Board of Directors

Tym Smith

Board President

Early Care and Education Training and Consulting

Flower Mound, TX

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 educators 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 owned 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!

Brittney Luther

Board Vice President

Young Sprouts Creative Learning Center

Azle, TX

Brittney Luther has been immersed in early care and education since 1997, growing up in the industry where her family owned two child care centers. Today, she is the proud multi-site owner of Young Sprouts Creative Learning Centers in Texas, where she leads teams to create engaging, high-quality learning environments for young children.

As the founder of Brittney Luther Consulting and Virtual Vanguard, a Virtual Assistant placement service dedicated to supporting the ECE industry, Brittney is passionate about empowering child care owners, directors, and leaders to step out of the overwhelm and focus on what matters most. She believes in helping leaders spend more time in their zone of genius and less time buried in administrative tasks, using innovative solutions to drive growth and balance.

Brittney holds both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA from Western Governors University. She is an active member of the Association for Early Learning Leaders (AELL), where she currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors, contributing her expertise to advance the mission of strengthening leaders in early education.

Outside of her professional life, Brittney finds joy in coaching high school varsity softball, exploring the ocean while scuba diving, and spending quality time with family. Her journey reflects her belief that leadership in early education is about more than business success — it’s about creating thriving teams, supportive environments, and a better future for children and families.

Heather Torres

Board Secretary

Hope Lutheran Learning Center

San Antonio, TX

Heather Torres has been in the ECE field since 2003. She started as a two year old teaching assistant and worked her way up to executive director. She has been in ECE leadership since 2006 and still loves every minute of it. Heather is a member of AELL and serves as a former Ambassador, presenter, and board member. Heather has spoken on many stages across the country including NAEYC, AELL, TLCCA and KCCC presenting her unique point of view on the early childhood education industry.

Her greatest passion is relating to all generations, whether they see Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller or Simba, with the intent to cultivate a work environment that stimulates creativity and emotional intelligence. While the environment Heather has created for her staff is fun loving, the expectations of excellence are evident in the smiling faces of our students and the sometimes satisfied customers (the parents).

The greatest passion of Heather’s work life is to explore leadership concepts and methods with the intent to develop greatness within the next generation of early childhood educators and directors.

All this magic happens while Heather raises her three (almost grown) children, caring for her rescue cats, and antique shopping.

Heather enjoys publicly speaking about all the challenges, peaks and valleys our industry affords us. Bunnies, butterflies, Bible verses, and random movie quotes all come together when she discusses her calling. So as Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Slava Shevchenko

Board Treasurer

Sunshine Academy

Flagler Beach, FL

Slava is the Executive Director and legacy Owner of Sunshine Academy, with over 15 years of leadership in early childhood education. He holds an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Walden University and is a certified CLASS observer. As active member of AELL, he is committed to strengthening early learning leadership through staff development, improving program quality with national accreditation standards, and organizational systems that support quality outcomes for children and families.

Alix Hall

Board Past President

Discovery Tree Schools

Sacramento, CA

Alix Hall is a teacher, small business owner, and educational consultant with thirty+ years’ experience in the field of early childhood education. She has taught and directed child development programs for thirty five years and tutored privately for ten years. She has been with Discovery Tree and Arista Schools as a teacher, director and co-owner since 1979, developing her own after school Discovery Club program (Kindergarten Sixth Grade) in 1981, and becoming the sole stockholder/Executive Director in 1991. Ms. Hall holds Bachelor and Master Studies M.S. Degrees in Early Childhood Education.

In addition to her work directly involving children and child development programs, since 1986
Ms. Hall has served as an adjunct instructor & guest lecturer for Los Rios Community College District teaching in the Education Department – classes in: Human Development, Child Development, & Early Childhood Education.
Ms. Hall served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the National Human Development Foundation (NHDF) through which three state funded child care facilities in the Sacramento area provide quality childcare for economically disadvantaged children. Currently, Ms. Hall is Vice-Chair of the Sacramento County Local Child Care & Development Planning Council, which oversees, makes recommendations, and supports Child Development and family programs, issues and funding throughout Sacramento County. Also, serving as Vice President of an International ECE Association – The Association for Early Learning Leaders. In addition, she sits on and contributes to the following Community organizations and Boards; Sac. Co. Office of Education: Child Development Division – Public Education Advisory Committee, the American River College Advisory Committee and the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Hall also maintains a consulting business, Arista Group Early Education Advisors – specializing in early childhood seminars, workshops, coaching/mentor and private consultations. In this capacity, Ms. Hall has gained statewide recognition by developing and conducting Cross Cultural seminars, designed to increase children’s awareness of other cultures and ethnic groups. Arista Group Early Education Advisors offers the following services: Cross-Cultural Education, Positive Discipline Instruction, Creative Play Instruction, Facility Design & Early Childhood Program/Business Consulting/Coaching/Mentoring programs.

Mary Hornbeck

Board Member

Special Beginnings Early Learning Centers

Lenexa, KS

Mary began her career in early care and education when, at the age of 21, she became the owner of Special Beginnings Early Learning Center in Lenexa, Kansas. She expanded her business multiple times, operating four programs that serve over 350 families. In addition to leading high-quality early education programs, Mary is a national speaker, trainer, and consultant and is a partner in Good 4 the Soul, LLC in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where she hosts beach retreats and training events for leaders and their teams; especially those in the early care and education field.

Margee Ready

Board Member

St. Paul’s Nursery School

Fairfield, CT

Margee has been in the field of Early Childhood Education since 1974. She taught for many years before becoming the Director of St. Paul’s Nursery School of Fairfield, Inc. in 1996. Margee became a member of AELL (formerly NACCP) in 1996. In 2007 she became an Ambassador (then Liaison for NACCP). She served as a National Accreditation Commission validator for several years before becoming a member of the NAC Policy Council in 2017. Margee began serving as Chair of the Policy Council and became a member of the AELL board of directors in 2022.

Margee is the Educational Consultant for several preschools in her area and is active in the Fairfield Directors group. Margee served on the board of the local NAEYC affiliate in several capacities for many years. Margee has been married to her husband Bob since 1975. They have a daughter, twin sons and five grandchildren.

Zubeen Saeed

Board Member

Building Blocks Learning Center

Wilkes Barre, PA

Zubeen founded Building Blocks Learning Center in 2001 with the belief that every child should be valued and respected. What began in her parents’ basement with a handful of children has grown into 13 locations across Luzerne County, serving more than 1,000 children with a team of 200 staff.

Her journey in early childhood education started unexpectedly while babysitting during college, where she discovered her passion for shaping young lives. Guided by the belief that empowering children with knowledge and skills builds lifelong success, she embraced her calling and opened her first center in Wilkes-Barre.

Beyond Building Blocks, Zubeen is a national mentor, Board Member with the Association for Early Learning Leaders, and serves on advisory boards that shape the future of early childhood education. A passionate advocate for children and families, she is dedicated to expanding access to high-quality care and education.

She lives in Luzerne County with her family and three daughters.

Heather Mayo

Board Member

Sweet Peas Village Early Childhood School

East Greenwich, RI

BA liberal studies from the University of Central Florida Masters in Early Childhood Education from Rhode Island College. Have been working with children for over 30 years and started Sweet Peas Village in May of 1996. I am a mother of four daughters and have a husband who has guided me through my success as an Early Childhood Edicator. I adore children and want to provide the best early childhood experience to all children. I am very passionate about making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable population. I have been affiliated with NAEYC, Advocacy at a national level and now serve on the board of AELL and work on the membership committee as well as the professional development committee.

Jennifer Romanoff

Board Member

Lightbridge Academy

Roselle Park, NJ

Jennifer Romanoff, MA ECE, is a trainer of early childhood teachers, center administrative teams and owners. A published author of three books on responding to toddler behavior, Jennifer has been teaching and training in the early childhood education field for over 30 years. She has presented nationally both through live sessions and webinars. As VP of Education and Training for her company, Jennifer also creates trainings to support best practices, excellence in education and the accreditation process. As an executive trainer, Jennifer oversees and facilitates the three-week training process for childcare franchise owners and all members of Administration. Partnerships with various vendors also allow her to incorporate the best enhancements into her company’s internally created curriculum. Jennifer is the proud mom of a 22-year-old daughter professional Madelin, and fur baby, Scarlett.

Erica Sylvia

Board Member

Thrive Workplace Benefits

Irvine, CA

Erica Sylvia is the Owner and President of Thrive, where she is dedicated to helping business owners make smarter decisions about their benefit programs. As a financial advisor with over a decade of experience guiding business owners in their finances, she brings a unique perspective that balances quality, cost control, and integration. With a passion for helping people navigate the ever-changing and constantly challenging world of benefits and finances, Erica’s clients can always expect honesty and dedicated service from her and her team. A New England native now enjoying an active outdoor lifestyle in coastal Orange County, Erica also serves on the board of trustees for Olive Crest, supporting at-risk children and families. At home, she’s happily surrounded by a lively mix of rescue animals.

Lake Ryan Gemzik

Board Member

Building Blocks Learning Center

Wilkes Barre, PA

Lake Ryan Gemzik is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Building Blocks Learning Center, where he has led with purpose and innovation for more than 18 years. Overseeing 12 schools across Northeastern Pennsylvania, Lake is dedicated to advancing early childhood education through high-quality programs, strong leadership, and meaningful community partnerships that connect families, schools, and local organizations.

In addition to his role at Building Blocks, Lake is deeply involved in nonprofit governance. He currently serves as Vice Chair of Maternal & Family Health Services and Vice Chair of CASA of Wyoming Valley, and has contributed his expertise to several other boards over the years. Recognized for his commitment to education, equity, and community impact, Lake is known for building strong teams, cultivating lasting partnerships, and driving initiatives that support children and families across the region.

Ron McGuckin

Board President

Ronald V. McGuckin and Associates

P.O. Box 2126, Bristol, PA 19007

Mr. McGuckin is a graduate of Duquense Law School and is the owner of Ronald V. McGuckin and Associates Law Firm, which represents child care agencies in Pennsylvania, and has consulting agreements with child care agencies across the country, including several large Head Start programs. Because of his extensive expertise in the area of law affecting the child care industry, Mr. McGuckin has gained a national reputation as "The Child Care Lawyer". Having done so for over forty years, he continues to train child care professionals on a variety of issues including personnel, administration, and other management and legal issues. In addition, he is the author of three publications designed for child care administrators, "Current Issues in Child Care,” “ Model Personnel Policies for Child Care Agencies 1 st through 6 th Editions," and “Model Parent Handbook for Child Care Agencies,” all which have proven to be valuable assets to the child care industry nationwide. Since 2007, Mr. McGuckin has served on the Board of Directors of the National Accreditation Council (NAC) of the Association for Early Learning Leaders (AELL). Most recently, Ron served a four year term as Board President of the Association of Early Learning Leader’s Board of Directors.

Lynette Galante

Board Secretary

Future Generation Early Learning Centers

Teaneck, NJ

Lynette is the Executive Director and Owner of Future Generation Early Learning Centers. She has been part of the Future Generation family for 17 years and has been in the early learning industry for 23 years. Lynette received her bachelor’s degree from Marist College. Post-graduation, she has received her National Administrators Credential. Lynette is a national trainer and consultant for early learning programs and serves in the Association for Early Learning Leaders’ board and as the National Conference Chair.

Association For Early Learning Leaders
Board of Directors

Tym Smith

Board President
Early Care and Education Training and Consulting
Flower Mound, TX

Brittney Luther

Board Vice President
Young Sprouts Creative Learning Center
Azle, TX

Heather Torres

Board Secretary
Hope Lutheran Learning Center
San Antonio, TX

Slava Shevchenko

Board Treasurer
Sunshine Academy
Flagler Beach, FL

Alix Hall

Board Past President
Discovery Tree Schools
Sacramento, CA

Mary Hornbeck

Board Member
Special Beginnings Early Learning Centers
Lenexa, KS

Margee Ready

Board Member
St. Paul’s Nursery School
Fairfield, CT

Zubeen Saeed

Board Member
Building Blocks Learning Center
Wilkes Barre, PA

Heather Mayo

Board Member
Sweet Peas Village Early Childhood School
East Greenwich, RI

Jennifer Romanoff

Board Member
Lightbridge Academy
Roselle Park, NJ

Erica Sylvia

Board Member
Thrive Workplace Benefits
Irvine, CA

Lake Ryan Gemzik

Board Member
Building Blocks Learning Center
Wilkes Barre, PA

Ronald McGuckin, J.D.

Board Parliamentarian/Legal Counsel
Ronald V. McGuckin and Associates
Bristol, PA

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1250 S Capital of Texas Highway
Building 3 Suite 400 PMB 8279115
Austin, Texas 78746

Tym Smith

Brittney Luther

Heather Torres

Slava Shevchenko

Alix Hall

Mary Hornbeck

Margee Ready

Zubeen Saeed

Heather Mayo

Jennifer Romanoff

Erica Sylvia

Lake Ryan Gemzik

Ron McGuckin

Lynette Galante