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Our Team

  • Ken Anthony, Ed.D.

    Executive Director kanthony@ctncy.org

    Starting with the Connecticut After School Network in July of 2008, Dr. Ken Anthony has overseen training and...

  • Marla S. Berrios

    Director of Operations and Finance mberrios@ctncy.org

    Marla has been with the Network since 2008, she is responsible for maintaining the fiscal control of the...

  • Khadija Bshara

    kbshara@ctncy.org

    Khadija brings more than 15 years of experience working in informal education in a variety of direct service...

  • Monica Boeckmann Whalen

    Conference and Training Service Coordinator & After School Quality Advisor mwhalen@ctncy.org

    Monica has been with the Network for more than 20 years as the Training Service and Conference Coordinator....

  • Shawna Viola Washington

    Quality and Engagement Coordinator swashington@ctncy.org

    Shawna has been with the Network since 2018, beginning her work as a Research Intern and now working...

Ken Anthony, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Starting with the Connecticut After School Network in July of 2008, Dr. Ken Anthony has overseen training and professional development, quality assurance efforts, and worked to create linkages between the school day and afterschool. Growing up a “latchkey kid” himself in the 80s, Ken had no afterschool program to go to understands the importance of and opportunities that afterschool programs provide.

Ken’s career has allowed him to work in all aspects of out-of-school and afterschool programs. Starting more than 30 years ago as a volunteer working with teens at risk of failing or dropping out of school. Since starting at the West Haven Community House in 1999, he has continuously had roles in programs starting as a direct service staff, moving to a site leader, overseeing special multi-site projects, and serving as a director in several programs prior to coming to the Network.

Ken holds a doctorate from the University of Hartford in Educational Leadership, a Master’s degree in Human Services concentrating in Organizational Management and Leadership, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology concentrating on child and youth development. In his thesis and dissertation work, Ken worked closely with communities to highlight conditions needed to establish sustainable programs that both enrich and support children and families.

Ken has also been a trainer for more than 20 years, starting at the YMCA of the USA’s former Program Schools. He has been a presenter at the local, regional, and national level on leadership and creating effective partnerships and collaborations, and contributed chapters for three books on the field as well as several journal articles. Prior to The Network, he was the District Family Resource Center Coordinator for the Windsor Public Schools, where he administered five family resource centers. Prior to that, he served as the Child Care Services Director for the New Britain YMCA.

Ken enjoys going hiking and camping, going to concerts (Phish and other jambands), and spending time with his family. He has been married to his wife Jess since 2002. They met during the Millenium at a Phish concert at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation in the Florida Everglades. They have two grown children who both work in the education field, one in education policy (Kayla) and the other in an afterschool program (Ken III). There are also two cats (brothers) that often entertain during Zoom meetings.

Marla S. Berrios

Director of Operations and Finance

Marla has been with the Network since 2008, she is responsible for maintaining the fiscal control of the organization, team relations, social media presence, as well as provide technical support for all State Funded After School Grantees.

Before the Network, Marla worked with New Haven Public Schools for 8 years. There is where her passion for afterschool began, as she organized and ran the afterschool program at the Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration each year. Marla has 20+ years of experience in afterschool and Transact Data Collection System.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Albertus Magnus College and earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Accounting in 2018.

Marla enjoys hiking, camping, stargazing, traveling as much as possible, and spending time with her family.

Khadija Bshara

Khadija brings more than 15 years of experience working in informal education in a variety of direct service and supervisory roles with organizations dedicated to connecting, conserving, and educating our next generation about the natural environment, including Zoo New England and the Student Conservation Association. A graduate of the vocational aquaculture program at The Sound School, she holds a B.S. in General Studies from Cornell University with study focused on Education and Animal Science and an M.S. in Environmental Education from Southern Connecticut State University. More recently, Khadija’s personal interests in mindfulness and self-improvement combined with her last role as program director for a youth development organization with an environmental focus, connecting her more specifically to tools and training needed for sharing positive life skills development and social and emotional learning. Khadija joined the Network in 2019 as SEL Coordinator supporting the work of SEL4CT and leading various trainings as a Professional Development Specialist for the Connecticut After School Network. Currently she serves as STEM Coordinator and Assistant Director of Professional Development for the Network.

Monica Boeckmann Whalen

Conference and Training Service Coordinator & After School Quality Advisor

Monica has been with the Network for more than 20 years as the Training Service and Conference Coordinator. In addition, Monica serves as an afterschool Quality Advisor and trainer.

Prior to joining the Network, Monica worked for 10 years in a directorial capacity in the afterschool and summer camp field. During that time she supervised 11 state licensed afterschool sites, including a nationally accredited program. She also supervised day camp for elementary and middle school campers, an ocean studies camp, and an overnight outdoor adventure camp. Monica took great joy in working with children, developing staff, and focusing on high quality programming. She continues to focus on providing support for the continuing development of staff and programs.

Monica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Providence College, a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Bridgeport, and additional graduate credits in Elementary Education including Child Development, Developmental Reading, Literature, Science, and Special Education from Central Connecticut State University. Monica has extensive training in afterschool, youth work, and supervision including NIOST (Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College), the YMCA of the USA Program School, and the National Afterschool Alliance.

Monica is the mother of five children and several pets. When time allows Monica loves to garden, sew for her small handmade business, and spend time reading at the beach.

Shawna Viola Washington

Quality and Engagement Coordinator

Shawna has been with the Network since 2018, beginning her work as a Research Intern and now working as the Quality and Engagement Coordinator. She is interested in addressing issues of social inequity in the community and has recently developed an interest in addressing disparities in the afterschool field and workforce. The thing she loves most about her work is engaging with afterschool staff, helping to provide tools and empowering resources that make their lives and jobs more manageable. She’s currently pursuing her Master’s in Community Psychology at Central Connecticut State University, hoping to enhance her skill set to better serve the afterschool community.

Our Board of Directors

  • Deb Battit

    Co-Chair

    Community Foundation of Eastern CT

  • Kim Hein

    Co-Chair

    Tauck Family Foundation

  • Doug Schumann

    Treasurer

    Left Turn Execution

  • Maggie Winiarski

    Secretary

    City of New Britain Parks and Recreation

  • Caroline Fazzina

    Keane Foundation

  • Ashley Freeman

    Horizons Sacred Heart University

  • Wendy Gerbier

    Norwalk Housing Authority

  • Julie Goldstein

    241 Sports

  • Tiffani Johnson

    NBC

  • Don Maleto

    Boys & Girls Club

  • Sarah Moran

    EdAdvance

  • Adrenna Paolillo

    LEARN

  • Jeanette Rivera

    OPMAD

  • DJ Rouzeau

    Norwalk/Stamford Grassroots Tennis & Education

  • Christian Tabares

    New Haven Public Schools

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Partners & Affiliations