About Us

Aiesha Rahn has devoted 20 years to early childhood education, working with children and families who have been the most vulnerable, like herself, in the North Omaha community.  As an early childhood specialist, she spent five years with Early Childhood Services under the umbrella of Building Bright Futures. She conducted training with the Department of Education while transitioning to the State of Nebraska Step Up to Quality initiative as an early childhood specialist. In addition, she is an adjunct instructor with Metropolitan Community College, teaching early childhood education courses.  

Fabiola was born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and moved to the United States with her husband in 2000. Over the years, she has had the opportunity to work closely with at-risk families and children, strengthening advocacy and creating strong community partnerships. She is passionate about early childhood education and believes that all children in Nebraska should have the same opportunities to achieve their full potential for equitable and inclusive education. 

 Amy LaPointe is an enrolled member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and a member of the Snake Clan. She has been employed with the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska for 18 years, 14 of those with the Head Start program and four years as the Winnebago Tribe Education Director. She has had the pleasure of participating in the planning and development of Educare Winnebago. She continues to serve as a strong advocate for early childhood, serving on various committees locally and within Nebraska. 

 With a background in early childhood development, Nayeli brings three years of experience in educational home visits, where she worked closely with parents to foster a nurturing learning environment for their children. Additionally, she spent two years as a child learning supervisor, honing her expertise in social-emotional development, executive functioning, and cultural competence. She is deeply committed to empowering parents and recognizing early childhood's crucial role in shaping a child's future. 

Portia Kennel is a veteran leader in the early childhood field. Her work is grounded in an understanding of early childhood development, teaching practices, family systems, and clinical issues related to working with families in under-resourced communities.  After years of partnering with philanthropic organizations to build and launch innovative early childhood programs, Portia Kennel joined the Buffett Early Childhood Fund in 2015 to serve as a senior advisor to the foundation. During her tenure at the foundation, Portia led efforts to develop family engagement program models that empower parents as a force for change in their families, schools, and communities.   In 2000, she created and led the implementation of the first Educare School on Chicago’s south side. As the founding executive director of the Educare Learning Network, Kennel also led the national expansion of Educare to a diverse range of communities across America. 

Regina Idoate, PhD, is a citizen of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and an Associate Professor of Health Promotion. Dr. Idoate conducts research and evaluation in partnership with community-based organizations, including local health departments. She focuses on developing and evaluating projects to promote health equity and improve population health. She has collaborated on several projects focused on increasing diversity in public health workforce development. Dr. Idoate has worked at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for over ten years, both as a bilingual program evaluator in the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Interdisciplinary Center for Program Evaluation and as a faculty member in the College of Public Health where she serves as the Director of Spirituality, Culture and Health. She has led numerous needs assessment, evaluation, and research projects funded by local, state, and federal agencies. She is skilled in qualitative and quantitative methods and deeply appreciates community-engaged work, mindfulness, cultural humility, and equitable evaluation.