
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Tym Smith began working in the Early Education field in 1986. After spending several years in the classroom, he advanced to fill various positions including Education Specialist, Director and Regional Director. Over the past 20 years, Tym has spent thousands of hours training teachers and leaders across the country at local and national conferences. In 2007, Tym started "Tym the Trainer", a training company dedicated to quality and diversity for Early Education programs. Tym is the owner of six early education programs in Texas and is a two term past president of the Texas Licensed Child Care Association. Tym is a member of the Texas Trainers Registry and currently serves on the board of directors for the Association for Early Learning Leaders. Tym is also a Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor, A Jon Gordon Certified Instructor, and a Certified Life is Good Playmaker!
Samantha Phillips Childcare Insurance, Comploy
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Samantha is affectionately known as the glittering expert in childcare insurance. In her 12-year career, Sam has emerged not just as an insurance expert but as a force for change. Disturbed by the trend of childcare owners blindly trusting agents without understanding their coverages, she took it upon herself to rewrite the narrative. Sam is on a mission to coach owners, offering insights on childcare insurance topics and empowering them to protect their businesses wisely.
Kevin Kilgore Owner, Kids ‘R’ Kids Legends Ranch
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Kevin Kilgore is a franchisee with Kids 'R' Kids International with 16 years of experience providing quality childcare. Kevin was recently rewarded as the highest grossing revenue school by Kids R Kids at the National Conference in May of 2022. When Kevin is not behind the wheel of a school bus, motivating staff with scholarships to college, helping other franchisees, or making one of many improvements to his Kids R Kids, he can be found out to eat, in roller skates, or at an Urban Air Trampoline park with his family!
Prerna Richards Founder, Together We Grow
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Prerna Richards is a devoted early childhood education consultant with 38 years of experience — driven by a heartfelt mission to enhance the world for children. As a nationally and internationally recognized keynote speaker, Prerna has inspired thousands of educators through impactful workshops. Six years ago, she founded "Together We Grow," a platform offering professional development, behavior coaching, and NAEYC consulting, aiming to empower educators. Guided by the belief that knowing better leads to doing better, Prerna's philosophy centers on play and social-emotional development. Personally, she's a loving mother and grandmother. She is deeply commitmented to making a difference. In 2020, Prerna's outstanding contributions earned her the Susan Hargrave Trainer of the Year Award from TXAEYC, a testament to her dedication and excellence in early childhood education.
Rachel Supalla Founder, Vision Tree Leadership
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Rachel Supalla has more than 25 years of experience in early childchood education as an owner, consultant, trainer and author. She founded Discovery KidZone in 2009 and has grown the business to two childcare brands across 10 locations in two states. Her accolades include Innovative Business of the Year, Top 20 Business Leaders Under 40, Best Daycare and Preschool in Helena, and Business Person of the Year. Rachel also founded Vision Tree Leadership where she mentors childcare leaders worldwide, helping them discover their vision and empower their teams. She holds a B.A. in Early Childhood, a Master’s in Early Childhood Administration, and a Montessori Certification.
Dan Berzansky Founder & CEO, OneTeam360
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Dan Berzansky is the Founder of OneTeam360, a Saas startup for employee compliance, engagement and incentivization created specifically for small to medium sized businesses. He is also the CEO of Premier Aquatic Services, which operates Premier Aquatics and Premier Health and Safety, and is Co-founder of Premier Swim Academy. In all, Dan has over 20 years of management, coaching and teaching experience, as well as over 20 years of experience in large scale project management.
Melissa Bane Client Advisor, Greenwood Capital
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Melissa is a Private Client Advisor at Greenwood Capital where she provides personal attention and service to high-net-worth individuals, personal trusts, and foundations. Having been in the financial industry for more than 30 years, she previously led the financial planning division of Countybank, specializing in creating and implementing complex financial plans for high net worth families and individuals. Melissa is a Certified Public Accountant, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Personal Financial Specialist, and a Chartered Financial Consultant®.
Beth Cannon CEO, Beth Cannon Speaks
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Beth Cannon is an international speaker, educator and entrepreneur known for her passion for engaging leaders and inspiring teams. With 25+ years of diverse experience, she is known for her niche in creating compelling content that captures the audience. Through her personal brand, Beth Cannon Speaks, she offers online courses for early education leaders and teachers as well as live and virtual events.
Andrea Majewski Regional Director, The Learning Tree
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Andrea has been in the childcare industry for 15 years. As Managing Partner and Regional Director at The Learning Tree, she oversees six thriving locations and is also an owner of The Roots, a substitute teacher placement company. Andrea is passionate about creating engaging and inviting environments and overseeing marketing, quality assurance, and employee engagement. She is dedicated to growing her leadership teams, including mid-level leadership, with a focus on maintaining enrollment goals to ensure that The Learning Tree continues to grow and flourish.
Nan Rikard Transaction Advisor, HINGE Advisors
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Nan has spent her entire 40+ year career in early childhood education. Starting her career as the Owner/Director of Gilbert Daycare and Learning Center in 1988, she went on to serve as the COO of The Sunshine House in 1997, and, in 2010, founded Big Blue Marble Academy (BBMA) — now one of the nation's largest early education providers. Now a former childcare business owner, Nan has transitioned to the other side of the table as a Transaction Advisor for HINGE — expanding HINGE’s reach in the early education space by focusing on helping swim school business owners gain maximum value for the brands they’ve built, just as she did.
Aleta Mechtel Mastermind Leader, HINGE Advisors
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Aleta has spent the past 20+ years wearing multiple hats in early childhood education including Teacher, Director, Owner and Coach. She grew a profitable childcare business, expanded it to 4 locations, and launched 2 other complementary businesses aimed at providing a solution for one of childcare’s biggest challenges — staffing. Now as a Leadership Coach, Aleta helps childcare business leaders identify, strategize and implement intentional plans through 1:1 Coaching, Mastermind Groups, Boot Camps, Substitute Teacher Operating System Products and Childcare Substitute Teacher Placement Services.
Marnie Rhen Financial Analyst, HINGE Advisors
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Marnie led financial analysis for 27-site The Malvern School for more than 20 years. In her role, she led the accounting department by directing and overseeing the financial activities of the company and developing forecasts of future growth. Now ss a Financial Analyst at HINGE Advisors, Marnie works alongside our transaction team leading the development of childcare business and real estate valuations at the beginning of the transaction process as well as defending quality of earnings toward the end of each process.
Kathe Petchel Development, HINGE Advisors
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At HINGE, Kathe works to build relationships with potential sellers and works alongside the transaction team as a liaison to provide support as sellers seek the value of their company. As a childcare business owner herself, Kathe has first-hand knowledge of the experiences of owners and is sought after for her operational and staffing knowledge in the industry. She presents on building positive company cultures and growing stronger teams through improved recruiting, hiring and onboarding strategies.
Tom Wood Leadership Coach, HINGE Advisors
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As Success Services Leader for HINGE, Tom facilitates the execution and operations of all the company’s Success Services. These include Financial Coaching, Mastermind Groups, and his own Leadership Sprints. Tom’s job is to ensure that each service is delivered effectively and efficiently to clients and that HINGE is serving our clients to the best of our ability. Tom is also a Certified Leadership Coach with the International Coaching Federation, and has a consistent track record of success in leadership development, financial management, training, human resources leadership and strategic planning.
Rich Hubschman Transaction Advisor, HINGE Advisors
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Rich has 15+ years of business and real estate experience since becoming licensed in New Jersey in 2008. He launched his career at Marcus and Millichap focusing on multi-family and NNN leased properties with Tom McConnell and Kevin McCrann as a sales associate. Throughout the years he worked in the real estate division of several large retailers across the United States including The Gap, Aeropostale, Pret A Manger, Paper Source, and Barnes and Noble. He holds a BS Finance from Penn State and MBA with a real estate focus from Baruch College.
Laurie Denny Transaction Advisor, HINGE Advisors
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Laurie has more than 15 years’ experience in early education business growth and real estate development. She’s worked closely with large regional educational organizations and helped to expedite their growth using her in-depth knowledge of transaction management and process development. As a transaction advisor at HINGE, Laurie is the backbone of her clients’ transaction process—managing touring, offers, negotiations, legal agreements, licensing, and parent and staff announcements.
