Advisory Council
Michelle Adames, Ph.D
Jardin de Los Niños, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Adames is the Chief Executive Officer for Jardin de los Niños. This non-profit organization serves homeless and near-homeless children and their families in a 5-Star Early Childhood Education Program. She has a doctorate in special education with a minor in bilingual education from New Mexico State University. Jardin de los Niños serves the most vulnerable populations and has built partnerships throughout New Mexico and surrounding communities. Early Intervention services are the foundation of Jardin de los Niños's work with our Infants and Toddlers at the center and across New Mexico.
Abel Covarrubias, MA, CCC-SLP
Aprendamos Family of Services- Chief Executive Officer
Abel Covarrubias is a native of New Mexico and received a Master of Arts degree in Special Education/Communication Disorders from New Mexico State University. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aprendamos Intervention Team, an organization committed to providing services for families and children. The Aprendamos family of services include the Aprendamos Intervention Team, Esperanza Children’s Therapy Clinic, Mariposa Autism Service Center, Alegria Family Counseling Clinic, Cariño Home Visiting Program, Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Program, Conscious Fathering Program of Southern New Mexico. Abel completed the Leaders Access Borders Advanced Leadership Program through the U.S./Mexico Border Health Commission and the ZERO to THREE Fellowship Program. He is involved in various boards, including Hearts for Autism, Las Cruces Catholic Schools, Health Advisory Council, etc. He enjoys running half marathons and spending time with his wife, Monica, and their three daughters.
Leah Davidson
Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program- Bureau Chief
Leah Davidson is a career early childhood professional committed to working on behalf of families with very young children to maximize joy, growth, and human potential while the brain is most malleable. Leah earned her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Colorado State University in 2008 and began her career in Early Intervention in Virginia. She worked as a Service Coordinator and then a Local System Manager in Arlington, Virginia, for ten years before relocating to New Mexico, where she now serves as the Bureau Chief for New Mexico’s statewide Early Intervention system. Leah is the proud mother of one ten-year-old girl and spends her free time singing, hiking, baking, and socializing with her friends and family.
Kathryn Million
Doña Ana Community College (DACC)- Associate Professor
Kathryn Million is an Associate Professor in the Education Department at Doña Ana Community College (DACC). Kathryn has taught in the Early Childhood Program at DACC for six years. Before teaching in higher education, Kathryn was an elementary education teacher for eighteen years. Kathryn’s research interests include the barriers to transfer that early childhood education students face when transitioning from a 2-year program to a 4-year bachelor’s degree. Kathryn and colleagues Dr. Wenjie Wang and Dr. Lynn Bagwell published “Pathway to Transfer: Validating the Lived Experiences of Nontraditional Students in an Early Childhood Program” in Community College Journal of Research and Practice (2022). In 2023, Kathryn was honored with the Donald C. Roush Award for Teaching Excellence.