INA Board of Directors
INA Co-Presidents, Wendy Sachs and Susan Tokayer
 Wendy Sachs |
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 Susan Tokayer |
Welcome to the world of nannies, nanny referral agencies, nanny
educators and those who provide special services to the in home child
care industry. Our mission at INA has to do with educating the public
about who a nanny is and the purpose she/he serves in the family.
We are also charged with the expectation of promoting the healthy
development of children and families through quality in home child
care.
To that end, the Board of Directors are representative of the membership,
consisting of nannies, newborn care specialists, educators, agency
owners, parents and industry service experts. We are confident that
this group of individuals will make decisions that will benefit our
association and will be very mindful of the individual interests
of our members as well as our mission.
The Board of Directors wants to hear from the membership and individuals
who are interested in our industry and the association mission. We
encourage you to contact us with your ideas.
2010-2012 Board of Directors
Pictured L-R: Rachel Lawerence, Cortney Gibson, Alice Shaffer, Greta Schraer, Becky Kavanagh, Carolyn Stulberg, Sharon Graff-Radell, Monta Fleming, Susan Tokayer, Wendy Sachs, Alan Friedman, Sandy Costantino, Erin Krex, Sheilagh Roth, Carmen Brown. Not pictured, Susan Veale.
2010-2012 Board of Directors
Co-President, Wendy Sachs - (Philadelphia, PA). Wendy is the owner of The Philadelphia Nanny Network, Inc. which she established in 1985. She is also a founding member of INA. Ms. Sachs has served as a board member, Secretary, and four-term President, and is returning to the position of President. Committees served include Conference, Membership, Nanny of the Year™, Nanny of the Year™ Application Revision, Publication, and Public Relations, along with many Task Forces created over the last 20 years. Ms. Sachs was spokesperson during the time of the “Zoe Baird” nanny tax issue, the Swiss Au Pair incident and the birth of nanny cams. She was a driving force in drafting the organization’s positions on the au pair programs and hidden nannycams. Ms. Sachs has lobbied on Capitol Hill regarding the Au Pair Programs, and was involved in the first phase of drafting the INA Credential Exam. An active participant in numerous conferences, she has presented workshops for agencies, including the popular New Agency Workshop presented during the past four years.
Co-President, Susan Tokayer – (Dobbs Ferry, NY). Susan has served on the INA Board of Directors since 2002. She has previously served as First Vice President and Secretary. Susan is the founder and owner of Family Helpers, Inc., Dobbs Ferry, NY, (since 1995). She is an active member in the Dobbs Ferry Chamber of Commerce. Susan has a B.A. in Business Management and a Master in Social Work degree. Prior to starting her nanny business, she worked as a psychiatric social worker and had a private practice counseling individuals, couples and families. She has been an INA member since 1995, has participated on committees, and has contributed articles to the INA newsletter, INAVision. Susan has been a workshop presenter at several INA Annual Conferences.
First Vice President, Sharon Graff-Radell - (Miami, FL). Internet Committee Co-Chair. Sharon is an Agency Consultant and the founder and president of TLC for Kids, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri (since 1985) and www.findthebestnanny.com. Sharon has been leading seminars and workshops at INA conferences and consulting since 1992. She was named the Young Entrepreneur for the state of Missouri in 1990, served INA as a member of the Public Relations Committee, has contributed articles to INAVision, and was a member of the Conference Planning Committee. Since 2004, she has been participating in INA conferences as a co-presenter of the popular New Agency Workshop. As a Board member since 1996, Sharon has served as INA’s Secretary, the Public Relations Co-Chair, First Vice President and Internet Committee Chairperson.
Second Vice President, Alan Friedman - (New York, NY). Ethics and Policies/Procedures/ Bylaws Committee Chair. Alan is co-owner and operator of the Manhattan A Choice Nanny in New York. He has been a member of INA since 1991, serving on the Board of Directors as the Legislative Chair for five years and serving as Second Vice President and Chairing the Ethics and Bylaws Committee since 2001. With a B.A. from Dartmouth College and LLB from New York University School of Law, Alan has practiced General, Corporate and Real Estate Law, both privately and with J.C. Penney for more than 20 years.
Treasurer, Sandra Costantino - (Haddonfield, NJ). Conference Site Selection. Executive Director/Co-Owner of Neighborhood Nannies, Inc. in Haddonfield, New Jersey , a leading placement agency since 1983, and one of the first nanny agencies established on the East Coast. She has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs concerning the nanny industry and its impact on the American family, in addition to representing the nanny industry in issues of regulation within the State of New Jersey. Sandra is a founding member of INA, involved since its inception, and has been the only elected individual to serve continuously on the Board of Directors since 1985 and the Executive Board for many years. She has also been responsible for the annual conference site selection, contractual negotiations, and planning, since 1993. Sandra has chaired the INA Committee on Professional Standards and has served on several committees: Conference, Finance, INA Relocation Committee and Publications Review Board and has headed up various task forces over the past 26 years. In addition to being Treasurer for multiple terms, in past years Sandra also served as INA Secretary and First Vice President.
Secretary, Becky Kavanagh - (Eden Prairie, MN). Nanny Mentor and NOTY Mentor Program Chair. Becky has an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education, and has seven years experience as an assistant child care program director and as a preschool teacher. For the past 20 years she has been a professional nanny. Since 2000, she is a part-time member of the Nannies from the Heartland staff, a premier referral agency serving the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area. Becky was the 1998 recipient of the Parents Magazine Child Care Award, which honors outstanding child care providers and advocates. In 2006, Becky was chosen as INA's Nanny of the Year™. She has served on the Board of Directors of INA for multiple years, served as President for two of those years and currently is Secretary and chair of the Nanny Mentor Programs. She has been a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children for more than 21 years, and is an active member of her local support group, Twin Cities Professional Nannies, where she served as the president for two years and is currently serving as secretary.
Carmen Brown - (Palm Springs, CA). Webinar Committee Chair. Carmen is the CEO and founder of Kids 1st Nanny Inc. Established in 1998, the agency serves the Coachella Valley and Inland Empire in Southern CA. Carmen has been a Registered Nurse since 1995 and worked in the NICU at Desert Regional Center for 8 years. During that time she served as a Unit Preceptor, Resolve Through Sharing Counselor, and was the President of Shared Governance Council. She maintains instructor status with the American Academy of Pediatrics for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program. Carmen is a Board Member of the Yucaipa Valley Christian School District and has the additional role of Secretary for the Board and Chairperson for the Fundraising Committee. Carmen resides in Redlands with her husband of 16 years and their three children.
Monta Fleming – (Flower Mound, TX). Internet Committee Co-Chair. Originally from Sacramento, CA, Monta Fleming now resides in Flower Mound, Texas with her husband and three kids. With a degree in Psychology and Marketing, she spent 17 years in the corporate world as a self taught computer programmer, advancing to Director of IT for web, database, and computer systems for multi-national corporations. When challenged to find the "right" nanny for her family upon the birth of her first child, she was able to turn the challenge into a winning solution for herself and thousands of other families. Combining her management and IT expertise with passion for providing over the top customer service she created and founded GoNannies.com. As the ultimate "Mom-preneur", Monta is actively involved in her community, and other entrepreneurial groups. Monta volunteers for her local PTA, cooks meals for those in need, and volunteers her time to local charities. Monta speaks as an expert advisor on household help issues to many organizations and groups, and is a mentor for other "Mom-preneurs".
Cortney Gibson - (Franklin, IN). Newborn Care Specialists Committee Chair. Cortney owns and operates Gibson Newborn Services, a company dedicated to helping parents of new babies succeed through education, newborn care and support. Cortney has spent the past 14 years working directly with families. She spent the first eight years as a professional nanny and in 2004 she began working exclusively with newborns. Her specialty is the care of preemies and multiples, as well as sleep coaching and new parent education. As a Certified Happiest Baby Educator, she teaches the soothing methods of Dr. Harvey Karp. In addition to teaching private classes, she works with local child abuse prevention programs to bring this life saving technique to inner city and teen parents. Cortney is a contributing writer for INAVision and has been featured in dozens of newspapers including The Indianapolis Star and Chicago Tribune.
Erin Krex - (Chicago, IL). Publications Committee Chair. Agency Workshop Coordinator. Erin is the owner of First Class Care, Inc. - Chicagoland's Premier Nanny Agency. Erin has a B.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati DAAP and 5 years design and marketing experience. As an agency owner and working mother with a nanny, Erin strives to educate families and nannies about good practices. Erin is on the board of the Baby Boutique Expos in Chicago. She is also a member of Illinois Action for Children and The Network of Women Entrepreneurs. Erin has been a member of INA since 2006.
Rachel Lawrence - (Wilmington, NC). Research Committee Chair. Exam Development Committee Chair. Rachel is the President/Founder of Wilmington Nanny Agency, LLC. She believes that superior customer service is the cornerstone of running a successful nanny referral agency. Rachel, a member of INA since 2005, has also been active in INA with the P.R. committee as well as writing for INAVision. Rachel gives back to the nanny industry by volunteering and media involvement. She has contributed segments to her local ABC station as well as published articles in The Star News of Wilmington, Be The Best Nanny Monthly Guide, Avenue Magazine and The NANC Gazette. Rachel was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Coastal Small Business Awards in 2008, and the Wilmington Family Favorites Award in 2010.
Sheilagh Roth - (Chagrin Falls , OH) Education Committee Chair. Sheilagh was born in England and reared by a nanny. Sheilagh earned a BA in Art History from Case Western Reserve University where she founded English Nanny & Governess School in 1984. ENGS was the first nanny school in America with a full academic faculty dedicated exclusively to educating nannies and governesses. Sheilagh was invited to the White House to represent the nanny profession at Hillary Clinton's Conference on Childcare and was a judge for the "Parents Magazine Nanny Award". Sheilagh has been a guest on Larry King Live and has given numerous interviews from the school, such as on Good Morning America, Fox Cable News shows, and other various television and radio shows across the country. She has also been featured in American magazines and national newspapers. She has presented at an NAEYC conference and was instrumental in requiring regulations for the Au Pair programs. As the Executive Director of ENGS and President of the American Council of Nanny Schools, she has served on child-related advisory boards, and for the past quarter of the century, Sheilagh has been a leading advocate for benefits and respect for American nannies.
Greta Schraer – (Cincinnati, OH). Membership Committee Chair. Greta is a full-time career nanny currently caring for three year old triplet boys. She has worked for the past 18 years in the Cincinnati area as a full-time, temporary, part-time and seasonal nanny for many families. Greta has also been a Youth Ministry Administrator mentoring junior and senior high school students through one-on-one and group teaching. Since returning from the 2009 INA Conference, Greta started a blog, CincyNanny to connect the nannies in Cincinnati and share resources and information. CincyNanny now has over 50 nannies involved, six nannies have joined INA, and the CincyNanny blog continues to grow and be featured outside the Cincinnati area. Greta has also been able to mentor families and nannies through all the issues they face. In addition to spending time with her husband, Greta teaches dance, the Lindy Hop/Swing Dancing. She also volunteers at her church as well as partnering in national and international mission trips. Greta's hobbies include travelling to new cities, cooking new recipes, writing, and making projects on her Mac computer.
Alice Shaffer – (Washington, DC). Social Networking Committee Chair. Alice Shaffer is a 15 year career nanny currently in Washington, DC, where she works as a nanny/household manager organizing the lives of three busy teenagers. After graduating Western Carolina University with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work in 1995, she started her career as a professional nanny. In 1996, while working as a nanny in Chapel Hill, North Carolina Alice connected with nanny industry pioneer Eva Harkness, a co-founder of the National Association of Nannies (NAN), who mentored her as she started a nanny support group. Then working in the DC area, Alice became involved with ADCAN, and in 1997 she was elected to its Board of Directors where she served eight years as its President, Vice President and Treasurer. She also served as the newsletter editor and currently has a financial column featured in their publication. She also served on the NAN Board of Directors as their Membership Committee Chair. In 2006 Alice became involved in INA serving on the Conference Committee. During the New Orleans Annual INA Conference, she earned the title of the "Raffle Lady" as she sold tickets and raised fistfuls of funds for the conference's charity. Continuing in that role for the past three years, she has set and exceeded her ticket sales goals, bringing in an abundance of contributions to INA and the charities it supports. When she recognized her peers were not prepared financially for their future, she launched Financial Nanny blog where she educates nannies about retirement planning and savings. She has also been a contributor to the INA newsletter, INAVision. Alice also co-founded Regarding Nannies a daily comprehensive "one-stop" blog about the nanny industry started in 2009.
Carolyn S. Stulberg, BSN, CCE – (Solon, OH). Governmental Affairs Committee Chair. Carolyn Stulberg founded Alexandria School in 2007 with a passion for teaching high quality in-home child care. With over 30 years of experience in child care education, Carolyn holds an Associate's Degree in Nursing from Purdue University and a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from Skidmore College. She has worked in pediatric wards and neonatal intensive care units of hospitals, has taught prenatal, postnatal, parenting, grand parenting and breastfeeding classes. She has developed her own courses for creative play and current concepts in infant care. A mother of four, Carolyn is committed to educating and training nannies with a demanding, practical curriculum that positions graduates to be the best in their profession.
Susan Veale - (Dallas, TX). Fundraising Committee. Susan has been in the childcare industry for more than 30 years. She has been a professional Nanny/Governess since graduating from The English Nanny and Governess School in 2001. Susan has been a member of INA for seven years and passed the INA Nanny Credential Exam. She has served on the 2008 Conference Committee, INA Credential Exam Committee and was the Editor of the INAVision newsletter. Other memberships include, The Dallas/Ft Worth Nanny Association, National Association for the Education of Young Children and The International Network for Children and Families. Her background includes serving on the YMCA/Rotary Soccer Program as executive committee secretary that allowed her to gain experience in leadership, public relations and fund raising.