The Board 

Christie Hendricks

Board Member

Christie is a retired superintendent of Early Education. She is passionate about the young members of Merced County community and ensuring that they have access to enriching activities and experiences

Noelle Chandler

Secretary

Originally an east coast native, Noelle Chandler is now the Arts Program Specialist at Merced COE and traverses the county daily doing theatre, music, dance, and visual art. She believes in process-based, developmentally appropriate, standards-aligned expression, and works to show classrooms that arts integration at this level is not only possible, but necessary. Play Adventures is her (and her son’s) favorite place to be.

Dr. Grace Paradis

Treasurer

I am a professor of child development at California State University, Stanislaus. I’ve worked with, studied, and taught about children’s development for over 15 years. My areas of interest include parent-child interactions, language development, and media / technology. I’m also a huge advocate for the importance of play for children (and adults!). In my free time, I love playing board games, video games, and cooking.

Dr. Eric Walle

Board Member

An Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of California, Merced. Professor Walle’s research examines emotion, social and emotional development, and developmental transitions (e.g., the onset of walking). He is Co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Emotional Development, has numerous peer-reviewed publications, and his work was featured in the Netflix docuseries, Babies. Walle serves on the editorial board of the journals Affective Science, Cognition and Emotion, Emotion Review, and Infancy. 

Tim Morehouse

President

Timothy Morehouse works with the Foundation for California Community Colleges as a Lead Guided Pathways Regional Coordinator. As an alumnus of the California Community College system (American River College), Tim is proud to be serving the institution that provided him so much. Uniquely, Tim has worked in TK-12 education, post-secondary education (UC/CSU and CCC) and economic workforce development giving him a breadth of knowledge of the education to career continuum. He is a passionate advocate for student-centered, equity-focused improvements of systems and outcomes to see communities in California thrive. If you want to strike up a conversation with Tim, you can ask him about remodeling his house, soccer, or his most recent Lego build.

Charlotte Habecker

Board Member

I am a mom of three amazing, active teenagers. I love gardening, as well as our backyard chickens who regularly tear up my garden. I worked for many years as a science teacher and enjoy hands-on, inquiry-based learning. I believe that kids are natural scientists. I am an advocate for the inclusion of those with special needs, and love Play Adventures for that reason: anyone can play in their own way when given the chance.

Kim Jarrett

Assistant Director / Board Member

Kim holds a BA in Child Development and is a multiple subjects credentialed teacher, with a background in Waldorf education. She has long proven her ability to keep the integrity and quality of our program to the highest standards. She is a competent leader and teacher while modeling play-work and best practices for the needs of our children. She has an integral role in our staff development. Kim has been practicing play-worker for over two years.