top of page

Terrie VanZandt-Travis, MSW

Executive Director

Meet Our Team

Larry

Larry Lewis, Jr.
Executive Director

Larry3.jpg

Over the past 20 years, Larry has been active in his roles, working with children and youth in the Midwest. He has successfully strengthened programs for urban youth, developed financial goals for growth and has implemented whole-child educational services.

 

His commitment to serving families has been a part of Larry’s professional journey since the very beginning. Larry attended Blue Valley Northwest and graduated from Kansas State University, where he completed his bachelor's degree in Family Studies and Human Services while also competing as a collegiate athlete.

 

His opportunity to volunteer at a local after school program piloted him into a field that would ultimately become his career. Working after school with children allowed Larry to discover his talent for connecting with youth. Years later, he has served in various roles, all with the vision of helping young people reach their full potential.

 

During his endeavor as a child and youth development professional, Larry has gained the experience of leading large nonprofit organizations through fundraising projects, partnering with local companies, and establishing positive connections in the community to bring awareness to the need of quality care and education for all children from all backgrounds.

 

When he is not busy advocating for children, Larry enjoys sports recreation activities with his family and traveling to new places.

Trophy
LarryKidPic.jpg
Sam

Samantha Mothersbaugh
Program Director

Samantha is passionate about the children in our communities and providing comprehensive services for the whole family. She has worked in early intervention, behavior analysis, data collection, staff development and training. She has had the pleasure of being a classroom teacher, program director and even being a Head Start parent, herself.

 

Samantha shares her life with her amazing wife, Brooklynn, who is a former Head Start Family Advocate, teacher and volunteer. They have two children, Lily (5) and Aliya (11) that are their world. Their family loves adventures, connecting with nature, exploring their community and trying new things. Sam loves reading, art, music and good food - all the great things in life.
 

Dave Harrold
Finance Director

Dave Harrold.jpg

Dave joined the management team at Growing Futures in June 2020 as the Director of Finance. 

Dave has been passionate about our organization for a very long time, serving as a member of the Growing Futures Board of Directors for the last four years. In his role, Dave is responsible for managing the accounting system, including transaction accounting, payroll, internal control and financial reporting, as well as IT. He also works alongside the program staff in managing budget and financial forecasting.

 

Dave brings experience as a CPA with a wide range of business, accounting and finance experience. Dave has served in accounting and finance leadership positions with several non-profits, including the YWCA of Kansas City and The Salvation Army and has been a small business owner, where he gained valuable business operations and strategic planning experience.

 

Dave is married to Robin and together, they have three children. Dave is an active volunteer in non-profits and has served in several financial management related volunteer positions at his church for many years. In his free time, Dave enjoys home projects of all types, especially woodworking. He also loves being outdoors and hiking the Rockies is an all-time favorite activity.

Jessica Hoffman
Director of Development & Community Relations

Jessica Hoffman.jpg

Jessica is an accomplished marketing professional with over 20 years of experience, who is passionate about supporting the people in our community. With an extensive background in marketing, digital media, fundraising, event coordination, sponsorships, donations and community development; Jessica has put her skills to use to tell the Growing Futures story and to showcase all of the positive ways children and families are being supported.

Jessica grew up on her family farm outside of Clinton, MO and moved to Kansas City after attending college at Central Missouri State University. Her passion for giving back to the community began at an early age, when she became an advocate for the American Cancer Society while in high school. What began as organizing a small, community daffodil fundraiser in her DECA group, grew to become a part of her values and mission to give back to her local community. Since then, she has organized several, large-scale events and fundraisers that have further supported her passion and the communities she serves.

 

Jessica and her husband have two border collies, Brody & Bailey, and enjoy camping, fishing and all things outdoors. Her favorite holiday is Halloween and the Hoffman's spend a lot of time creating an interactive and fun experience for the children in their neighborhood. Jessica also enjoys cooking and baking, meeting new people, listening to good music, walking her dogs and spending time with friends and family.

Alphabet Cubes
Train
Abacus
IMG_3426.JPG
David4years.jpg
Dave
Jessica
Sam2.jpg
Sam Baby Photo.jpg

Suzanne Handlin, PHR

Human Resource Manager

Suzanne Handlin.jpg

Suzanne Handlin is the Human Resource Manager at Growing Futures.  She has been with Growing Futures since March of 2020.  Suzanne has over 16 years of experience in the HR field and earned her PHR certification in 2016.  Her experience consists mostly of working in the medical field, but has also worked in HR for a property management firm, software, and the movie theater industry.  Most of her time spent at Growing Futures is building relationships with the staff, mentoring, recruiting, and everything in between.  Suzanne chose Growing Futures because she sees the need in the community for an organization that will wrap their arms around a family and child in need.  Her mother was a teacher in the public school system where she grew up in Newport News, VA and was able to see the impact that teachers and caregivers can have on their students.  When Suzanne is not working, she loves spending time with her family, gathering friends, traveling, and attending live concerts of her favorite bands.  LinkedIn link: http://linkedin.com/in/suzhandlin

First Prize Badge
Suzanne.jpg
Suzanne

Management

Evan Rosemann
Grants Manager

Julie Taylor, LMSW
Mental Health Specialist & Family Educator Coach

Julie Taylor
Mental Health Specialist & Family Educator Coach

Kesha Estelle
Head Start Education Specialist

Story%20Time_edited.png

Our Team

Bee

Not Pictured

Bryanna Contreras

Health & Nutrition Specialist

Rachel South

Coach 

 

Tanesha Thompson

Family & Community Partnership Coordinator

Taylor Williams
Head Start Education Specialist

Vicky Flucke
Disabilities & School Readiness Services Specialist

Ms. Anea
Room 20, Lead Teacher

Ms. Areli
Family Educator

Ms. Aveanna
Family Support Advocate

Ms. Caylee
Room 17, Lead Teacher

Ms. Cheryl
Office Manager

Ms. Farah
Room 20, Lead Teacher

Ms. Emily
Room 3, Lead Teacher

Ms. Heather
Data Associate/ERSEA Monitor

Ms. Jess
Family Educator

Ms. Joyce
Room 3, Lead Teacher 

Ms. Jocelyn
Room 19, Assistant Teacher

Ms. Kathy
Volunteer & Development Associate

Ms. Kerry Jo
Annual Fund Associate

Ms. Kiki
Room 19, Lead Teacher

Ms. Marisa
Family Educator

Mr. Mike
Room 2, Lead Teacher

Ms. Kelly
Room 4, Lead Teacher

Ms. Lynne
Room 1, Lead Teacher

Ms. Kristine
Accounting Associate

Ms. Sarah
Room 1, Lead Teacher

Ms. Sara
Room 2, Lead Teacher

Ms. Shannon
Room 16, Lead Teacher

Ms. Sheila
Room 14, Lead Teacher

Ms. Sophie
Family Support Advocate

Ms. Taylor
Event & Marketing Associate

Ms. Teresa
Office Assistant

Ms. Trisha
Room 14, Assistant Teacher

Ms. Taylor
Marketing & Events Associate

Ms. Teresa
Office Assistant

Not Pictured Above

Ms. Angela

Room 4, Assistant Teacher

Ms. Brittnie

Family Educator

Ms. Cherra

Family Educator

Ms. Hermila

Kitchen Assistant

Ms. Hilsin

Room 16, Lead Teacher

Ms. Jenny

Room 16, Teacher

Ms. Jessi

Family Support Advocate

Ms. Lynee

Family Educator

Ms. Megan

Room 4, Lead Teacher

Ms. Vanessa

Room 19, Lead Teacher

The Board

Bird

Jake Barnes

Financial Advisory Service, Inc.

Scott Campbell

Integrit Ops

Kendall Burr

Blue Valley School District

Carol Gonzales

MARC

Anne Mills

Retired from Hallmark

Chris Davis

PGAV Architects

Amy Goostree

Onspring Technologies, LLC

Jill Grotzinger

USA Fencing

Antoinette Redmond

Dairy Farmers of America

Carol Heil

Retired Not-for-Profit ED

Brian Zickefoose

Husch Blackwell

Nick Ong

Ong & Company

Joe Onofrio

Five Elms Capital

Debra Peterson

Comm365

Marc Shaffer

Searcy Financial Services

Thom Sutherland

Johnson County District Court

Machaela Whelan

Jewish Community Center

Leeanne Smith

Johnson County Young Matrons

Kate Allen

Johnson County Community College

Jessica Nollett

Enterprise Bank

Story Time

Anne Blessing
Claire Ehney
David Francis
Elaine Mann
Gale Hansen
Gene Wilson
Jeanne Sosland

The Advisory Board

Drawing of Cat
Railroad Set
Drawing of Cat

Jennifer Sawyer

Joseph Matovu

Jyoti Mukharji

Laura Scott

Leslie Whitaker

Lillian Hall

Sara McElhenny

Ann Kenny

Careers

Policy Council

Dawn Rear High DJI_0824.png
Drawing of Cat

Officers:

President- Sholabomi Popoola

Vice-President- Guadalupe Mullett

Secretary- Aubree Vetter

Treasurer- Katie Hunt & Megan Robertson

 

Community Representatives:

Susan Verlinde (DCF Liaison Representative)

Shannon Goebel (JOCO Library Representative)

Rachael Perez (JOCO Mental Health Representative)

Katie Schatte (SafeKids Representative)

Kelli Mather (El Centro Representative)

Sandra Reece (WIC Representative)

Members:

Maria Flores-Espinoza 
Cassie Harbert 
Aubree Vetter 
Juliana Liu 
Guadalupe Mullett 

Tri Nguyen 
Dulex Joseph 
Sholabomi Popoola 
Lidia Reyes Olvera 
Destiny Aguilar 
Meseret Chaka Jida 
Nancy Romero Vargas 
El-Hocine Hammi 
Farah Al-Dulaimi 

Miroslava Corral Vale 
Araceli Meya 
Stevche Mitanoski 
Julisa Aldana 
Katie Hunt 
Megan Robertson 
Marta Rosa 
Zahraa Alshaikhli 
Victoria Burgos Munoz 
Lya Caro 
Madison Todd 
Mary Marara 

Careers

Watercolor Butterfly 5

Grow with us! Experience the everyday excitement our children have while they learn and grow at school. Growing Futures is proud to provide a safe, encouraging environment for the children, families and staff. We also provide a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance; short-term and long-term disability; life insurance; 403(b); and generous paid time off, including 

winter and spring breaks.

Watercolor Butterfly 5
Drawing of Hedgehog

Click HERE to see available career opportunities!

Girl on a Tricycle
bottom of page