Staff

Executive Director, Heidi Maderia, MS, IMH-E®                                                       email: [email protected]

Heidi previously held positions as Early Childhood SAMHSA Grant Training Coordinator, Family Resource Center Coordinator and Childcare Program Director.  Heidi has spent her career serving children 0-6 who are experiencing a myriad of social, emotional and behavior issues, and has been privileged to partner with their families to discover, enhance and integrate the best supports for them, while promoting the importance of positive first relationships. Heidi attended Boston College and Eastern Connecticut State University, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, is endorsed in Infant Mental Health through CT-AIMH; and presents frequently at local, state, and national conferences on issues related to infant toddler mental health and development.

Program Manager, Heather Black, LPCA, IMH-E®                                                   email: [email protected]

Heather has 15+ years of experience in promotion, prevention, and treatment services for families and children ages 0-18. In a former role as Program Manager for Wheeler Clinic, she worked on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) funded Project LAUNCH grant, where she spearheaded the 2019 Healthy From Day One Parent Leadership Summit and coordinated the State Young Child Wellness Workgroup, a subcommittee of the CT Office of Early Childhood. She became acquainted with the Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health (CT AIMH) on this grant and became endorsed in Infant Mental Health. Heather served on the CT AIMH Professional Development Advisory Committee and served one year on the Board. More recently, in Heather’s position at the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, she helped establish the Northwest Regional Early Childhood Alliance and served as the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative co-chair for a year. Heather was a part of the Maternal Child Health’s Reproductive Justice Alliance (RJA) and the Respectful Care research project to ensure equity and access to quality care for black and brown maternal health in Connecticut. Heather’s academic journey includes earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Studies with a minor in Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in School Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health. Heather’s experience in providing therapeutic mentoring for children in foster care, counseling for youth, and treatment for victims of interpersonal violence, as well as her role as a Parent Educator in Family Resource Centers, further demonstrates her expertise. Heather’s passion for supporting the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) workforce and promoting the well-being of families and young children is evident in her professional and personal life. She is also an avid lover of culture and travel.

Training Assistant, Roxy Maderia                                                                               email: [email protected]

CT-AIMH Contractual Staff:

Endorsement Coordinator, Heather Bonitz Moore, MS, ATR-BC, LPC, IMH-E®            email: [email protected]

Heather previously held a position of a Director of Early Childhood Services. Heather is currently in private practice in SE Connecticut, facilitates Reflective Supervision/Consultation groups and is a trainer for CT-AIMH.  Heather attended Long Island University, CW Post Campus and Springfield College, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Therapy, a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is endorsed in Infant Mental Health through CT-AIMH.

Training Coordinator, Anne Giordano, MA, IMH-E®                                                           email: [email protected]

Anne has served as manager of Part C Birth-3 and Early Head Start programs, before moving into the role of Early Childhood Specialist. She has additionally coordinated numerous grants addressing the needs of young children experiencing homelessness. Her past work also included overseeing the MDE-Foster Care Clinic at Ed Advance.  Anne specializes in working with infants, toddlers and families; and for the past 25 years has worked at EdAdvance (formerly Education Connection) the regional educational service center in western CT.  Anne’s role with CT Association for Infant Mental Health includes developing, coordinating and presenting statewide training in infant mental health for child welfare staff, early care providers and home visitors; and facilitating group Reflective Supervision/Consultation.  Anne holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University, is endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Clinical Mentor through the CT-AIMH; and presents frequently at local, state, and national conferences on issues related to infant toddler mental health and development.

Bookkeeper, Laura Poquette

Webmaster, Samantha Shaak

Yale Support Staff, Linda Isakson