The National Center Staff

Sarah E. Walzer, J.D. Executive Director

Prior to becoming Executive Director of The Parent-Child Home Program, Inc., Sarah Walzer was Counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Legislation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she worked on legislative initiatives and funding for early childhood and domestic violence programs, welfare reform, and the development of a crime, substance abuse, and dropout prevention programs for youth. From 1989 through 1993, she was legislative assistant/counsel to U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, working on legislative initiatives on women’s and children’s issues, education, housing, and poverty issues and serving as the Senator’s liaison with organizations in Connecticut working on these issues. During this time, she also was responsible for children and family issues for the Clinton/Gore Domestic Policy Transition Team. In that capacity, she evaluated early childhood initiatives, prepared policy memoranda, and worked on legislation on a range of issues, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, teenage pregnancy prevention, child care, Head Start and early childhood education, and family preservation. Prior to attending Harvard Law School, Sarah was the Development Coordinator for the Northeast-Midwest Institute, a non-profit public policy organization.

Michele Morrison, M.S. Training and Technical Assistance Director

Michele oversees training and certification of Parent-Child Home Program Site Coordinators and sites. She develops training materials and workshops to train both Site Coordinators and Home Visitors and provides technical assistance to developing and existing Parent-Child Home Program sites on issues including hiring, training, and supervising staff, recruiting families, expanding services, and community relations. She also organizes the Parent-Child Home Program’s national conference each year. Michele was a Site Coordinator for six years at The Parent-Child Home Program replication site sponsored by the Freeport, N.Y. School District and the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services. She has also worked in the Nassau BOCES Teen Parenting Program, and taught child development courses to college students and professionals. Michele has presented on the value of early parent-child literacy experiences to a variety of audiences, including parents who are recovering addicts, early childhood educators, high school students, and school boards. Michele has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education.

Patricia G. Peters, M.Ed. Director of Resource Development

Pati specializes in cultivating relationships with foundations and corporations to support the National Center and local sites. She works closely with the Executive Director and the Development Director to identify potential funders and partners. Pati has a long career in fundraising and public relations for non-profit organizations and is very active in the Long Island service community. Prior to coming to The Parent-Child Home Program, Pati was the Director of Corporate and Foundation Development at the Touro Law Center where she oversaw corporate and foundation fundraising and performed public relations duties. Pati also served as Director of Public Relations for the Family and Children’s Association in Hempstead, NY where she handled media relations, marketing, print production. She later became the organization’s Director of Development and was responsible for the planning and execution of special events, annual appeals, direct mailings, and grant writing. She has a Master’s degree in Education.

Mary L. Durel, M.Ed., National Expansion Director

Mary brings over 20 years of experience in developing and growing non-profit programs that provide services to children and families both nationally and internationally. As Expansion Director, she reaches out to underserved or not yet served areas and states. She employs her vast experience as an advocate, community organizer and collaborator to create new opportunities for communities and systems to access The Parent-Child Home Program. Before joining with the Program, Mary served as the Southern Region Coordinator for Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth, Inc., and was the Southern Region Deputy Director for the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA.). Additionally, Mary worked for Family Services of Westchester in White Plains, NY as Director of Adoption and Children’s Services, and served as a caseworker and supervisor for Abbott House in Irvington, NY. Mary has volunteered her time as a professional mentor for SED young adults and served as a child representative/parent advocate for children with learning disabilities. Mary holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from Tulane University.

César Zuniga, M.S. Research and Evaluation Director

César oversees data collection, quality assurance and research projects. He coordinates the National Center’s efforts that are designed to build replication sites’ capacities to plan and conduct research and evaluation projects on the short and long-term impacts of the Program on children and families. He is responsible for the implementation of The Parent-Child Home Program Management of Information System (MIS) and distance learning modules, including designing and providing training to Site Coordinators and Home Visitors. Before coming to The Parent-Child Home Program, César worked as a project associate at the Equity Assistance Center (EAC) at his alma mater, New York University, conducting focus groups and interviews and analyzing data related to the over-representation of minorities in special education in the Lower Hudson Valley. César also served as a Board Member of the Passaic Public Schools in New Jersey. He has a Master's degree in Educational Administration and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Developmental Psychology.

Amy S. Hamper-Gilmore Site Certification and Training Associate

Amy tracks site progress, provides technical assistance to field offices and conducts site visits. She works on updating and implementing site coordinator training on quality assurance, and updating the coordinator and home visitor training manuals. Amy also works on site certification and recertification. Prior to joining The Parent-Child Home Program, Amy’s work experience included eight years at UNICEF, and working as a grants researcher at the Spunk Fund Inc., a New York City based children’s foundation. Amy is returning to the work force after having spent the last ten years raising her two children. She received her B.A. in art history from Michigan State University which included course work at Boston University. Amy also studied French at The Sorbonne as well as Spanish literature at Hofstra University.

Melissa Blusonis Communication and Outreach Associate

Melissa is the editor of the quarterly newsletter, website editor, and oversees the production of print publications. She handles internal and external communications at the National Center and also works with staff to develop marketing and public relations strategy. Melissa graduated with honors from Long Island University, CW Post where she earned a B.A. in English Education. Before joining The Parent-Child Home Program, Melissa taught in several school districts on Long Island.

Dina Shahverdi, Office Manager

Dina manages the day-to-day operation of the National Center office and provides administrative support. She manages the office, maintains site and office records, and assists with the annual conference, trainings, and other events. Before joining The Parent-Child Home Program, Dina served in the Israeli military and was at home with her three children. Having lived in numerous countries, she is fluent in German, Farsi, Hebrew, and English.

Phyllis Levenstein Ed.D., Founder (Deceased)

Dr. Levenstein was the founder and original Executive Director of The Parent-Child Home Program. She was a clinical psychologist, who first developed the Program for her Columbia University doctoral dissertation. Her background was in the interdisciplinary study of the family, social work, education. She was an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Program at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. She conducted much of the early research on the effectiveness of the Program and published numerous articles and the acclaimed book, Messages from Home, about child development and The Parent-Child Home Program. She was the lead author of the article examining the results from the high school graduation rate study that earned The Parent-Child Home Program national attention.

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