Cross-Sector Child Care Task Force

Iosefa Alofaityli

Executive Director and Co-Founder of CIELO

CIELO focuses on entrepreneurs who drive the local economies within low-income immigrant neighborhoods. Accessible, quality child care is a critical driver within these neighborhoods because parents need to work their jobs and run their businesses, but since they can’t afford child care, they need stay home with their toddler, which means they can’t earn — which is not good for the parents, employers who need those parents at work, and most importantly, the children. This is why we joined the Cross-sector Child Care Task Force.

Elizabeth Andrade

Executive Director of 211OC, Orange County United Way

Elizabeth Andrade serves as the Executive Director of 211OC at Orange County United Way, overseeing the vision, direction, and operations of 211 Orange County, which encompasses the contact center, the closed-loop referral system known as GetHelpOC, and the role of Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) administrator for the County of Orange.

Bringing forth a distinguished career spanning more than two decades, Elizabeth has consistently showcased her commitment to crafting innovative solutions that address the intricate challenges faced by vulnerable populations. Her leadership at 211OC is characterized by a keen emphasis on leveraging technology to elevate service delivery and streamline access to vital resources.

A native of Orange County, Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from California State University Fullerton. Additionally, she holds a Master’s in Business Administration focusing on Healthcare Organization and Leadership. Elizabeth was honored with the Dignity Care scholarship, supporting her pursuit of a mini-MBA in Healthcare Leadership through the University of Arizona.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Elizabeth is deeply dedicated to community service and holds a board membership at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana. She and her husband have chosen Fountain Valley as their home, where they reside with their two children.

Blanca Arellano 

Hope Through Housing Foundation, Regional Director

Blanca Arellano is the Regional Director of the Hope Through Housing Foundation (in partnership with National Core), a national non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty by implementing programs that empower individuals and change communities. Hope Through Housing believes that affordable housing can be a platform for transformational change at the individual and neighborhood level. For households, securing affordable housing supports economic and social stability, which enables families to regain self-sufficiency and independence and can lead to greater prospects for mobility and improved quality of life. For the children in these households, this economic and social stability secures a safe haven for them in which they learn and grow and gives them a better chance of succeeding in school and beyond and of breaking the cycle of generational poverty.

Blanca and her team deliver services and support to low-income residents throughout Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange counties. Blanca oversees several after school programs, pre-schools, social events, and educational community workshops throughout her region.

Mayra Chavez

Donor & Community Engagement Officer, Orange County Community Foundation

Mayra began her work at the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) through an Education and Scholarship Assistant Internship in June 2015, before being hired to work with the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) in 2017. Now, Mayra’s role as a Donor & Community Engagement Officer at the OCCF has expanded to include work focused on supporting diverse communities and community impact initiatives.

Mayra helps lead the Workforce Development Initiative’s efforts to increase talent pipelines to middle-skills jobs in Orange County, the African American Alliance Fund’s work to support and elevate the visibility of Black-led and Black-centered nonprofit organizations, and the Avanzar Board Leadership Academy – a three-month training program for Latino professionals interested in supporting the community by serving on a nonprofit Board.

Mayra is from San Bernardino and moved to Orange County to attend UC Irvine, where she graduated with a joint Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Studies and Criminology, Law and Society, and a minor in Chicano/Latino Studies. 

Melinda Frizzell

Early Childhood Center Director/Owner

Melinda has dedicated her career to early childhood education, with a focus on providing a nurturing and enriching environment for young learners. As the Director and Owner of Adventures In Learning, LLC, she oversees the daily operations, curriculum development, and staff training to ensure the best possible experiences for children.

Her journey in early childhood education began as a toddler teacher 30 years ago, and it was a defining moment that led Melinda to her life’s work. For the past 27 years, she has been fortunate to create and manage my own centers, shaping the future of countless young minds. Her commitment to high-quality childcare drives her active involvement in the Task Force.

Melinda and her husband are avid travelers who love exploring new places and cultures. They are also passionate about boating and enjoy spending quality time with their twin adult sons.

Adrianna Gonzalez

Engaged Neighborhood Coordinator for Growing Up Garden Grove

Adrianna Gonzalez earned a Master’s in Social Work from California State University, Fullerton in May 2025. She is a mom of a 6-year-old who is in first grade.

For the past two years, she has been involved with the Engaged Neighborhood Initiative, working as an Engaged Neighborhood Coordinator for Growing Up Garden Grove, a program under First 5 Orange County.

Her work focuses on serving, empowering, and strengthening families with children ages 0 to 5 by expanding awareness around the critical importance of early childhood development. Through educational workshops, interactive activities, and family-centered experiences, Growing Up Garden Grove equips parents and caregivers with strategies to support and enhance kindergarten readiness. Growing Up Garden Grove utilizes data from the Early Development Index (EDI) to identify areas in need of support.

As a community-based professional, Adrianna actively fosters relationships with diverse stakeholders to build collective momentum toward sustainable, community-led change. Together, we plant seeds of opportunity and leadership that reflect the voices and needs of the families we serve.

Adrianna is deeply committed to the belief that the first five years of a child’s life are foundational to their long-term well-being and success. Through her experience working with at-risk families and youth, she has seen firsthand how early challenges can have lasting effects. The role of Engaged Neighborhood Coordinator has aligned closely with her core values — particularly the importance of ensuring families are informed and connected to preventive services and early interventions. By doing so, we help them navigate challenges and foster a strong, positive future for their children.

Jenna Hilal

Director of Child and Family Development, AppliedKids, Applied Medical

Jenna Hilal is the Director of Child and Family Development and is an advisor to the Community Relations and AppliedKids teams, along with other teams at Applied Medical. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in Child Development, with an emphasis on Early Childhood Development and Administration.

She has been an infant teacher in the classroom and has experience in different classes, centers, and environments such as camps and nonprofits, and helps parents through workshops and guidance in finding resources and support.

Her connection to the task force is on many levels from the business world, to the teaching and personal. Jenna has two children of her own both adopted out of traumatic situations and both with varying special needs, two kittens who are just around to be cute and mischievous, and two dogs, one who is a service dog and one training to be a Search and Rescue volunteer pup.

Madelynn Hirneise

Parent and Chief Executive Officer for Families Forward

Madelynn joined the Cross-sector Child Care Task Force because she believes in an Orange County where every parent figure has the same opportunity to provide a strong foundation for their children through their early learning years and beyond. Madelynn is a mother to two young children and serves as the CEO for Families Forward, one of the leading organizations in the region working to prevent and end family homelessness. Madelynn sees families struggling every day to access basic needs and services, such as food, a roof over their head, and a job. This leaves little room to focus on their children’s access to early intervention services, positive and responsive parenting, or safe and affordable child care. Accessible child care is a necessary resource to support the entire family unit and to support a child during the most critical developmental stage in their lives. Accessible child care is needed to build a strong foundation that will set them on a path for their emotional, social, and physical well-being from an early age.

Al Jabbar

Chief of Staff, Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee

Al Jabbar serves as the Chief of Staff to Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping policy and community outreach efforts. With a long-standing commitment to public service and community development, Al has been actively involved in various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for residents of Orange County. His leadership in the Child Care Task Force has been instrumental in advocating for affordable, accessible child care solutions, ensuring that families across the county receive the support they need. Al’s dedication to empowering working families underscores his belief in building a stronger, more equitable community.

Stephanie Klopfenstein

City of Garden Grove, Councilmember

Stephanie is involved with the Cross-sector Child Care Task Force because as a mother and councilwoman, she wants to be able to advocate for families in her community. There is a significant need for accessible and affordable child care in Orange County. Stephanie is proud of the work and steps Garden Grove is already taking in supporting working parents and child care businesses.

Susan McClintic

Early Childhood Educator and Advocate

Susan has extensive teaching, leadership, and program development experience with infants and toddlers, preschool, school-age, and community college students. An advocate for high quality early learning experiences for all children, especially those facing challenges of poverty and other adverse childhood experiences, Susan is also a Board member for Families Forward, a nonprofit organization working to prevent and end family homelessness by providing access to housing and resources that create lasting stability.

As a mother and grandmother, she’s felt the frustrating lack of child care options for children under three and seen the benefits of quality programs for children and peace of mind for working parents. She hopes the Cross-Sector Child Care Task Force will create innovative solutions that improve choices for families and access to subsidized funding for those who qualify.

Dr. Tiffany Ortiz

Parent and Licensed Clinical Psychologist 

Dr. Ortiz specializes in working with children and families. She is also an Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and a Reflective Practice Facilitator with years of experience working with children and families in multiple settings. She has extensive training working with the Birth to Five population and hoping to provide more expertise in early intervention and prevention services. Dr. Ortiz also has a specialization in conducting child and adolescent psychoeducational assessments and strongly promotes the importance of a comprehensive evaluation for our youth.

She currently works at El Centro De Amistad in Los Angeles County, and also works with a small group private practice in Orange County. Her experience working with diverse populations and her multicultural approach to understanding families, attachment, and community function has helped her better connect with her clients. As a working professional mother, it is a difficult situation when you must separate from your child. It is important to ensure that young children are well taken care of, not just supervised, but also to support socioemotional growth and development.

Dr. Ortiz brings to the Cross-Sector Child Care Task Force her professional training  and knowledge working with young children as well as lived experience having two children under the age of 5 and the utilization of childcare.

When Dr. Ortiz is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, having lots of in-the-moment dance parties, swimming, and loves hearing major belly laughs with her boys.

Taryn Palumbo

Executive Director, Orange County Grantmakers

Orange County Grantmakers (OCG) is a regional association of philanthropic funders in Orange County. As Executive Director, Taryn provides strategic leadership, oversees programming, communication, member services and community engagement, and supports the operations of the organization. Taryn joined OCG as a part-time Executive Administrator in January 2017 and was promoted to Executive Director in February 2018.

Prior to joining OCG, Taryn held roles in public policy, government affairs, education, small business engagement and community relations. She has served as a consultant with United Way Orange County, helping to launch UpSkill OC, a middle skills job initiative and with The Olin Group, supporting a variety of nonprofit clients.

Before moving back home to Orange County, Taryn spent four years with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, first as their Manager of Public Policy and later as their Director of Strategic Partnerships. In this role she created, grew, and implemented UniteSF, an education/workforce development initiative, and co-chaired San Francisco’s Small Business Week Committee.

Taryn earned her Juris Doctorate from Chapman University School of Law and passed the CA Bar in 2011. She earned her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University. Taryn currently serves on the Executive Board of the OC Forum and as an appointed Commissioner for the City of Huntington Beach’s Community and Library Services Commission. Taryn is also the proud mom of a 4.5 year old boy and 2 year girl. She thanks her “team” of husband, parents, nanny and daycare for letting her “do it all.”

Grace Porter

Parent Representative

Grace is thrilled to be part of the cross-sector committee. As a single mom of three little boys, quality affordable childcare is a vital part of her and her kids’ lives. Grace loves being a part of this group working to find resources and legislative solutions to staffing issues, funding issues, and more to help provide numerous affordable, quality childcare options in Orange County.

Natalie Reider

Senior Vice President, Community Operations, Jamboree

Natalie oversees Jamboree’s Asset Management and Community Impact teams. This ensures the seamless integration of property management, resident services, data collection and analysis, financial performance, and community development and operations across the lifecycle of each Jamboree property.

Natalie joined Jamboree in 2015 as Director of Community Impact to lead the expansion of resident services, a vital part of developing affordable housing that’s a platform for community change.

Natalie believes in the power of strong partnerships as they allow diverse perspectives and innovative thinking to occur. They offer the ability to leverage the best of people, ideas, and resources in one organization with the best in another organization, leading to greater outcomes.

Rochelle Santacruz

Director of Child Development Programs, Orange Coast College

Rochelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and a Master’s degree in education with an emphasis on child development. With over 20 years of dedicated experience, she has been a passionate advocate for early care and education. Rochelle has worked in diverse settings, including early childhood education and school-age care programs, in roles such as classroom teacher, curriculum coach and trainer, and program manager.

Her professional journey spans school districts, nonprofit organizations, and the community college sector. She has contributed to child development centers, state preschool/Head Start programs, school readiness programs, and parent education initiatives, showcasing her commitment to fostering growth and learning in both children and families.

Currently, Rochelle serves as the Director of Child Development Programs at Orange Coast College, where she also teaches as part-time faculty. In her leadership role, she oversees the instructional Lab School, where child development and education students gain hands-on experience through course assignments and student teaching. Additionally, she manages the Children’s Center, a student services program that provides child care support for student parents pursuing their educational goals.