Anne Hedgepeth is a seasoned strategist in government relations and grassroots advocacy, dedicated to driving policy change across all levels of government. As the Senior Vice President of Policy & Research at Child Care Aware of America, she leads the organization’s public policy initiatives and bolsters the advocacy efforts of child care resource and referral agencies, along with other early learning stakeholders nationwide. Notably, Anne played a pivotal role in securing over $50 billion in COVID-19 relief funding for child care and early learning, while also providing essential technical assistance to various state initiatives aimed at creating a high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care system.

Anne’s expertise has garnered attention in major media outlets, including CNN, NPR, NBC News, The Hill, Business Insider, and MarketWatch, where she shares insights on child care policy and advocacy.

Prior to her current role, Anne contributed her expertise at the American Association of University Women (AAUW), where she was instrumental in the passage of significant legislation, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. She also worked on updating and implementing Title IX regulations in schools across the country.

Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and gender studies from Davidson College and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University, where she was honored for outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in public affairs and administration as a member of Pi Alpha Alpha.

Austin served on the Anchorage Assembly from 2018-2023 and as Anchorage’s Acting Mayor from 2020-2021, leading the community through one of its most challenging periods. In both roles, Austin championed a thriving, sustainable Anchorage and was a strong advocate for children and families. Since 2023, she has been leading the implementation of Anchorage’s new Child Care & Education Fund, which dedicates all municipal marijuana tax revenue to child care and early education.

Austin is originally from a rural logging town in northern California. She has been indelibly shaped by the closeness of her small hometown, the ability to run wild outside, and through observing first hand the impact of poverty on families. Austin is most proud of her work uplifting the voices of those with less power, frequently alongside her passionate wife Stephanie and their son Wilder. Austin is Anchorage’s first woman mayor and first openly LGBTQ mayor.

Grace Reef is the founder of the Early Learning Policy Group, LLC, a northern Virginia based early childhood consultant firm. Grace worked for 17 years in the U.S. Senate as a senior policy advisor on issues related to families with children for Senators George Mitchell, Tom Daschle and Chris Dodd. “Off Capitol Hill,” Grace was the Chief of Policy & Evaluation for 7 years at the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), currently doing business as Child Care Aware® of America. Grace’s experience ranges from child care, Head Start, and pre-k policy to welfare reform and family economic stability.

Grace has worked with a number of state coalitions in partnership with the Alliance for Early Success seeking to strengthen access to quality child care, building early childhood systems, undertaking early childhood landscape analyses, engaging business leaders in partnership with the Committee for Economic Development (CED), as well as supporting early childhood shared services strategies and family child care provider networks.

The Early Learning Policy Group focuses on strengthening the quality of child care and early learning at the federal, state, and local levels through policy analysis, strategic thinking and partnership building, effective communication and advocacy approaches, and pursuing alternative financing strategies and best business practices to support early childhood initiatives.

Heather Hicks serves as Executive Director of Statewide Services at Signal Centers, where she leads two powerhouse programs that serve all 95 counties in Tennessee. With a dream team of more than 200 professionals, Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) provides training and coaching to early educators, and Child Care WAGE$® Tennessee helps keep amazing teachers in the classroom by offering salary supplements to those doing the hard work.

But her passion doesn’t stop at systems change — Heather’s leadership is grounded in a commitment to equity, sustainability, strategic impact, and advocacy for early literacy. She believes in the magic of early reading to bond, build brains, and ignite lifelong learning.

Since joining Signal Centers in 2008, Heather has worn many hats — from Strengthening Families Network Coordinator to statewide leader. She holds a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and she’s directed federally funded initiatives, presented at national conferences, and played a key role in advancing professional development systems for early educators.

When she’s not leading bold initiatives, Heather can usually be found writing or curled up with a great book — because great stories are for everyone, no matter your age. She does have a favorite children’s book, so if you love a good read-aloud, you’re in great company.

Whether she’s shaping policy or championing educators, Heather’s work reflects a deep dedication to building resilient structures that support and create lasting change for early educators, children, and families.

Nicole Barcliff brings more than two decades of public policy experience to her role as a Senior Policy Director for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). In this capacity, she advocates for federal policies that provide economically challenged urban and rural communities access to capital, connect local partners to supports that allow for the advancement of community-driven priorities, and facilitate creative solutions to drive effective and efficient public systems. In particular, she identifies, develops and monitors federal legislative and regulatory proposals that leverage federal resources related to education, child care and early learning, health, and other community and economic development priorities.

Prior to joining the LISC federal policy team in 2012, Nicole represented the federal policy interests of the Pew Charitable Trusts Early Childhood Home Visiting team and served on the Education Affairs team at the Motion Picture Association of America. Her policy experience includes nearly seven years on Capitol Hill, working as Legislative Director to craft a legislative agenda and implement policy initiatives on behalf of a Member of Congress from Pennsylvania. She is a proud alumna of Temple University.

My husband Marc and I have been married for 40 years; we have four children and two grandchildren. We arrived in Alaska in 1986 and were stationed at Fort Rich. For the past twenty years, we’ve resided in our district in South Anchorage.
I am a proud military wife and mother. Marc is retired from the U.S. Army and two of our sons currently serve in the U.S. Air Force.

Now that Marc and I are retired, aside from my service in the Legislature, we love being outside and experiencing everything amazing Alaska has to offer. In the summertime, we enjoy camping, hunting, fishing, gardening, and spending time at our cabin. In the winter I enjoy cooking and cross-country skiing.

Alaska State Legislature

• House Finance Committee, Member (2023-2024)
• Chair, Department of Education HFIN Budget Subcommittee (2023-2024)
• Chair, Department of Public Safety HFIN Budget Subcommittee (2023-2024)
• Chair, Department of Administration HFIN Budget Subcommittee (2023-2024)
• University of Alaska System Budget HFIN Subcommittee, Member (2023-2024)
• Behavioral Health Roadmap Steering Committee, Member (2023-2024)
• Alaska Postsecondary Education Commissioner (2023-2024)
• Governor’s Task Force on Childcare, Member (2023-2024)
• State Council for Interstate Adult and Juvenile Offenders Supervision, Member (2023-2024)
• House Resources Committee, Member (2025-Present)
• House Labor and Commerce Committee, Member (2025 – Present)

Education / Professional Experience

• University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA) B.A. in Journalism and Public Communications, Minor in Political Science
• 15 years in retail and sales management
• Teaching Assistant

Volunteerism/Civic Service

• Vice President / Huffman/O’Malley Community Council
• Commissioner / Housing, Homelessness and Neighborhood Development
• Board Member / HALO (Anchorage Hillside Home and Landowners Organization)
• Former Board Member / UAA Alumni Board
• Volunteer / Alaska Food Bank
• Member / District 11 Republicans
• Mentor / Young Moms

Tess Olympia is the Success Coordinator for Southeast Alaska AEYC. Through AEYC she has developed a childcare apprenticeship program. Her main role is to support apprentices in their success in both coursework and on-the-job learning. Tess has been in early childhood for many years in many roles including teaching, managing early childhood programming, and now apprenticeships. As a single parent, she has experienced firsthand childcare struggles in Alaska. On her time off she can be found picking berries, dyeing yarn or hanging out with her kid.

Dr. Theresa Hawley is an expert in the design of policies and funding structures for early childhood education and care systems that support the school readiness and well-being of young children, especially those in poverty. In her role as Executive Director of The Center for Early Learning Funding Equity at Northern Illinois University, she partners with states and communities to create innovative approaches and funding mechanisms that support the diverse needs of children and families. After two decades supporting the development of preschool, Head Start, and child care services in communities across Illinois, Theresa served as the state’s Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development and First Assistant Deputy Governor for Education. Theresa received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and her Ph.D.in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan.