Our Leadership Team
Stacey Sunderland
Executive Director
Explore Stacey’s insights on our From Our Executive Director page.
Stacey Sunderland is a non-profit and community leader dedicated to helping children thrive by building deep connections between families, educators, schools, and local organizations. Her journey with The Alliance for Early Childhood began long before becoming Executive Director, as she previously served as Board President from 2020–2022, where she wore many hats, leading fundraising and marketing initiatives, strengthening governance, and guiding the organization through a pivotal period of growth and transition.
Before transitioning to nonprofit leadership, Stacey built an accomplished career in business development and sales across the energy, technology, and analytics sectors. She brings that strategic business experience, fundraising leadership, and deep community engagement to her role at The Alliance. As Executive Director, Stacey focuses on deepening community relationships, advocating for educators, supporting caregiver excellence, and ensuring The Alliance remains a nimble, trusted resource for families navigating today's complex world.
A longtime North Shore resident, Stacey lives in Kenilworth with her husband and three boys, who attend the Joseph Sears School. She holds an MBA from Imperial College Business School in London and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. Guided by her experiences as both a business leader, nonprofit executive, and parent, Stacey believes deeply in the power of community to support children during their most foundational years.
Megan Lichterman
Operations Manager
Megan joins us with nearly a decade of experience working as an early childhood educator in the North Shore. She holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in Special Education from DePaul University. As a teacher, she made it a priority to incorporate play-based learning into her classroom’s daily routine. Megan’s passionate about nature and teaching children about the environment around them to encourage compassion and responsibility. In her free time, Megan enjoys spending time outdoors year-round with her two young children, husband.
Molly Pope, Ed.S.
Lead Consultant, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Molly has been working with early childhood and elementary age children for over 15 years as a school psychologist. Using a neurodevelopmental relationship-based approach, she works with teachers, parents, and administrators to help build connected relationships and supportive learning environments for children. She earned her Infant Mental Health certificate from the Erikson Institute in Chicago. Molly is on staff at Winnetka Public School Nursery, as their Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. Additionally, she provides mental health consultation to area preschools and child care settings, as well as private parent coaching and education. Her work is guided by the “Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children, and Families”, which emphasize inclusion, equity and diversity in all settings. She lives in Evanston with her husband, two sons, and their pets. Visit her website to connect and learn more mollypopeparentcoach.com
Board of Directors
Rachel Anderson
Alexa Burnell, Treasurer
Carrie Hanke
Kassie Leachman
Sarah Martay
Wendy Mayer
Paige O’Donoghue
Mary Potter
Heather Rohner
Emily Rose, President
Lara Scarborough, Past President
Zoe Seder
Caity Smith, Secretary
Erika Wall
Jessica Wallace
Danielle Winson Senko