Maya Coleman is the Executive Director of Hand in Hand Parenting and leads an international staff and cohort of 200+ Certified Instructors to share Hand in Hand’s unique approach with parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals worldwide.
For the previous decade, Maya worked as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice with families of young children who had challenging early experiences including preterm birth, early illness and medical treatment, developmental challenges, and caregiving disruptions. Maya also worked with preschool educators to bring Hand in Hand’s trauma-informed social-emotional learning strategies into their classrooms and programs.
Maya is also the Special Education Discipline Coordinator for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program in the Center for Child and Human Development at Georgetown University, and she teaches in Georgetown’s Certificate Program in Early Intervention.
Maya lives in Washington, DC with her spouse Binny, their 18-year-old Moxie, and their 2 dogs Tricksy and Kai.
I’m a mom to an 18-year-old and a 10-year-old and live in Southern Maine with my family. For the past 20+ years, I have been finding ways to bring transformational support to parents and families.
I actually began working in this field before I had children because I could see the impact that better support and more resources could have on a family. Ripples of this support flow out to the community and the world.
I began working as a birth and postpartum doula which led to founding and creating Birth Roots Center for Community Supported Parenting and the Facilitating Community facilitation style. Birth Roots is still going strong serving hundreds of families every year.
I found Hand in Hand when my oldest was a toddler. As is the case for so many parents, but especially shocking for me given my line of work, I found a surprising gap between the parent I wanted to be and the one that came out of my mouth in those early years. Turns out that knowing how you want to parent doesn’t automatically make that a reality.
With the tools I now teach to parents and professionals, I was able to close that gap and feel a whole lot more connected to my kids and way better about myself. I love this work - both supporting families and communities but also supporting the instructors who bring these tools out into the world.
In addition to being the Program Director at Hand in Hand and teaching classes, I love working on little craft projects. I knit, crochet, and sew (or any other craft my 10-year-old wants to try). I may have way more buttons than any one person should have but I just adore big jars of colorful buttons! My favorite project ever was a crocheted Baby Yoda that was a huge hit several holiday seasons ago. Or maybe the very realistic owl Halloween costume I made with my 10-year-old in 2023. Or maybe the adorable reversible fabric bags I use for knitting projects…how could I choose?!?
In another life, I would study epigenetics and bring new understanding about how we’re actually able to heal generations of people by using the Hand in Hand tools!
Thank you for finding your way here and supporting this work, too! It takes a really big team to make the cultural shift we need in this world!
Sareli is from what is now known as California, grew up in (Ohlone) San Jose and was born in Tongva (Los Angeles). Their mother and grandmothers are from Ahuazotepec, Puebla. sareli recognizes their Mexica-Hnahnu descent, and has begun to remember their original language one word at a time.
Sareli is fortunate to be the parent of three phenomenal humans, who are 15, 19 and 25 years old. Sareli currently lives on the lands of the Dakota and Lakota nations, in the city of Minot. Sareli’s pronouns vary, use their name, Sareli, when possible.
Currently, Sareli works as an office manager for Hand In Hand while attending graduate school in Minot. Sareli earned their BA in California and has been of service to their communities for over 25 years. When Sareli has free time, they offer trainings, workshops or resource groups online. Sareli sits on a board of director table in North Dakota.
Ahava Vogelstein, M.A. is a Certified Instructor and early childhood education consultant who specializes in social-emotional development. She’s partnered with educators, school leaders, families, and nannies to support the body, heart, mind, and spirit of young children and their grownups. Ahava has advocated for young children since working in infant/toddler centers and preschools at a young age. She then pursued a career in child and family therapy as a school counselor before becoming a consultant and joining the Hand in Hand team. Ahava's work focuses on leadership development, effective communication, early childhood research, and trauma-responsive teaching practices. She also enjoys designing curriculum and supporting emerging education leaders as adjunct faculty across the Northeast.
Ahava served as the first Grants and Research Manager at Hand in Hand, co-leading and designing Hand in Hand’s research agenda. As Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ahava oversees the research program, serves as the liaison between research and programs, and helps to expand Hand in Hand’s impact around the globe.
Ask Ahava About:
Kitchen party playlists, education reform, experimental jazz, all things Hand in Hand, creative pancake recipes :).
Kathy is particularly interested in working with foster and adoptive parents, and parents of children with any type of special need, learning or behavior challenge. She offers the Parenting by Connection Starter Class in person in Los Angeles and on the phone. She works with parents individually and does trainings for educators and professionals who work with children. She is a gifted speaker and offers and introductory talks on Parenting by Connection, as well as specific topics such as Tantrum Training, Setting Limits, Listening Partnerships and Connecting with Your Teens. Her passion is practicing and teaching conscious child-raising by connection, in order that we may foster cooperation and peace in our families and the world.
After earning a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and completing a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental neuroscience, Michelle’s career in academic research took an unexpected turn after she became a parent.
Michelle has been involved with Hand in Hand since 2008 when she first experienced the transformative power of the listening tools. She feels privileged to support parents as they take on the emotional work necessary to untangle early hurts and build warm, connected relationships and strong support systems.
Michelle’s areas of interest include helping children heal from developmental trauma, supporting parents through emotional projects, sibling relationships, anger/aggression, and supporting children with learning differences. In addition, she often works with adoptive families, helping parents connect with children who have experienced disruptions in early attachment relationships.
Michelle lives in California with her husband, two wonderful teenagers, and a sweet dog.
Patty Wipfler founded the nonprofit Parents Leadership Institute in 1989 to increase support and meaningful connections for parents and children. In 2004, the organization changed its name to Hand in Hand Parenting, and the tools and perspectives she has articulated are now taught in many languages on five continents. Patty has written a series of booklets, produced videos, audiotapes and curricula, and has trained nearly two hundred Certified Instructors of Hand in Hand Parenting. In 2016, she authored the book Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges with Tosha Schore, M.A. Their book is published in translation in Chinese, Romanian, Hungarian, German, and French, and is available as an audiobook.
Patty was born, raised and educated in California. The eldest child in a large family, she has always felt at home with young children. She has a B.A. from Occidental College, and is the mother of two sons. Since 1975, she has worked to understand how listening, play, sensible limits, and regular emotional support can improve children’s lives and help parents build rewarding connections with their children. Her experience includes teaching Kindergarten, co-directing The School, a non-profit parent co-operative preschool in Palo Alto, and directing Neighborhood Infant Toddler Center for Palo Alto Community Child Care.
She has authored over 100 articles for Hand in Hand on the principles and benefits of Hand in Hand Parenting. She has written articles for nationally published parent magazines and publications. She has also given keynote talks at Association for the Education of Young Children conventions in Chicago and Philadelphia, and has done workshops, talks, and trainings in Hand in Hand Parenting around the U.S. and in China, where her writings have been published since 1999.
Patty lives with her husband in Palo Alto, California, and is active on the Hand in Hand Board of Directors.
