OUR BOARD

Damaris Alvarado

Board President

CEO, Children’s Playhouse Early Learning Center
CEO, Innovative Educational Consulting Services

A dedicated advocate for children, Damaris Alvarado-Rodriguez launched the non-profit organization Latinos Educando Juntos (LEJ), to support small business owners, especially childcare providers, in the LatinX/Hispanic Community. She has been recognized as a leader in the field of early childhood education and in the world of business.

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Samantha Rodriguez, MBA

Board Secretary

Samantha Rodriguez comes to education naturally, always appreciating the importance of high quality early childhood education. With a Master’s degree in Business and Leadership from Eastern University and a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE) from Eastern University, she has forged ahead to hold several positions at Children’s Playhouse in South Philadelphia. Presently she is the Director of their Newbold location, and, prior to that, she was Education Coordinator. Very involved in the community, Samantha holds several
leadership positions. She is a member of the Racial Equity Provider Council through Children’s First, PACCA Member, Children’s Playhouse DEI Advisory Council, SEPEEC Advocacy, Board Secretary of Latinos Educando Juntos, Exceptional Bilingual Leadership Cohort 1 Fellowship and ambassador, Organizational Leadership Consultant through
Innovative Educational Consulting Services, Pediatric First Aid/CPR certified Instructor.

Dionne Wright-Chambers, M.Ed

Senior Board Strategist

Dionne Wright-Chambers is the co-founder and principal consultant of Learn, Empower, Grow Consulting Group. Known as “The Abolitionist Educator,” she works to support and develop programs for children, family and fellow educators who stuggle for educational liberation throughout the world–in Philadelphia, in China and Nigeria. Her consulting company’s mission is to bring programs that can change the trajectory of access to educational programs to individuals who have not have access to quality education. Wright-Chambers has been instrumental in supporting inclusive practices in early childhood education. Her work at Thomas Jefferson University has developed a sustainability protocol for inclusive practices in early childhood education. She is leading the education committee for “The National Council of Negro Women” Philadelphia Chapter and has developed a STEAM curriculum for the documentary “The Invisible Warriors,” African American Rosie the Riveter. With a passion for learning, she has earned a master’s degree with a dual certification in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, Pre-K to 8th grade. Her master’s degree is from Chestnut Hill College focusing on Educational Leadership and she has a degree from Temple University in Pan African Studies.

Aliya Johnson-Roberts, M.Ed

Board Member

Aliya Johnson-Roberts is a highly respected education and business consultant. Watching her mother be an entrepreneur and, ultimately, be of service to the community, Aliya knew her path would be similar, especially in the field of early childhood education, when she partnered with her mother. Through education, skill development, and resources for self-building and self-sustaining skills they changed lives and now she is carrying that torch making a huge difference in the world. Today, this passionate leader is the Executive Director and Co-Owner of two early childhood education programs, Pratt Street Learning Center and Bustleton Learning Center in Philadelphia, PA, serving 250 children. She has a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Educational Leadership from Arcadia University.  She is currently a PhD candidate in Arcadia University’s PhD program for Educational Leadership as she prepares to expand Bustleton Learning Center’s services from toddler, and preschool education to kindergarten through 3rd grade. Aliya Johnson Roberts is a Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses alumni and serves on the Board of Directors for Tree House Books and the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA). She has served on the Public Health Management Corp (PHMC) Fiscal Planning Committee and as a token panel speaker on numerous platforms with a focus on providing insight to Early Childhood Education business practices, experiences, and support needs.

Dr. Obioma Martin, PhD

Board Member

Obioma Martin believes in the individual’s power to succeed. A trainer, teacher, seven times bestselling author, she is passionate about equipping women with the tools they need to prosper and live audaciously. As the CEO of OMAX Institute, the Center for Early Education, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership, she connects deeply and genuinely with clients by creating safe spaces for them to transform into their best selves, from the inside out, using her Accumulated Systems Approach (ASA). A life-long learner herself, Martin holds multiple degrees; two honorary doctorates, two master’s degree, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program alumni, certified biblical counselor, and ordained evangelist. She is a Lisa Nichols certified transformational trainer, a John C. Maxwell certified international leadership coach, TEDx speaker, and founder of the OmazingYou National Holiday, OMART Women Supporting Women not for profit, Omazing You Publishing, Everything Omazing podcast, Omazing Magazine, and founder of the B.R.E.A.T.H.E. House for battered women with children and teen parents. Martin is the recipient of the Global ICN Educator of the year award, Global civility ambassador, and business leader. She has been featured in several publications including Black Enterprise, Success Women, Formidable Woman, Brown CEO, Her Vision, Miz CEO and Courageous Women.

Rosana Matos, M.Ed

Board Member

Rosanna Matos always knew her passion in life was education. In fact, she opened a library in her home at the age of six and supported friends in the neighborhood teaching reading skills. Today, she is an Early Learning Specialist for First Up, an outstanding resource to early childhood educators. Most importantly, she wants to empower others to make the decisions that will elevate their success.  She believes in using a strength-based approach when helping others plan and set goals. In her work, Rosanna provides high quality coaching to early childhood practitioners. She is a bilingual Professional Development Instructor bringing support to the LatinX community in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. She has participated in the OCDEL Policy Fellowship where she interacted with Legislators in the community to promote High Quality Child Care and to receive more funding for ECE programming. Rosanna holds a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from Eastern University and a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Gratz College. She also holds a Pennsylvania Teacher Certification in PreK-4. Rosanna is currently PQAS certified and a certified Spanish and English PDS.

Adamary Sosa, M.Ed

Board Member

Adamary Sosa has long been committed to enhancing the lives of young children and their families. Currently, she is the Vice President of Economic Mobility of Norris Square Community Alliance, in Philadelphia. In this role, she is responsible for the creation and implementation of new projects and programs and the improvement of academic outcomes for children and youth. She is committed to providing opportunities for others to improve their living conditions, their education, and achieve better employment opportunities. Raised in the “Badlands” of North Philadelphia, Adamary credits her struggles, her childhood experiences, her family upbringing, her faith, her culture, and her hardships, for her commitment and determination to improve the way of life for others in the same Barrio that raised her. Adamary is a graduate of Eastern University holding a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Special Education. In addition to her degrees, she has a Nonprofit Executive Leadership Certification from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work, and a certificate from University of Pennsylvania in Executive Presence and Influence. She also serves on the Latino Equitable Development Collective (LEDC) led by Ceiba, which is a collective compromised of Latino-led organizations that acts collectively on equitable development issues impacting the Latin-x community. With over 15 years of experience in the education field and 10 on the development and management of comprehensive federal and state educational programs, Adamary seeks to prepare individuals with the skills and tools necessary to succeed in life and have better opportunities.

Martha Gonzalez

Board Member

Martha Gonzalez is an entrepreneur with 12 years of experience in finance and business services. She founded the company Ideal Business to help small businesses as well as individuals learn the benefits of financial literacy. Over the years, she has provided various workshops for financial literacy, helped implement programs like the 550 homebuying program for individuals seeking to buy homes and so much more. She has two thriving TikTok accounts that provide tax information and advocates for financial literacy and mental health. Some highlights during her career include growing El Coqui to be a staple in the community by maintaining their Public Relations, assisting Titi’s Learning Academy from being able to care for 50 children to being able to care for 300 in 2 years, and growing Uno Mas. Financially, her biggest accomplishment has been helping a new client grow their business capital from $80,000 to $8M within a matter of three years.