Jessica Panfil, M.Ed., Executive Director
Jessica comes to the position with sixteen years of experience working with children and families in educational settings. She graduated cum laude from Columbia College, Columbia University, and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia. Jessica was accepted into Teach for America and began her educational career as a bilingual teacher in New York City. Since then she has worked as a Parent Involvement Coordinator in a Head Start project in rural Georgia, taught at an international school in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for three years, and in 2003, co-founded and directed a dual-language immersion school in Cuzco, Peru. Jessica is committed to creating and sustaining an organization that provides a nurturing, caring, learning environment for young children, supportive outreach to their families, and a commitment to high quality early childhood education.

Renetta Davis, M.Ed., Associate Director of Child and Family Services
Renetta is a native Washingtonian and a proud attendee of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Renetta graduated from Trinity University with a B.A. in Political Science in 2005 and an M.Ed in Education Administration and Policy form Howard University in 2007. Renetta has worked with children for ten years and has supported many education based organizations in providing high quality care for children. Through her work with Jubilee Housing, she has developed connections with many of the families in the community. She brings her passion, dedication, and organization to making Jubilee JumpStart a high quality center, where all children and families receive the best care and education available.

Michea Dobson, Lead Teacher (Younger Infants)
A graduate of Trinity College, Michea has a Bachelor’s in Psychology and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in School Counseling. She has worked with children in various capacities for the past nine years, including a year of service through AmeriCorps, working specifically with low-income children in DC. Before coming to Jubilee JumpStart, she served as a coordinator at CentroNia and as a Para educator at the Carl Sandburg Learning Center. Here at Jubilee JumpStart, Michea watches over our tiniest babies and makes sure that they receive the best care possible.

Barbara Brooks, M.Ed., Lead Teacher (Older Infants)
Barbara holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh and a M.S. in Birth to Three Development and Early Intervention from Wheelock College. In 1994, as an undergraduate nursing student in Pittsburgh, she first began working in an infant classroom which changed her career path and had her fall in love with caring for young children. At Wheelock College, she concentrated her graduate studies on the development and education of children birth to age three. Since 1994 she has worked with infants, toddlers and their families as both a lead teacher and then in an administrative role as the Assistant Director of a center. She returns to her passion of working in the classroom with infants and toddlers at Jubilee JumpStart.

Rachel Sassoon, M.Ed., Lead Teacher (Younger Toddlers)
Rachel has a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from Tufts University. She has worked with children for six years, most recently teaching at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center Preschool. Rachel has extensive experience working with children with special needs and underserved populations, and is happy to continue that trend at Jubilee JumpStart.

Dominique Spencer, Lead Teacher (Older Toddlers)
Having graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education, Dominique has eight years of experience working with young children. Most recently, she served as the lead teacher coordinator at CentroNia, where she oversaw the pre-Kindergarten class and organized teacher training programs. Now, at Jubilee JumpStart, Dominique ensures that our toddlers enjoy their time at the center even as they develop their skills and abilities.

Lila Vega, Lead Teacher (Pre-K)
Lila was born in Nicaragua and is fluent in both English and Spanish. After majoring in International Relations and Anthropology at Tufts University, Lila received her Master’s in International Development with a focus on Education from the University of Amsterdam. Lila became interested in early childhood education when she joined the Pearson teacher fellowship program. Before joining Jubilee JumpStart, Lila worked at Head Start and Save the Children (Mexico). Lila loves working in early childhood education, knowing that these years have a tremendous impact on children’s life chances in a society where some children start out behind in kindergarten.

Lindsay Callahan, Lead Teacher (Pre-K)
Lindsay is a Teach for America corps member from Wychoff, NJ, and graduated from Bentley University with a double major in Information Design and Corporate Communication, and Global Perspectives. During her college career, she taught summer school in Philadelphia and designed a kindergarten program on diversity. She is currently teaching herself Spanish in order to better understand and communicate with the children in her care. Lindsay is excited to be a part of Jubilee JumpStart and is dedicated to ensuring that the achievement gap never exists for the children in her class.

Euridis Acevedo, Teacher (Toddlers)
Certified as a CDA by the renowned Mary’s Center, Euridis formerly served as a teacher at CentroNia, where she worked with toddlers to stimulate and enhance their motor skills and mental development. Fluent in English and Spanish, Euridis helps us keep our children immersed in a dual-language atmosphere throughout their stay at Jubilee JumpStart.

Roxana Benitez, Teacher (Infants)
Originally from El Salvador, Roxana is another of our staff who is bilingual in Spanish and English. Roxana was certified as a CDA by the acclaimed Mary's Center, and has worked with infants and toddlers for five years in Washington, D.C. A mom to two sons, Roxana is excited to work at Jubilee JumpStart, where she can watch over babies as they learn and grow.

Ana L. Gomez, Teacher (Pre-K/Toddlers)
Fully bilingual in English and Spanish, Ana divides her time between the Pre-K and Toddler suites. She has been certified as a CDA and has experience working as a teacher’s aide at Percent GAP Child Care.

Veronica Y. Hernandez, Teacher (Infants)
Originally from El Salvador, Veronica is proficient in both English and Spanish. She has been certified as a CDA and enjoys working with our tiniest babies as they explore the world around them. Veronica has one daughter, who is enrolled in Jubilee JumpStart’s preschool classroom.

Ingrid Nunez, Teacher (Infants)
Ingrid grew up in Washington, DC, and is fluent in English and Spanish, helping us create a fully bilingual environment for our children from the very beginning. She has worked with children for several years, and has been certified as a Child Development Associate (CDA). Ingrid has one daughter who is also enrolled in the Jubilee JumpStart program.

Cleomar Sousa Hashiguti Rodriguez, Teacher (Infants)
Cleomar has been certified as a CDA and has worked with the families of young children for seven years, serving as a teacher’s aide and maternal counselor at Mary’s Center and as teacher’s aide at SED Center. Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese as well as English, Cleomar brings a depth of cross-cultural understanding to her work at Jubilee JumpStart, adding to the diversity of experience we offer our children and families.

Wanda Simms, Teacher (Toddlers)
Wanda comes to Jubilee JumpStart as a certified CDA with years of experience working with vulnerable populations. Wanda has worked with young children in both voluntary and professional spheres for a number of years, and is glad to have the chance to continue to do so at Jubilee JumpStart.

Camila Villarreal, Teacher (Toddlers)
Originally from Honduras, Camila is bilingual in English and Spanish and has worked with young children for eight years. She has particular experience assisting children with special needs including Autism, Down’s Syndrome, and language delays. The mother of two sons, Camila loves being part of the Jubilee JumpStart team and brings her tremendous warmth and vitality to light our children’s lives.

Saira Haqqi, Development Associate
Originally from Pakistan, Saira moved to the DC area after graduating from Carleton College, MN, having majored in Russian Studies with a concentration in Women's and Gender Studies. She has previously worked with a number of DC nonprofits and is excited to help establish Jubilee JumpStart as a leader in early childhood education. As Development Associate, Saira helps with fundraising, supports volunteers, and enjoys spending time with the children in between.

Alice Turrentine, Operations Manager
Alice comes to Jubilee JumpStart with 18 years of experience in administrative positions, and brings a wide range of talent and skill to her position. She has been with Jubilee JumpStart from its pre-operational phase, and created many of the systems and policies we rely on for our smooth operations.