Dear Sarah,

Families In Schools is excited to announce its new Vice President of Strategy & Partnerships, Dr. Jessie Cuadra.

Jessie formerly served as the Family Engagement Manager of the Child Care Resource Center Head Start Birth to Five and State Preschool program. In this role, she worked closely with parent leaders in their growth as thought partners in guiding early care and education program services. She designed and delivered trainings to program staff on evidence-based practices for engaging families that are culturally responsive, and trauma-informed.

Jessie was born in El Salvador and at the age of 4, traveled with her maternal grandmother and younger sister through Guatemala into Mexico to cross the US border into California to be reunited with her immigrant parents. Unable to enroll into preschool programs, she began her public education journey in kindergarten and had to learn to navigate the school system as an English language learner. Her parents never sought, nor received, any public or community assistance for the fear that it would unveil their immigrant status or impede their naturalization process in some way, so they worked multiple jobs to provide for their five children.

It was while reflecting on the institutional inequities that she and her parents had been confronted with, and continued to be pushed up against, that Jessie made a commitment to align her education and professional endeavors to serving children, families, and communities that have been historically excluded. Throughout her 20-year career, she has honed her ability to build relationships to engage parents, community partners, and program staff in the design and assessment of program services. She is excited by standing in the gap of where an organization is and where it wants to go, and has employed hybrid project management approaches to respond to – and lead others through – change. Jessie is passionate in championing the work and developing the skills of organizational employees, modeling and providing many of the experiences she in turn expects them to provide the children, families, and communities they serve. 

Jessie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Child Care Administration from California State University, Northridge and a Doctor of Psychology with an emphasis in Organizational Management and Consulting from Phillips Graduate University.

Please join us in welcoming a key member of the FIS family.