Colleen Petermann

Colleen’s career in nonprofits began in 2008 following a volunteer opportunity in India teaching in conjunction with Cross Cultural Solutions and Mobile Crèches to support the early childhood development of marginalized children. She taught children of migrant workers on a construction site in New Delhi. Since numbers are universal and there was often a language barrier, math was taught to children of all ages and varying skill sets in a variety of ways. This rewarding and passion-inducing experience prompted her to continue teaching and to support children and families at Head Start in New Jersey. While at Head Start she was part of a team of teachers, administrators and family advocates to promote school readiness to children of low-income families. There, her focus grew to not only the betterment of children through education, but to the families through supporting and encouraging them to participate in leadership roles and program operations. Colleen then transitioned to Autism services and education at SEARCH Day Program, working within in the classroom, the Group Home and Saturday Respite Program. The collaboration, support, creativity, trainings and people there remain a highlight of her career and her life. Following this experience, she embraced the role of Family Child Care Coordinator assisting child care providers with registering at the state level through Monmouth County’s local CCR&R at Child Care Resources of Monmouth County. In this role, she was able to connect with her community and enhance her education and training while also becoming a trainer. She grew increasingly interested in policy, procedure and regulation to ensure health and safety leading her to a Quality Assurance role at Allies Inc. While at Allies she excelled exponentially in each role (there were a few) as she was able to start, implement and develop impactful processes which led to error resolution, accountability, loss prevention and recuperation. Ultimately her tireless work and dedication elevated the agency’s understanding of Fee For Service to enhance the lives of the individuals served.

She is a graduate with honors from Rider University and an avid traveler who is passionate for people.