Our Team

Melani Ladygo has a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles. She has been teaching Parent-Infant Guidance™ classes for well over a decade and is teaching throughout the San Fernando Valley, as well as at her home in Tarzana. In addition to the classes and consulting she offers, Melani has presented workshops on Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach in a variety of conference settings. She first fell in love with the Approach in a child care center where she worked as an Infant/Toddler Master Lead Teacher for many years. She feels strongly that this Approach strengthens bonds between parents and children, and fosters the development of competent, capable, and creative children.

Jeny Gonzalez serves as a core member of the RIE operations team, providing comprehensive support across operations, programs, financial processes, and administration. She brings 15+ years of bookkeeping and accounting experience and is completing her Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy at California State University Northridge in May 2026. Her systems-thinking approach and attention to detail help strengthen organizational efficiency and support RIE’s mission from the inside out.

Jeny and her elementary school-aged daughter are both part of the RIE family. In her free time, she enjoys exploring theme parks and local attractions with her daughter.

Nicole Vigliotti began her early childhood career in search of more meaningful work as an infant caregiver at Little Learners Lodge (LLL). After studying with Magda Gerber in 1998, Nicole received her Montessori 3-6 credentials in order to remain with her primary group of infants through Kindergarten. She continued her studies under the guidance of Anna Tardos and the team of experts at the Pikler Institute in Budapest. During her 25 years as Head of School at LLL, Nicole also served on both the RIE and Pikler USA Governing Boards, piloted the first East Coast RIE certified center, produced Beverly Kovach’s Being With Infants video training series, and chartered a public Montessori elementary school. Nicole primarily resides in Florida with her husband, David, and three sons but you will also find her spending plenty of time in South Carolina working with the frontline caregivers at Little Learners Lodge.

Beth Middleton is a career caregiver in private family and group care environments. After attending the 2013 Los Angeles Winter Foundations course Beth continued her studies, becoming a RIE Associate in early 2021. Beth consults on a sliding scale with individuals and families, as well as in group care, community and conference settings. She enjoys sharing the life and relationship enriching benefits of our approach, traveling, music and comedy.

Debbie Bergstrom studied with Magda Gerber starting in 1986. She studied at the Emmi Pikler Institute, Budapest Hungary in 2008. She is a WestEd PITC Graduate. She has worked in Child and Youth programs for over 39 years. Debbie has worked with a variety of infant/toddler programs and has conducted seminars and training in Italy, New Zealand, Australia, and throughout the United States. She is currently an ECE Consultant.

Heather Jackson-Peña came to RIE® as a new parent through self-study in becoming an attuned caregiver. She uses Educaring® as a guide for raising her children. It has given her and her husband healthy, authentic relationships with their children, who are now in middle childhood. Much of the time she spends applying RIE now is in clinical support of her therapy team at her company, Young & Well. As a pediatric occupational therapist, she has dedicated her career to understanding child development so that she can help young people and their caregivers lead healthy, happy, and connected lives by doing things that matter the most to them. Over time, she has developed expertise in leadership through her doctoral work and completed the RIE Foundations coursework, both of which have given her the unique role of leading and mentoring the next generation of multi-disciplinary therapists on respectful approaches to therapy, with a critical emphasis on freedom of movement. As a result of the Foundations course, she created a professional development program to train and mentor her multidisciplinary team of providers on being respectful therapists in their relationships with babies and young people receiving therapy. This program includes long-term training, mentorship, and self-reflection with deep discussion and application of RIE principles to therapy relationships. Her team also support clients’ parents in respectful caregiving in alignment with their therapeutic programming to support infant and child motor, social, and emotional development.

Jill Getto Lee, M.A., ATIF-MHP is President of Resources for Infant Educarers® (RIE®) and Chair of the Professional Development Committee. She teaches all RIE® Certified Courses and maintains a private practice at the Silver Lake Center for Creativity (SLCC) in Los Angeles. Jill is endorsed by the State of California as an Advanced Transdisciplinary Infant–Family Mental Health Practitioner and works as an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Specialist with WestEd, providing infant and early childhood mental health consultation to early learning and care, center-based programs throughout California. Her work is based in a deep respect for infants and families and integrates developmental, relational, and neurobiological perspectives. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Development with a specialization in Early Childhood Development from Pacific Oaks College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Central Michigan University. Jill also holds dual certification in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics in Early Childhood (NMT-EC). She previously served as Chair of the RIE® Board of Directors and currently participates as a community member on the Los Angeles Unified School District’s IPM team. Jill continues her professional learning through ongoing study with Dr. Allan N. Schore in his Right Brain Psychotherapy study group. Jill is also the proud mother of twin sons, who began their college journeys in the Pacific Northwest in Fall 2023.

Hanny Purnomo Boyer, a mother of two RIE kids, has experienced firsthand the transformative nature of the Educaring approach. It has had an immeasurable impact on not only her children, but on her and her entire family.

Combined with her work as a visual storyteller with a BA in Graphic Design and MA in Filmmaking uniquely position her to capture the magic of the RIE approach and craft a compelling message that can connect with caregivers everywhere. She hopes to help RIE create meaningful content and distribute it through the channels that today’s parents and caregivers engage with the most.

Bence Gerber was trained in physics, worked with scientific software that simulates complex physical phenomena as well as computer operating systems. He has experience with developing software, supporting applications, marketing, and selling high-end software and hardware systems. He also has been active with non-profit organizations and has served on several boards related to childcare. Bence claims to be the luckiest man in the world, having been raised by RIE’s founder, Magda Gerber. He has a son, a grandson, and a 15-month-old granddaughter.

Abhirami Gunasingam, having worked in the field of Early Childhood Education since 2010 and experienced RIE® since 2015, brings professionalism and grit to being a board member. Owning and operating a licensed, home-based early childhood education program during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her to have a deeper understanding of good governance and operations. Working directly with young children, their families and state licensing consultants, she made complex decisions that not only prioritized outcomes for young children but also resulted in a successful business. She gives back regularly by curating books from RIE® and providing them to prospective parents, enrollees, and community members at large at no cost, as she believes that knowledge about RIE®‘s Educaring® Approach must be shared with a sense of urgency. She brings a multi-faceted understanding of the early childhood landscape by reflecting on her daily practices as an educator, observing the current needs of families in raising resilient and confident children, and creating harmony with licensing regulations while respecting the rights of the children.

Donté Henry‘s journey with RIE began as a new parent seeking education to be the best possible parent to his daughter. The principles of trust, respect, and authentic care resonated deeply with him, guiding his then wife and him to ultimately raise two incredible children within the RIE philosophy. Their journey with RIE was made possible through the kindness of their wonderful Educarer and guide, Liz Memel.

His commitment to RIE extended beyond his family as he volunteered at the RIE office in Hollywood, offering his time and technology expertise to support the organization’s mission. This experience not only enriched his understanding of RIE’s impact but also allowed him to contribute to the community that has given so much to his family.

With a background in technology, he is eager to leverage his expertise to help RIE modernize and expand its reach. He envisions a future where RIE’s invaluable resources are more accessible, and its community is broader, connected by the latest digital tools that enhance RIE’s ability to share knowledge and support each other.

He is also committed to expanding awareness and support for RIE within his extensive network of professionals. By fostering partnerships and collaborations, we can ensure that RIE’s message of respectful infant care continues to touch the lives of parents, caregivers, and educators worldwide.

Jim Hustead is currently the VP of Growth at Feeld.  He has a passion and knack for connecting humans. Alongside amazing teams that make it all happen, he has worked at connecting humans and scaling companies across a wide range of industries and marketplaces. He thrives on creating and capturing demand.

Prior to his work at Feeld, Jim served as the Director of Operations at Uber Works and as a Strategic Advisor for Uber. Jim has worked as a Consultant and Strategic Advisor for various start-ups and enterprises, contributing to their growth and development.

Father to two daughters, Jim has been a RIE parent for many years, and is currently in class with his 10-month-old in Echo Park, CA. Jim credits his beautiful relationships with his daughters to learning about the Educaring Approach along with his wife. He is a passionate advocate for RIE and joined the RIE Board of Directors in January, 2024, bringing much needed business acumen and strategic vision to the Board.

Beth Middleton is a career caregiver in private family and group care environments. After attending the 2013 Los Angeles Winter Foundations course Beth continued her studies, becoming a RIE Associate in early 2021. Beth consults on a sliding scale with individuals and families, as well as in group care, community and conference settings. She enjoys sharing the life and relationship enriching benefits of our approach, traveling, music and comedy.

Susan North has been working with children and their families since completing UC Berkeley’s Early Childhood Education program in 1971. Her professional experience includes teaching and administration for Head Start, running parent/toddler programs, and directing full-day preschools. She was a Master Teacher with LA Unified’s Parent Education Division. More recently, she became trained in mediation and facilitation through the L.A. City Attorney’s Office Dispute Resolution Program, Ken Cloke’s Center for Dispute Resolution, and Centinela Youth Services. She opened her mediation practice in 2007. She has taught school-age kids to be peer mediators, and she volunteered with Southern California Family Mediation in the Child Dependency Courts. Now she divides time writing, providing parent education and parent coaching, and blogging. She is the author of The Opposite of Combat: A Parent’s Guide for Teaching Siblings How to Collaborate & Solve Their Own Conflicts.

Susan served on RIE’s board in the late 80s and early 90s. She worked not only with Magda Gerber herself but with so many of her founding colleagues. More recently she was a Trustee for fifteen years at Sequoyah School in Pasadena, CA. While on the Sequoyah board, the school expanded from a K-8 to include a high school. The same core values that drive RIE (respect for the child, allowing children to co-create their learning experience, and so forth) can be expressed all throughout a child’s education.

While a Trustee at Sequoyah, she also chaired the Committee on Trustees. Members of this committee serve as “talent scouts” for the board. As Chair, she learned how to seek, vet and approve a diverse group of passionate people with different skill sets to serve the school’s mission. Being on a highly effective board provided her with a thorough education about these matters.

Although she never became RIE certified herself, she learned so much from Magda during the many classes she sat in on with her. Afterwards, Magda was always so generous with her time. She will forever be grateful to Magda for what she taught her. Seeing babies through a respectful lens changed her. Magda’s way of seeing children has informed all of Susan’s ensuing work with families and children.

Nicole Vigliotti began her early childhood career in search of more meaningful work as an infant caregiver at Little Learners Lodge (LLL). After studying with Magda Gerber in 1998, Nicole received her Montessori 3-6 credentials in order to remain with her primary group of infants through Kindergarten. She continued her studies under the guidance of Anna Tardos and the team of experts at the Pikler Institute in Budapest. During her 25 years as Head of School at LLL, Nicole also served on both the RIE and Pikler USA Governing Boards, piloted the first East Coast RIE certified center, produced Beverly Kovach’s Being With Infants video training series, and chartered a public Montessori elementary school. Nicole primarily resides in Florida with her husband, David, and three sons but you will also find her spending plenty of time in South Carolina working with the frontline caregivers at Little Learners Lodge.