INA Board of Directors
INA Co-Presidents, Wendy Sachs and Susan Tokayer
 Wendy Sachs |
|---|
 Susan Tokayer |
Welcome to the world of nannies, nanny referral agencies, nanny
educators and those who provide special services to the in home child
care industry. Our mission at INA has to do with educating the public
about who a nanny is and the purpose she/he serves in the family.
We are also charged with the expectation of promoting the healthy
development of children and families through quality in home child
care.
To that end, the Board of Directors are representative of the membership,
consisting of nannies, newborn care specialists, educators, agency
owners, parents and industry service experts. We are confident that
this group of individuals will make decisions that will benefit our
association and will be very mindful of the individual interests
of our members as well as our mission.
The Board of Directors wants to hear from the membership and individuals
who are interested in our industry and the association mission. We
encourage you to contact us with your ideas.
The board of directors wants to hear from the membership and individuals who are interested in our industry and the association mission. We encourage you to contact us with your ideas.
2009-2011 Board of Directors
Pictured L-R: Bob King, Esq., Susan Tokayer, Wendy Sachs, Sandy Costantino, Sheilagh Roth, Nettie Weber, Erin Krex, Rachel Lawrence, Sharon Graff-Radell, Allan Friedman, Cortney Gibson, Susan Veale, and Becky Kavanagh.
2009-2011 Board of Directors
Co-President, Wendy Sachs - (New York, NY). Wendy is the founder and owner of The Philadelphia Nanny Network, Inc. established in 1985. She is also a founding member of INA. She has served as a board member, Secretary and four-term President, and is returning to the position of President. Committees served include, Conference, Membership, Nanny of the Year™, Nanny of the Year™ Application Revision, Publication, and Public Relations along with many Task Forces created over the last 20 years. Ms. Sachs was spokesperson during the time of the “Zoe Baird” nanny tax issue, the Swiss au pair incident and the birth of nanny cams. She was a driving force in drafting the organization’s positions on the au pair programs and hidden nannycams. Ms. Sachs has lobbied on Capitol Hill regarding the au pair programs, and was involved in the first phase of drafting the INA Credential Exam. An active participant in numerous conferences, she has presented workshops for agencies, including the popular New Agency Workshop presented during the past four years.
Co-President, Susan Tokayer – (Dobbs Ferry, NY). Susan has served on the INA Board of Directors since 2002. She has previously served as First Vice President and Secretary. Susan is the founder and owner of Family Helpers, Inc., Dobbs Ferry, NY, (since 1995). She is an active member in the Dobbs Ferry Chamber of Commerce. Susan has a B.A. in Business Management and a Master in Social Work degree. Prior to starting her nanny business, she worked as a psychiatric social worker and had a private practice counseling individuals, couples and families. She has been an INA member since 1995, has participated on committees, and has contributed articles to the INA newsletter, INAVision. Susan has been a workshop presenter at several INA annual conferences.
First Vice President, Sharon Graff-Radell - (Miami, FL). Internet Committee Co-Chair. Sharon is an Agency Consultant and the founder and president of TLC for Kids, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri (since 1985). Sharon has been leading seminars and workshops at INA conferences and consulting since 1992. She was named the Young Entrepreneur for the state of Missouri in 1990, served INA as a member of the Public Relations Committee, has contributed articles to INAVision, and was a member of the Conference Planning Committee. Since 2004, she has been participating in INA conferences as a co-presenter of the popular New Agency Workshop. As a Board member since 1996, Sharon has served as INA’s Secretary, the Public Relations Co-Chair, First Vice President and Internet Committee Chairperson.
Second Vice President, Alan Friedman - (New York, NY). Alan is co-owner and operator of the Manhattan A Choice Nanny in New York. He has been a member of INA since 1991, serving on the Board of Directors as the Legislative Chair for five years and serving as Second Vice President and Chairing the Ethics and Bylaws Committee since 2001. With a B.A. from Dartmouth College and LLB from New York University School of Law, Alan has practiced General, Corporate and Real Estate Law, both privately and with J.C. Penney for more than 20 years.
Treasurer, Sandra Costantino - (Haddonfield, NJ).
Executive Director/Co-Owner of Neighborhood Nannies, Inc. in Haddonfield, New Jersey , a leading placement agency since 1983, and one of the first nanny agencies established on the East Coast. She has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs concerning the nanny industry and its impact on the American family, in addition to representing the nanny industry in issues of regulation within the State of New Jersey. Sandra is a founding member of INA, involved since its inception, and has been the only elected individual to serve continuously on the Board of Directors since 1985 and the Executive Board for many years. She has also been responsible for the annual conference site selection, contractual negotiations, and planning, since 1993. Sandra has chaired the INA Committee on Professional Standards and has served on several committees: Conference, Finance, INA Relocation Committee and Publications Review Board and has headed up various task forces over the past 26 years. In addition to being Treasurer for multiple terms, in past years Sandra also served as INA Secretary and First Vice President.
Secretary, Becky Kavanagh - (Eden Prairie, MN). Becky has an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education, and has seven years experience as an assistant child care program director and as a preschool teacher. For the past 18 years she has been a professional nanny. Since 2000, she is a part-time member of the Nannies from the Heartland staff, a premier referral agency serving the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area. Becky was the 1998 recipient of the Parents Magazine Child Care Award, which honors outstanding child care providers and advocates. In 2006, Becky was chosen as INA's Nanny of the Year™.
She has served on the Board of Directors of INA for multiple years, served as President for two of those years and currently is Secretary for a third term. She has been a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children for more than 17 years, and is an active member of her local support group, Twin Cities Professional Nannies, where she served as the president for two years.
Cortney Gibson - (Franklin, IN). Membership Committee Chair. Cortney owns and operates Gibson Newborn Services, a company dedicated to helping parents of new babies succeed through education, newborn care and support. Cortney has spent the past 13 years working directly with families. The first eight years as a professional nanny and in 2004 she began working exclusively with newborns. Her specialty is the care of preemies and multiples, as well as sleep coaching and new parent education. As a Certified Happiest Baby Educator, she teaches the soothing methods of Dr. Harvey Karp. In addition to teaching private classes, she works with local child abuse prevention programs to bring this life-saving technique to inner city and teen parents. Cortney is a contributing writer for INA Vision and has been featured in dozens of newspapers including The Indianapolis Star and Chicago Tribune.
Bob King, Esq. - (Irvine, CA). Member, INA Board of Directors 2008-2010. Bob is an attorney and founder of Legally Nanny®, the leading law firm providing legal and tax advice to household employers and domestic employment agencies. He has shared his expertise as a contributing writer for INAVision and conducted workshops as a conference speaker. Bob graduated from Georgetown University, studied at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, on a Rotary Fellowship, and received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. Legally Nanny assists domestic employment agencies with business, dispute resolution, and labor & employment matters. Additionally, the firm assists domestic employers with legal and tax issues, including payroll; employment, confidentiality and severance agreements; preparing back taxes; and defending audits, investigations, and lawsuits from nannies and governmental entities. Bob also serves as the General Counsel for the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA) and as an expert witness in household employment litigation.
Erin Krex - (Chicago, IL). Publications Committee Chair. Erin is the owner of First Class Care, Inc. - Chicagoland's Premier Nanny Agency. Erin has a B.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati DAAP and 5 years design and marketing experience. As an agency owner and working mother with a nanny, Erin strives to educate families and nannies about good practices. Erin is on the board of the Baby Boutique Expos in Chicago. She is also a member of Illinois Action for Children and The Network of Women Entrepreneurs. Erin has been a member of INA since 2006.
Rachel Lawrence - (Wilmington, NC). Research Committee Chair. Rachel is the owner of Wilmington Nanny Agency, LLC. She believes that superior customer service is the cornerstone of running a successful nanny referral agency. Rachel has been active in INA with the P.R. committee as well as writing for the INAVision. Rachel gives back to the nanny industry by volunteering and media involvement. She has contributed segments to her local ABC station as well as published articles in The Star News of Wilmington, Be The Best Nanny Monthly Guide, Avenue Magazine and the NANC Gazette. A member of INA since 2005, and NANC since 2007, Rachel was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Coastal Small Business Awards in 2008. Rachel has been a member of INA since 2005.
Donna Robinson - (Del Valle, TX). NOTY™ Committee Chair. Donna is The Traveling Nanny and the 2008 INA Nanny of the Year™. Committed to giving back to the nanny industry, Donna contributes numerous hours counseling and mentoring nannies. Among her peers and specialty nannies, she spearheads scholarships for nannies to attend various conferences and often contributes gifts and recognitions for these events (including INA). An advocate for nannies and families, Donna has a clear understanding of what is important in this industry and will bring these skills to the INA Board of Directors. Donna has written articles for INAVision and has served as a member on the Nanny of the Year™ Selection Committee. She hopes to bring more awareness to the INA Nanny of the Year™ and future recipients. Donna has been a member of INA since 2002.
Sheilagh Roth - (Chagrin Falls , OH) Public Relations Committee Member. Sheilagh was born in England and reared by a nanny. Sheilagh earned a BA in Art History from Case Western Reserve University where she founded English Nanny & Governess School in 1984. ENGS was the first nanny school in America with a full academic faculty dedicated exclusively to educating nannies and governesses. Sheilagh was invited to the White House to represent the nanny profession at Hillary Clinton's Conference on Childcare and was a judge for the "Parents Magazine Nanny Award". Sheilagh has been a guest on Larry King Live and has given numerous interviews from the school, such as on Good Morning America, Fox Cable News shows, and other various television and radio shows across the country. She has also been featured in American magazines and national newspapers. She has presented at an NAEYC conference and was instrumental in requiring regulations for the Au Pair programs. As the Executive Director of ENGS and President of the American Council of Nanny Schools, she has served on child-related advisory boards, and for the past quarter of the century, Sheilagh has been a leading advocate for benefits and respect for American nannies.
Susan Veale - (Corunna, MI). Chairperson for the INA Credential Exam Committee and INAVision Editor. Susan has been in the childcare industry for more than 30 years. She has been a professional nanny/governess since graduating from The English Nanny and Governess School in 2001. Susan has been a member of INA for five years, passed the INA Nanny Credential Exam and served on the 2008 Conference Committee. Other memberships include, The Florida Homeschool Association, National Association for the Education of Young Children and The International Network for Children and Families. Her background includes serving on the YMCA/Rotary Soccer Program as executive committee secretary that allowed her to gain experience in leadership, public relations and fund raising.
Nettie Weber - (Janesville, WI). Public Relations Committee Chair. Nettie is the owner of Perfect Match Nannies & Sitters, which was nominated for the APNA 2008 Agency of the Year Award. Nettie possesses an Early Childhood Certification and a minor in Music Education and has worked in the child care industry for 11 years, with over eight years as a nanny and home manager. For INA, Nettie has volunteered for the newsletter committee and the conference committee. She has been a presenter at INA and NANC national conferences. She has been a columnist for Celeb Staff Magazine, a frequent speaker at area events and has been featured and quoted in many national nanny industry publications. Along with hosting an annual educational and networking retreat for nannies, Nettie chaired her local American Cancer Society Relay for Life Event for 3 years and takes active part in other local charities. Nettie has been a member of INA since 2005.