Staff

Radha Mohan

Executive Director

Radha Mohan serves as Executive Director of the Early Care and Education Consortium. She uses her deep understanding of the child care and education sector to formulate ECEC’s strategic vision. Radha’s skill to quickly analyze and form tactical responses to the complex and ever-changing...

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Radha Mohan serves as Executive Director of the Early Care and Education Consortium. She uses her deep understanding of the child care and education sector to formulate ECEC’s strategic vision. Radha’s skill to quickly analyze and form tactical responses to the complex and ever-changing political landscape allows her to drive change at the federal and state level for ECEC members.

Radha’s ability to translate the intricacies of the child care sector to legislators and stakeholders has been instrumental in the prioritization of child care solutions at the federal and state level. Radha works to bridge the gap between child care providers and legislators, allowing ECEC members to work directly with policymakers to formulate policy solutions that provide greater access to high-quality child care. Radha is also deeply tapped into the child care advocacy space, fostering collaboration between ECEC and federal and state associations to create a unified voice around key issues. As ECEC has expanded, her continued leadership has been essential in aligning members around key issues and pursuing advocacy solutions that benefit all of ECEC’s members.

Radha holds a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law as well as an LL.M. from Northwestern School of Law.

Sage Schaftel

Assistant Executive Director

Sage Schaftel serves as Assistant Executive Director of the Early Care and Education Consortium. She helps develop the organization’s long-term strategic plan, and works closely with ECEC leadership to drive federal and state strategies across the finish line..

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Sage Schaftel serves as Assistant Executive Director of the Early Care and Education Consortium. She helps develop the organization’s long-term strategic plan, and works closely with ECEC leadership to drive federal and state strategies across the finish line.

Since joining the organization, Sage has worked to foster relationships between child care providers and political stakeholders, from members of Congress and administration officials to grassroots and grasstops leaders. As ECEC grows, Sage remains dedicated to keeping members informed of the latest political developments in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. When an issue or opportunity is identified requiring engagement in a local, state or federal policy arena, Sage works quickly to mobilize the organization and mount an appropriate response. She drafts comments letters and op-eds articulating ECEC’s position and develops talking points and messaging materials that present a unified voice.

Prior to her time as the Assistant Executive Director of ECEC, Sage spent two years working with former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s Legal Counsel and Office of Boards and Commissions and supported the policy team at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Sage holds a B.A. from Pitzer College and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

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Elsa Jacobsen

Director of State Government Relations

Elsa Jacobsen serves as one of ECEC’s two directors of state policy and government relations. In this role, she leads ECEC’s policy and advocacy efforts in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington. Jacobsen previously served as director...

Read more about Elsa Jacobsen

Elsa Jacobsen serves as one of ECEC’s two directors of state policy and government relations. In this role, she leads ECEC’s policy and advocacy efforts in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington. Jacobsen previously served as director of public policy at Child360, an early learning non-profit in Los Angeles. In this position she developed and executed strategies to advance policies at the local, state and federal levels that increased access to high-quality early education and supported the early childhood workforce. She also worked side by side with child advocacy organizations, direct service providers and business organizations on policy and advocacy efforts, which helped secure thousands of new child care and preschool spaces for California’s children and raise reimbursement rates for child care providers. In addition, she conducted original research that informed policy and that highlighted, for legislators, the perspectives of both teachers and child care providers. Prior to her work at Child360, Jacobsen served as a law clerk with Young, Minney & Corr, LLP where she worked on a host of education issues for over 75 charter school clients. She also served an Education Pioneers Fellowship with the California Charter Schools Association and a Bing Public Service Fellowship in the office of the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA). Jacobsen earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in education policy analysis and evaluation from Stanford University, and a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. She is an employee of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

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Kathlyn McHenry

Director of State Government Relations

Kathlyn McHenry serves as one of ECEC’s two directors of state policy and government relations. In this role, she leads ECEC’s policy and advocacy efforts in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Colorado...

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Kathlyn McHenry serves as one of ECEC’s two directors of state policy and government relations. In this role, she leads ECEC’s policy and advocacy efforts in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Colorado, and Arizona. Prior to joining ECEC, McHenry served as a senior policy analyst with the Texas Workforce Commission's Child Care and Early Learning Division where she oversaw implementation of a $3.5 billion child care stabilization grant and other state-led initiatives. She simultaneously developed and reviewed policy approaches and ensured the state was aligned with federal law and regulation. This followed her time as an Associate Director at the Bipartisan Policy Center's Early Childhood Initiative, where she developed and delivered strategic approaches to government affairs, including establishing visibility and credibility of the Initiative with Congress and the administration; conducted research; and authored numerous reports, blogs, and op-eds. Kathlyn also spent several years at the Committee on Education and Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives, working on programs including CCDBG, Head Start, and Preschool Development Grants. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Washington. Kathlyn is an employee of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

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Sapna Rampersaud

Policy Associate

Sapna Rampersaud serves as Policy Associate for the Early Care and Education Consortium, leading policy and advocacy efforts across several states. She supports federal and state strategies through legislative research, policy analysis...

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Sapna Rampersaud serves as Policy Associate for the Early Care and Education Consortium, leading policy and advocacy efforts across several states. She supports federal and state strategies through legislative research, policy analysis and engagement with congressional offices, state policymakers and administration officials to advance high-quality child care and early education access.

Prior to joining ECEC, Sapna worked across the legislative and executive branches on education, civil rights and child welfare policy. She served as a law clerk for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, contributing to legislative drafting, oversight and policy research.

Sapna is a former Teach for America corps member and special education teacher, having taught 5th and 6th grade English Language Arts in Massachusetts. She worked with students with mild to moderate disabilities, implemented evidence-based accommodations, chaired special education meetings, and administered individualized education plans and 504 plans.

Sapna holds an A.B. in government, history and French from Harvard University, an Ed.M. in curriculum and teaching from Boston University, and a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, where she graduated cum laude.

Lexi Anicama

Policy Advisor

Lexi Anicama serves as a Policy Advisor for the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC), where she supports ECEC’s federal and state advocacy efforts and strategic planning to strengthen the early care and education sector...

Read more about Lexi Anicama

Lexi Anicama serves as a Policy Advisor for the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC), where she supports ECEC’s federal and state advocacy efforts and strategic planning to strengthen the early care and education sector. In this role, Lexi tracks and analyzes federal legislation, regulations and administrative actions impacting the child care field, and helps translate complex policy developments into timely, actionable updates for ECEC members. She supports ECEC’s engagement on Capitol Hill by monitoring congressional activity, preparing policy research, drafting public comment letters and participating in congressional meetings with lawmakers and staff to advance ECEC’s policy priorities.

Lexi also contributes to ECEC’s state advocacy efforts by participating in state advocacy days, tracking relevant legislative and regulatory developments across states, and helping ensure members remain informed of emerging policy trends across a number of states. Her work supports coordinated advocacy efforts that elevate the voice of child care providers at the federal, state and local levels.

Lexi gained firsthand legislative experience working in the office of Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D‑CA) in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has also worked for government relations firms, where she developed a strong foundation in legislative tracking, policy analysis and stakeholder engagement. She earned a Master’s in Public Policy with a concentration in education policy from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College.