Since July 2005, Kris Perry has been the Executive Director of First 5 California and has helped strengthen First 5 California’s position as a leader in the early childhood development arena with its emphasis on the whole child. Under her guidance, First 5 California has emerged as one of the primary advocates for California’s youngest children and their families.

Kris brings a wealth of experience to First 5 California, including having previously served as Executive Director of First 5 San Mateo County where she developed several cutting-edge programs to provide resources, policy direction and community leadership for children 0-5 and their families. At First 5 San Mateo County Kris also led community design groups to develop large-scale initiatives such as universal health care, preschool for all, early brain development and school readiness county-wide. She has a particular interest in developing high-quality child development programs for working families with modest incomes. Kris worked closely with other counties and was the Chair of the 2003 Statewide Preschool for All Summit, Chair of the Association’s Preschool for All task force and the 2005 Vice President of the First 5 Association of California.

Kris’ dedication to children and their families began at the Alameda County Social Services Agency where she worked for more than 12 years in various capacities, including Dependency Investigator, Family Preservation Case Manager, Unit Supervisor, Supervising Program Specialist and Program Manager with an emphasis on Service Integration and Agency Planning. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California Santa Cruz and Master of Social Work from San Francisco State University. Kris is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Board Certified Diplomat who also holds a post-graduate certificate as a Service Integration Specialist. In 2003 she completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders.

Kris’ vision for First 5 California includes creating a system of supports and resources for parents, caregivers, early workforce professionals, and children. In her role as Executive Director, she is instrumental in steering First 5 California’s strategic planning process, which guides the organization and its programs.

Ms. Dale joined First 5 California in 2006 as the Chief Deputy Director. Ms. Dale is responsible for overseeing First 5 California’s day-to-day operations and supporting Executive Director Kris Perry. She also provides policy and strategic direction to First 5 California. Prior to joining First 5 California, Ms. Dale was with the state Board of Equalization as the Division Chief for the Customer and Taxpayer Services Division. Ms. Dale served in the Governor’s Office for Innovation in Government conducting large-scale stakeholder outreach related to e-government and statewide policy development.

Her nonprofit experience includes fund development work for the Sacramento Children’s Home, which for more than a century has provided thousands of children a safe place to call home. Ms. Dale also served as the Director of Community Relations for Mercy General Hospital . Ms. Dale earned her Bachelor's of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Ms. Gauthier is First 5 California’s Chief Counsel, having joined the organization in February 2007.  Her responsibilities include providing legal guidance and opinions utilizing California statutory and regulatory authority pertaining to First 5 California programs and policies.  In addition, Kim serves as the legal advisor to the state Commissioners and Executive Director Kris Perry.  Prior to joining First 5 California, Kim served as Assistant Chief Counsel to California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson and she started her state career more than six years ago with the Department of Health Services.  She has been licensed to practice law for approximately 11 years and is admitted to appear in numerous state and federal courts.

Ms. Bupara joined First 5 California in November 2003 as a Public Information Officer. In December of 2004, she was named Deputy Director for Communications. The Communications Office manages First 5 California’s public education and outreach campaigns and contracts, handles all media relations and is responsible for implementing all communications- related responsibilities of the California Children and Families First Act. The Communications Office oversees and guides media technical assistance provided to County Commissions through First 5’s public relations contract.

Ms. Bupara earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from San Francisco State University and was awarded a Journalism Fellowship to the Poynter Institute at St. Petersburgh, Florida. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Journalism Education (previously housed at UC Berkeley). Prior to state service Ms. Bupara worked as a reporter for several newspapers, including the Sacramento Bee, the Modesto Bee and the El Paso Herald-Post.

Ms. Morgan joined First 5 California as a Child Development Consultant in May of 2000. During her tenure she has been lead on projects related to child development and early learning workforce development such as First 5 CARES, the First 5 Family, Friend and Neighbor Support Project, and the Early Learning Workforce Development Project. She led the program development, evaluation and modifications tied to an emphasis on intentionality and quality care for all young children of one of First 5 California’s largest statewide investments, the First 5 CARES program. She also has been on the Circle of Advisors for KCET’s two Peabody and Emmy award winning Series, “A Place of Our Own”/”Los Niños en Su Casa”, for Seasons One, Two and Three. 

Prior to her tenure at First 5 California, she spent seven years at the Center for Child and Family Studies at the University of California Davis. She began as an Infant/Toddler Head Teacher before becoming an Academic Child Development Specialist and directing three full-inclusion preschool programs while specializing in infant mental health and supporting healthy families. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Earlham College in Indiana and a Master’s of Science in Child Development from the University of California Davis. She also is a certified trainer in the Program for Infant/Toddler Care.

Ms. Sormano recently joined First 5 California as the Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.  She has over 18 years of experience conducting research, managing research groups and acting as policy advisor to executives and board members.  Most recently, Stacie was Chief of Health Strategic Services at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System where she used data to inform health strategy for a $5 billion program.  Stacie also led the Department of Consumer Affairs’ measurement efforts during its participation in the Governor’s Performance-Based Budgeting Pilot Project.  Her main focus is creating operational and outcome measures to improve overall efficiency and effectiveness of government programs.

Ms. Miller joined First 5 California in August 2006 as the Chief of Administrative Services and is responsible for directing the Financial Management, Contracting, Personnel, Business Services, Auditing, and Labor Relations programs. Prior to joining First 5 California, Ms. Miller was with the California Department of Education (CDE) as the Manager of the Funding Allocation and Administrative Services unit in the Child Development Division where she managed the distribution of funding for child care and development programs, the child care facilities revolving loan program, a state operations budget of over $11 million, an appeals unit charged with ensuring and resolving due process matters related to parents and agencies receiving funds through the CDE, and managed other personnel and management support functions.