I am honored to serve as the Executive Director of Whatcom Center for Early Learning, an agency that has provided early intervention services to so many young (Birth to Three) special needs children and their families in Whatcom County since 1973.
I moved to Bellingham in January 2004 from the flatlands of the Midwest – Grand Rapids, Michigan to be exact, where I worked as Business Manager of Opera Grand Rapids, western Michigan’s regional opera company. My background is business and financial management, and I am proud of the fact that my career history lies within the not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community, jobs of the heart I call them. I originally pursued a degree in Education at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin and then took time out to raise my three children in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I completed my Business Administration degree at Aquinas College and began working as Business Manager for the Junior League of Grand Rapids after a long tenure of membership and volunteer service to that organization. I left my Business Manager position with Opera Grand Rapids to move closer to my son and daughter-in-law here in Bellingham. Since then, my daughter and her family have also relocated to the Seattle area. I am pleased to reside in this amazing community of natural beauty filled with friendly people who care for each other and for the environment.
Julee Johnson, Family Resources Coordinator / Parent Educator
Julee has been WCEL's Family Resources Coordinator since 1990. Born in Seattle and raised in Tacoma, she received her B.A. in elementary education from WSU. Julee taught girls' P.E., Reading, English and Journalism in Coulee Dam, WA. as well as Elementary P.E. for one year in Seattle. She then moved to Bellingham where she completed a 5th year at Western Washington University.
Julee and her husband, Steve, have three children. In 1981, their youngest son, Eric, was diagnosed with a seizure disorder. He enrolled in the Whatcom Infant Stimulation Program which later became WCEL. Eric was later diagnosed with Autism, and graduated from the program in 1984.
Julee has worn many hats at Whatcom Center over the years. She served on the Board from 1983-1989. During that time, she facilitated classes for parents of children with disabilities at Bellingham Technical College. In 1986, she served as the Parent To Parent Coordinator, and continued in that role until 1992. In 1990, Julee was hired to work as WCEL's Family Resources Coordinator. She also served on the Governor's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment from 1997-1999.
Julee's wealth of experiences as a parent and in the community gives her the confidence to bring comfort and support to the children and families at WCEL, not to mention her co-workers! Her dedication to, and belief in young children and their families is evident in her work.
Meril Davenport, M.Ed., Special Education Teacher
Meril Davenport has been the Special Education Teacher at WCEL since March 2001. Before coming to Bellingham and WCEL, Meril worked as the preschool teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program in the Highline School District (Seattle) for several years.
She then was hired to help establish the regional program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children through the ESD #189 in Mt Vernon. In addition to working with Deaf children, Meril has worked with children with multiple disabilities, and has a wide range of experience with adults as well as children. She is fluent in American Sign Language, and has successfully completed an interpreter training program.
Meril also holds a BA in music - specifically voice. Needless to say, she enjoys singing with and/or for just about anyone. Her most appreciative (not to mention captive) audience remains her 3 children, but she does get out in public from time to time.
In 1998 and 1999, Meril adopted a sibling group of 3 children from the foster care system. Two of them have special needs and came as preschoolers, and the third came as an infant. Since experiencing the rigors of the foster care and adoption systems, Meril has become quite active in that field as well. She has presented workshops at national and area conferences, and talks to prospective parent groups upon request. She completed a post graduate program in Adoptive and Foster Care Therapy through Antioch University in 2002-2003.
As a result of herself being a parent of children with special needs, she has become active in several groups and organizations that serve to support both her family and others. She is deeply committed to the community here in Bellingham and loves her job very much. "One of the constant ponderings I have has come about as I watch families change and grow in ways they never anticipated or expected. I find myself observing and thinking deeply about the circumstances I see every day. I watch large amounts of courage grow out of tiny seeds and become beautiful and effective tools that families use in order to better understand and advocate for themselves and their child. They become much more joyful in the process. I feel honored to witness a part of families' lives and to be able to walk with them for a time as they move through systems and big events in their lives and the lives of their children."
One of Meril's goals in her role as teacher is to provide an environment where families feel welcome and comfortable to come as they are. She hopes that families find encouragement from professionals and peers that inspire them to keep going and advocate for themselves and their children to reach their full potential.
She herself hopes that, in another 15 years or so, when the last coat of markers and paint have dried on the walls and the dust has settled that she, too, will be able to look back on a journey well traveled with pride and joy and abundant with hope and courage.
Originally from Seattle, I moved to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2006. I moved to Spokane to attend Eastern Washington University and received my Master of Science in May 2008. I always planned to move back to beautiful Bellingham and am very excited to be a part of the WCEL family!
I enjoy working closely with families and other professionals to enhance and support each child's unique speech and language skills and challenges. I take a special interest in working with children diagnosed with autism. In Spokane I completed a 6 month internship at a pediatric outpatient clinic that specialized in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders as well as sensory and regulatory disorders. Treatment centered around the DIR/Floortime model, an approach that focuses on supporting the relationships within the child's environment to maximize their development. I loved this experience so much that I decided to change my master's thesis project to focus on this(and other relationship-based treatment approaches) three months before graduation!
I'm still learning how to have a hobby other than school, but I love to listen to live music, fishing and camping on the Skagit river, wakeboarding, drinking coffee, talking about Floortime,and reading. A few of my favorites include The Four Agreements, the Alchemist, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I would also welcome your suggestions!
The first ten years of my life were spent in Vinitsa, Ukraine. My family immigrated to the Seattle area in 1992. I continue to deeply value my cultural background and try to practice the Russian and Ukrainian lanuages as much as I can in order to maintain my bilingual status.
In 2000, I moved to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University. There, I completed a Bachelor of Science in Biological-Anthropology. In 2005, I returned to Western to complete a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. During my graduate work, I completed internships at the Whatcom Center for Early Learning and in the Ferndale School District. Following the completion of my Master program, I returned to work at Whatcom Center. I admire and believe in the transdisciplinary approach that Whatcom Center utilizes to support and grow parents into their child's teacher and advocate. I also truly enjoy working with the Birth-to-Three population and am honored to be an early intervention provider.
In 2004, I married my husband Jason and in 2006, we adopted our dog(son), Max. The three of us enjoy spending time together outdoors, hiking, biking and camping.
Stefanie Leonard, MOTR/L, Occupational Therapist
I grew up on Lopez in the San Juan Islands and went on to receive my B.A. in psychology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. I graduated from the University of Southern California with an M.A. in occupational therapy, after which my husband and I moved to his home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. I worked there for 4 ½ years in an outpatient pediatric clinic that provided occupational and physical therapy services to children aged birth to 18 with a variety of special needs, including diagnoses of Down Syndrome, developmental delay, autism, cerebral palsy, sensory integrative disorders, and more. I also worked part-time for Nevada Early Intervention Services with the birth-to-three population, providing family-centered intervention in the home and community.
Our family (my husband, Adam, 16-month-old son Joshua, and myself) moved back to Washington in December, 2006, after my husband was hired at Western Washington University. I joined WCEL as an occupational therapist in February, 2007. I have been warmly welcomed and feel very fortunate to have found such a close-knit and caring environment. I am anxious to get to know all of the wonderful children and families that are a part of the center and to help them achieve their fullest possible potential in any way that I can.
Shannan Ritter von Trautmann, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist
After spending the first 12 years of my life in Midland, Michigan, my family moved to Guam for two years and then ventured to Alaska where I graduated high school from St. Paul Island. I completed my Associate of Arts at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau before returning to Michigan to complete my Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy at Saginaw Valley State University. Upon graduation I moved back to Alaska to start my career as a therapist. After spending my first year in early interevnetion in Anchorage, I wanted to challenge my skills by trying adult rehabilitation. After 3 years working with adults, I returned to my love for pediatric therapy.
My husband and I relocated to Blaine, Washington in August 2008 where I was fortunate to find WCEL in order to continue working in early intervention. To be able to make a difference in a child's and family's life is the most rewarding experience of all, professionally and personally. My experiences have allowed me to work with a diverse group of families and children with mixed skills and abilities. This variety keeps me motivated to provide the best intervention possible. I look forward to exploring and learning about the Western Washington area and working with the staff and families of WCEL.
