Yavapai Communities for Young Children
Steering Committee Biographies
Leslie Horton, MA, MCHES
Yavapai County Community Health Services, Director
As a local public health leader, I believe that children’s health, wellbeing, and access to equitable healthcare must be a priority. In order to support our children and families, we must address the inequities and disparities in the community through collaboration, community education, and improved service provision. By working with other agency and community leaders who make children’s welfare a priority, I am confident that we will make long-lasting systematic and environmental changes that will support children’s needs for years to come.
Shawn Hatch, LCSW, CCS, AADC
Spectrum Healthcare Group, Regional Vice President of Northern Arizona
My career experience in serving those in rural areas as well as in leadership at Spectrum Healthcare, which specializes in access to care with expanding programs for youth, makes for a perfect fit in the YCYC. As a licensed social worker, I understand the impact of grassroots organizing and action. My intention with the collective is to move the needle by exploring and implementing ways in which resources can be effectively utilized for the underserved youth in the Yavapai County community.
Lisa Blyth
First Things First Yavapai Regional Director
System inadequacies are not created by a single entity, so a single entity is also not going to resolve them. I’ve been working in the families and children world for more than two decades. I keep looking for a space where decision makers with great minds, big hearts and an affinity for data will come to the table, leaving their individual agency agenda aside to create a community based, actionable plan that values children and their families. I think this just might be the place.
Rebecca Serratos
Prescott Farmers Market-Vendor Development Coordinator
I want to continue the work started around purposeful collaboration in the Yavapai First Thing First Regional Partnership Council by engaging with the larger Yavapai community. I’m a systems thinker and believe that the work each of us does in this community impacts our friends, family, and neighbors. Working toward a culture of health for families in our area through collective, intentional, and equitable change and progress is possible and I’m excited to be a part of this collective!
Martha Baden
Prescott Public Library, Library Manager, Public Services
I am honored to be a part of this collective and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of thoughtful, data-driven planning for change. Having served families of young children in school and public libraries for a long time, I am well aware of how badly we need to back up and be proactive about ensuring young children have what they need for healthy futures. I have seen the power of a collective that brings participants with different perspectives and spheres of influence together, and am inspired by the passion and compassion of this collective as they work towards those healthy futures.
Marney Babbitt-Pierce
Council Member, Town of Clarkdale
I joined this collective impact initiative because I believe children are our future. A lot of great work is being done in Yavapai County to support the next generation; working together we can accomplish even more. I envision a future where children in all of Yavapai County have easy access to the same resources for their health, growth, and development as children in metropolitan communities.
Ronael Eckman
Vice President of Medical Affairs, Yavapai Regional Medical Center
I joined the collective impact initiative because I am passionate about children’s health as well as the health of our community at large, and collaborating across sectors and organizations to achieve a healthier early childhood population in our county sounded like an incredible idea.
Beya Thayer
Executive Director, Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition
The Yavapai Communities for Young Children initiative aligns with the Coalition’s goal of increasing behavioral health access to children, youth, and families. Yavapai is rich with the opportunities needed to support our younger population, yet many of these opportunities require on-going collaboration and partnerships. I am here to support the identification of priorities and building the bridges to create positive outcomes for our community.
Tamara Player
President and CEO of Polara Health
Having worked in healthcare for almost three decades, I have seen how our systems continue to create barriers for families in spite of all of our great intentions. Driven by my belief that everyone deserves to feel well, I work every day on transforming our system of care. I believe that we can accomplish so much more together through collaboration and collective impact.
Wendy Watson
Early Childhood Education Consultant, Faculty Emerita Prescott College
Working as a Home Visitor at Head Start for 17 years allowed me to experience what families struggle with in trying to provide the essentials for their children. Rural areas are great places to live but do not always function well for family accessibility to resources. We have a lot of supports in Yavapai County, but families face economic and transportation barriers. Coming together as a community to identify and bridge these challenges would be the best outcome for this collaboration.