Alliance of RIE Associates

Debbie Bergstrom (Port Hueneme, California) is a Child Youth Program Administrator, WestEd PITC Graduate, PITC Infant/Toddler Specialist and ECE Consultant. For 30 years she has worked in full day care programs, and in supporting and training Family Child Care Providers. Debbie studied at the Pikler Institute in 2008. She is currently the Child Youth Program Administrator for the U.S. Navy in Port Hueneme, California. bergsjd@aol.com

Rebecca Bowler (Fairfax, California) has been a RIE Associate since 1994 and a member of the RIE Alliance since 2008. A former nanny, she is fortunate to have trained with Magda. Rebecca has maintained a massage therapy practice for 17 years and is the former Managing Editor at Underwood Books. Blessed with a four year-old daughter, Rebecca is passionate about RIE parenting and community, Waldorf education, gardening, theater, and anything orange. rebecca@healingarts.com • rbhealingarts.com
Lisa Chariff Better became a RIE Associate in 2010. She observed her first RIE Class in Los Angeles many years earlier and became a passionate advocate for Magda Gerber’s Educaring™ Approach. Lisa is a frequent RIE keynote speaker for Holistic Moms of Miami and works as a Guardian ad Litem in Dade County, Florida. She attended the 2010 Pikler Conference in Tulsa where she studied with Anna Tardos. Lisa lives in Miami where she teaches Parent-Infant Guidance classes for both infants and toddlers. RIEBred@gmail.com •riemiami.com
Alexandra Curtis Boyer (Tampa, Florida) is a RIE I Instructor and Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator. She is also a mentor and teacher trainer who directs prenatal education programs for at-risk women and the community for the Child Abuse Council of Tampa. A former preschool teacher, she is an honorary board member of the Pikler Institute and Residential Nursery Home in Budapest, Hungary. ABoyer@cachillsborough.com •www.acorntooakbaby.com
Mary Louise Brennan (Portland, Oregon) studied with Magda Gerber both at Pacific Oaks College and at the RIE Center and has been a RIE Associate since 1989. She is an Infant Toddler Program Consultant and RIE Foundations  Instructor, currently working with infants and toddlers in a child development center in downtown Portland. Mary Louise has presented at national and international seminars and workshops. She is a passionate professional with over 35 years experience working and learning with the very youngest children, their parents and their teachers.  marylouisebrennan@yahoo.com
Elsa Chahin (Pacific Palisades, California) is a WestEd PITC Graduate and UCLA-certified Lactation Educator. She translated Magda Gerber’s videos, See How They Move and Seeing Infants With New Eyes, and collaborated on the translation of Your Self-Confident Baby to Spanish. Elsa travels nationally and internationally to present on both the Educaring™ Approach and Pikler method and has written several articles. She has studied at the Pikler Institute on nine occasions, and was a presenter at the 2004 and 2007 Pikler International Symposiums. Elsa assisted Anna Tardos as co-trainer in the Pikler Beginner and Advanced Trainings in Budapest in 2007, 2008, and in 2010 in the U.S. Elsa serves on the Executive Board of the Pikler/Loczy Fund USA. mamadeleo@aol.com
Sue Ann Chilcote (Studio City, California) became a RIE Associate in 2002 after many years working directly with infants and toddlers as a nanny and later as a teacher in group infant and toddler care at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, California.  Over the past 12 years she has devoted much of her time to studying infant development, and in 2005 completed the ECE Certificate Program at Cabrillo College. Sue Ann has presented RIE workshops at various conferences in California and Washington. She has recently relocated to Los Angeles for a nanny position and will soon be teaching Parent-Infant Guidance classes in the Los Angeles area.
Valorie Cole (Santa Barbara, California) has been a student and advocate of RIE since 1989, when she attended her first RIE Course. This led to in-depth studies in infant and toddler care and development, including attending PITC and traveling to Budapest to see and experience Loczy. She was a part of the planning and implementation of Cottage Hospital’s RIE Accreditation in 1991 and later worked with teen parents at two local high schools, teaching parenting skills and caring for their infants and toddlers. Valorie was then hired by Discoveries Learning Center to open and direct Early Discoveries Toddler Center, and later became the Director of both programs. Her current goals are to conduct Parent-Infant Guidance classes, to mentor RIE students on their own journeys, and to spend lots of quality time with her 11 grandchildren. valoriejean@yahoo.com

Catriona Davies (Santa Monica, California) attended RIE Parent-Infant Guidance classes with her two young children. In 2001, she began her RIE professional training. Catriona has been teaching Parent-Infant Guidance classes at Hari’s RIE studio in Santa Monica since 2005. She also co-facilitates parent workshops. 

Simone Stave Demarzi (Carmichael, California) became acquainted with RIE in the summer of 2002 on Whidby Island with Polly Elam. Simone has been working in the field of Early Childhood since 1981, has a BA, Waldorf Teacher Training, LifeWays certification, all her ECE units, and is a PITC trainer. She is one of the original four members of the CORE 4 in Sacramento, bringing RIE to Northern California. Simone now has an Infant Program in her home combining RIE with her Waldorf background. Her program has recently been accepted into the mentoring/practicum program in the local community college circuit. 
Anita Cooper Ebright (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) became a RIE Associate in 1992 while working with Magda Gerber at RIE during a sabbatical year. She is a RIE Foundations Instructor and Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator. Anita attended Pacific Oaks College for her Master’s degree work. From 1986 to the present, after many years of working directly with children’s programs, she joined the ECE faculty at Lethbridge College in Alberta, Canada. anita.cooper@lethbridgecollege.ab.ca
Polly Elam (Paso Robles, California) studied and worked with Magda Gerber for 20 years. She studied at the Pikler Institute in 1986, 2005 and 2008 and presented at the Pikler International Conference in 2007. She is a WestEd PITC Graduate and PQ Trainer. Polly has experience as a Regional Child Development Program Administrator and Community College Instructor. She was a contributing writer to Authentic Relationships In Group Care for Infants and Toddlers, RIE Principles Into Practice. As an ECE Consultant, Polly has worked with a variety of infant/toddler programs and has conducted seminars and training in Europe, New Zealand and Canada. pollyelam@aol.com
Lee Fernandez (Redwood City, California) is inspired by the work of infant specialist Magda Gerber and physician-educator Maria Montessori. She currently conducts RIE Parent-Infant Guidance classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lee has forty years experience in parent education and ECE as a teacher, trainer, administrator (military and university programs), Montessori preschool owner and author. Lee has an  MA in Human Development, specializing in infants and toddlers, from Pacific Oaks College where she trained with Magda, and a Montessori Teaching Certificate from Spring Hill College. lemoinefernandez@att.net • www.discoveryourbaby.org
Jill Getto Lee (Studio City, California), was first introduced to RIE at Elizabeth Memel’s Parent-Infant Guidance class where she took her twin sons in 2004 at the original RIE Center in Silver Lake, California. In 2005, Jill began her professional RIE training. She is an accredited RIE facilitator and teaches Parent-Infant Guidance classes at the Los Angeles RIE Center. JGettolee@aol.com 

Marcela Giannini (Schererville, Indiana) was introduced to RIE over 20 years ago, mentored by Magda Gerber and studied under her tutelage throughout her RIE professional development training. Marcela also served as Magda Gerber’s personal assistant. r9g0al@aol.com

Janet Gonzalez-Mena (Fairfield, California) interned with Magda Gerber at the Demonstration Infant Program (DIP) in Palo Alto, California in1976. Janet is the author of many books in the ECE field, having co-authored Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers, going into its ninth edition. On the faculty of WestEd PITC Training of Trainers Institute, Janet conducts seminars and workshops in the U.S. and internationally and is on the Board of Directors of Pikler/Loczy Fund USA. jgmena@earthlink.net
Hari Grebler (Santa Monica, California) studied and worked with Magda Gerber from 1984 to 1990, and trained at the Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary in 1994. She completed her Waldorf Early Childhood Education training in 2000. Hari taught intensive RIE courses at the Rudolf Steiner College summer program (2004-2006) and has presented workshops at numerous early childhood conferences. In 1990, Hari established Hari’s RIE Studio in Santa Monica which offers parent-child classes as well as educational workshops for those involved with young children from birth to three. Hari started Bueno Baby, a company which makes natural wood stools, tables and other RIE-friendly furniture. Hari also mentors RIE students. www.harisriestudio.com
Deborah Greenwald (Pensacola, Florida) is a member of the RIE Board of Directors. She joined WestEd in 2002 as a Senior Program Associate at the Center for Child and Family Studies. She directs the Infant/Toddler Guidelines Project for the California Department of Education and is a faculty member of the Program for Infant/Toddler Caregiver Institutes. Prior to working at WestEd, Greenwald spent 15 years in infant/toddler group care. She also taught Parent-Infant Guidance classes and was an infant/toddler specialist in a resource and referral agency. Deborah received a BA in Child Development from Humboldt State University and an MA in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College. She also holds certificates from the American Montessori Society and Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE). She edits the Educaring newsletter for RIE and provides training on infant toddler care and development around the country. dgreenw@wested.org
Ruth Anne Hammond (Los Angeles, California), is the author of Respecting Babies: A New Look at Magda Gerber’s RIE Approach (Zero to Three, 2009). She is a specialist in infant/toddler development and caregiving, and has been leading the Pacific Oaks Infant-Toddler/Parent Program in Pasadena since 1996. She is President of the RIE Board of Directors and a RIE mentor/teacher, having studied under its founder, Magda Gerber. Ruth Anne also teaches in the Human Development Department of Pacific Oaks College, and currently studies affective neuroscience under Dr. Allan N. Schore of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. ruthannehammond@gmail.com • respectingbabies.com
Eileen Henry (Boulder, Colorado) is a RIE Associate and mother of two excellent sleepers. Her sleep program Compassionate Sleep Solutions™, is a mindful approach to healthy and dependable sleep based on the RIE philosophy of caring for the young child with respect and authenticity. She lives and teaches in Boulder, and offers private consultations on child sleep and mindful parenting. Eileen’s parent education program is called “Mindful Moments” and is based on RIE’s Educaring™ Approach. www.eileensclasses.com
Johanna Herwitz, holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is a New York State licensed clinical psychologist. She facilitates Parent-Infant Guidance classes in New York City and also serves as an executive board member of the Pikler/Loczy Fund USA. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children. www.mindfulparentingnyc.com
 Linda Hinrichs (Topanga, California) is a Child Development Specialist and former Chair of the RIE Alliance of Associates. She met and began her studies with Magda Gerber in 1978 and served on the RIE Board of Directors from 1985-1990. She is a graduate of Cedars-Sinai Hospital Therapeutic Nursery Training Program and Director of The Children’s Corner Play Center in Topanga, California, which she founded in 1980. Linda consults with parents and offers parent education classes at her Center. She studied at the Pikler Institute in 1986, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and presented at the 2007 Pikler International Conference. justus@netwood.net
Beverly A. Kovach, MN (Melbourne, Florida) has been working with and consulting in early  childhood centers for more than 30 years. She is a RIE Mentor Teacher and was a member of the Board of Directors from 2001 until 2008. Beverly is a Montessori teacher-trainer, consultant, and presenter at national and international conferences, and co-author of Being with Babies. She founded Little Learner’s Lodge and Montessori of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina in 1977 and established Waverly Place (the first RIE Satellite Center in the USA) in 2003. MSBEV208@aol.com
Wendy Kronick (Pacific Palisades, California) served on the RIE Board of Directors from 1999-2004. She became passionate about RIE in 1992 as a result of attending Liz Memel’s class with her then four-month-old son. She became accredited as a RIE facilitator in 1997 and has taught in Santa Monica and the West Side. Wendy now facilitates two classes at the Los Angeles RIE Center.  wenkronick@aol.com
Karla Lee Kuester (Santa Monica, California) has been a RIE Associate since 1989. Her degree is in Early Childhood Education/Developmental Psychology with a minor in Art. Karla has been working with young children and families since 1977, as a Certified Montessori preschool teacher, infant specialist and an Early Interventionist (birth-3, atypical development). She is currently the Early Intervention Field Supervisor for the Step By Step EDU-Play Child Development Program in Santa Monica and in-house CD specialist at UCLA Kreiger Center. She teaches “Infants & Toddlers: A Class for Caregivers” at UC Irvine each spring and other workshops/ teacher trainings. Karla has served as a private tutor, specializing in enrichment and remediation, from K-Adult ages from 1988 to the present. karla.kuester@gmail.com
Melani Ladygo (Los Angeles, California) has a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles. She currently teaches Parent-Infant Guidance classes, serves as the Office Manager at the Los Angeles RIE Center, and is a Foundations facilitator, and has presented workshops on RIE’s Educaring™ Approach in a variety of conference settings. Melani spent nearly ten years working in a child care center, where she was initially introduced to Magda Gerber’s Educaring™ Approach and worked as an Infant/Toddler Master Lead Teacher. mladygo1@gmail.com
Janet Lansbury (Malibu, California) is thrilled to be introducing a global audience to RIE’s Educaring™ Approach through her blog http://janetlansbury.com. She was introduced to RIE eighteen years ago when her daughter was three months old. She went on to study with Magda Gerber and became a certified Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator in 1994. Janet has served on the RIE Board of Directors for 15 years, currently volunteering as RIE’s Parent-Infant Guidance Class Coordinator. Besides writing about RIE, she enjoys teaching two weekly classes at RIE and spending time with her three RIE babies, ages 18, 14 and 9. janet@janetlansbury.com
Kimberly Lewis (Tucson, Arizona) became a RIE Associate in 2010. She has an MEd in Early Childhood Education from Antioch University, and she teaches parent-child and preschool classes at the Tucson Waldorf School. Kimberly is also joining the early childhood faculty of Pima Community College. Her passion is to integrate RIE, Pikler and neuroscience teachings into Waldorf and other educational settings through publications, workshops and a birth to three Yahoo group that she moderates. kimberley.lewis@gmail.com
Maureen McTeague (Los Angeles, California) is a Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator. She has taught classes at the RIE Center in Silverlake and in Hollywood. She currently has classes at the Pump Station in Santa Monica and is also available for private consultation. auntmoe711@aol.com
Elizabeth Memel (Los Angeles and Ojai, California), is a RIE Mentor Teacher, Vice President of RIE’s Board of Directors and has facilitated Parent-Infant Guidance classes for over 25 years. She instructs the RIE Foundations Course, Practicum and Internship locally and in outreach programs, such as Manhattan and Tucson, Arizona. She was a child development instructor at Los Angeles City College for many years and recently designed and implemented a community non-profit Parent/Infant/Toddler space in Ventura County, California. Liz has her MA from Pacific Oaks College in Human Development, specializing in infants and toddlers. lmemel@roadrunner.com • www.authenticbabies.com
Ruth Money (Carmichael, California) is a RIE Foundations Mentor Teacher, and an Honorary Lifetime Member of the RIE Board of Directors. She worked as a psychologist (MA) before getting into preventive work in early childhood education. Ruth met Magda Gerber in 1985 and became her student and friend. Ruth founded the first RIE Demonstration Infant-Toddler Care Center in 1988 which functioned for ten years. Ruth and three fellow RIE Associates have established a Sacramento hub offering RIE Foundations training and workshops, a RIE Parent-Infant Guidance class, consultation to infant/toddler programs in center care, and a home-based care program. ruthmoney@comcast.net
Gail Nadal (Sacramento, California) is the Chair of the Alliance of RIE Associates. She currently works for the Yolo County Office of Education as the Director of Early Childhood Education. She is a part-time instructor for the Center for Excellence in Child Development at UC Davis Extension and is working with the Yolo County Early Head Start program to incorporate RIE’s Educaring™ Approach in all the sites. Gail holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership in Child Development as well as her Administrative Credential from CSU Sacramento. Gail.Nadal@ycoe.org
Erica Orosco Cruz (Altadena, California) is a mother of three and a child development specialist who founded Homeschool Garden nursery school in 1999. Erica facilitates Parent-Infant Guidance classes and consults families and professionals based on RIE’s Educaring™ Approach. Erica is dedicated to providing an environment where children and families can thrive and grow together with a foundation of mutual respect. Erica offers a broad range of experience as a caregiver in diverse settings with groups of children from infancy through adolescence: in a preschool setting, a family day care setting, at a resident camp, as a nanny, and as a mother who homeschools. erica.homeschoolgarden@gmail.com
Kati Owens Gonzales (Pasadena, California) is a RIE mom who has traveled to the Pikler Institute in Budapest, Hungary for advanced training. She taught Family Life and Child Development at Clark College and currently works at Pacific Oaks Children’s School in the Infant Toddler Program. 
Maureen Perry (Auckland, New Zealand) originally trained and worked in Montessori preschools. She became a RIE Associate in 2011. Maureen first discovered RIE when she was shown “Seeing Infants With New Eyes” while studying for her Early Childhood Education Diploma in Auckland, New Zealand. In 2000, she began her RIE training in Los Angeles and returned in 2002 to study with Carol Pinto and Ruth Money in Parent-Infant Guidance classes. Maureen was mentored by Polly Elam in New Zealand through 2010-2011. She has offered parenting classes in her home and also presents workshops and demonstrations throughout New Zealand. In 2004 and 2006, Maureen trained at the Pikler Institute, and in 2007 she presented at the Pikler International Symposium about her work in New Zealand. Maureen produced a DVD, “Milla Finds Her Own Way,” which illustrates the importance of independent, natural, free movement by an infant 3-9 months. Maureen presents this work at seminars and workshops. babyfirst02@gmail.com

Carol Pinto (Los Angeles, California), who provided the garage where Magda Gerber taught her first Parent-Infant Guidance class many decades ago, graduated from RIE in 1981 and was a member of the RIE Board of Directors from 1980 to 2009, serving as President for many years. She is a RIE Foundations Mentor Teacher and Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator. Carol studied at the Pikler Institute in 1986, 1996, 2002 and 2006 and was a speaker and presenter at the 2004 Pikler Symposium. She is also a Feldenkrais Practitioner (GCFP). 
Jude Rose (Ithaca, New York) currently owns and operates West Hill Educare, a group family toddler care program serving 12-36 month-old children and modeling the Educaring™ Approach. She completed her RIE training in 2001 and was fortunate to study directly with Magda Gerber. Jude is also a certified Montessori Primary teacher and a published photographer whose images have appeared in “Young Children” and “Montessori Life.” She has over 25 years’ experience as an early childhood educator and advocate. Jude earned a BS in Family and Welfare Policy and an MA in Child Development. She is currently a supporting editor of the RIE Foundations Training Curriculum. judekrose@gmail.com
Patricia Ryan (Sacramento, California) is a RIE Foundations Instructor and Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator. She is a group care trainer and consultant and instructor of infant/toddler development and care. Patricia has presented at national and international seminars and workshops and studied at the Pikler Institute in 2005. pattyryan@aol.com
Antoinette Samardzic (Los Angeles, California) is the Secretary of the Alliance of RIE Associates. She is a Parent-Infant Guidance Class Facilitator and studied at the Pikler Institute in 2006. antoinettes@ca.rr.com
Deborah Carlisle Solomon (Los Angeles, California) has been a RIE Associate since 2004 and Executive Director of RIE since 2006. She teaches the RIE Foundations, Parent-Infant Guidance, Before Baby and Nurturing Nanny courses. Deborah has presented at various national and international conferences and workshops, and studied at the Pikler Institute in 2005 and 2006. Deborah.Solomon@rie.org
Lisa Sunbury (Santa Cruz, California) is a former infant/toddler teacher, currently working as a nanny. Lisa earned her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Lesley College, and has worked in the field for 25 years. Lisa studied with Magda Gerber at the original home of RIE, formerly served as RIE’s Office Manager, and on RIE’s Board of Directors. Lisa’s experience also includes supervising Cottage Hospital’s Infant/Toddler program, teaching RIE Foundations through UCSB, and presenting at numerous conferences. Lisa is the founder of Regarding Baby. Regarding Baby offers services including: Parent-Infant Guidance classes, consultations for families, and workshops and trainings for professionals. www.regardingbaby.org
Diana Suskind (Leominster, Massachusetts) supports authenticity and self-reliant behavior in adult learners as well as young children. In the Spring of 2011, Dr. Suskind volunteered at Liberty Orphanage in Belize. She is an Associate Professor at Fitchburg State University, Senior Fulbright Scholar (New Zealand, and Italy), and Helping Hands, Nepal. She is the co-author of “Baby Dancing.” Diana taught RIE principles at Children’s Hospital No. #1 and Trung Tam Phuc Hoi Tre Suy Dinh Duong Va Trq Giup Tre Tan Tat Orphanage in in Ho Chi Minh City in 2005. 

Nicole Vigliotti began her Early Childhood profession as an Infant Caregiver after completing her RIE I Training with Magda Gerber and Carol Pinto in 1998. Inspired, Nicole continued her RIE studies and became a RIE Associate in 2011. Nicole is also certified as an Early Childhood Montessori Directress at the 3-6 level and is under mentorship with Anna Tardos and Agnes Szanto-Feder of the Pikler Institute. She currently serves as Program Director for Little Learners Lodge, a RIE Certified Infant Center located outside Charleston, South Carolina and is a strong advocate for Magda Gerber’s Educaring™ Approach in center-based care. In addition, Nicole facilitates RIE Parent-Infant Guidance classes where she enjoys meeting and supporting new parents and sharing her personal experiences of raising her three boys using the Educaring™ Approach. nicvigliotti@yahoo.com • www.mmpschool.com

Karen Ziskin (Manhattan Beach, California) was a lead teacher from 1994-1998 at The South Bay Infant Center, the first RIE Demonstration Infant-Toddler Care Center. Karen served on the RIE Board of Directors from 2000-2006. karen@babyclasses4parents.com