The Alliance for Early Success announced today that it has named Daniela Villasmil to a newly created role: Manager of Responsive Support and Network Engagement. The new position reflects the Alliance’s expanding commitment to highly responsive support for early childhood policy advocates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
As Manager of Responsive Support and Network Engagement, Villasmil will oversee the Alliance’s diverse network of Responsive Support providers—policy and operations experts who the Alliance engages to help state policy advocates on both custom long-term projects and immediate short-term needs. As states’ nuanced political landscapes shift and evolve, advocates are increasingly requesting in-the-moment support tailored to their state’s conditions and history. In response, the Alliance has transitioned from offering annual technical assistance projects to providing a deep bench of responsive experts who are available throughout the year to serve as an extension of a state advocacy organization’s team. The robust Responsive Support program now offers high-impact, real-time assistance in a long list of areas ranging from state maternal health policy and child care data systems to narrative framing and working in coalitions.
“Daniela has been central in building Responsive Support into a systems-level offering with new strategies for recruiting, matching, and tracking,” says Albert Wat, who leads advocacy support at the Alliance as part of his new role as Deputy Director of Advocacy and Impact. “Her experience and full-time focus on the Responsive Support grantees will further sharpen and grow the impact of their work.”
“As the Alliance celebrates our 20th anniversary, we’re making changes that set us up for success in the next 20,” adds Alliance Executive Director Helene Stebbins.
Villasmil most recently served as a Policy Associate for the Alliance, joining in 2021. In 2023-2024, she served a year-long IPA (Intergovernmental Personnel Act) deployment as a Policy and Strategy Analyst for the Administration of Children and Families. Prior to joining the Alliance, she was an Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for The Children’s Movement of Florida, a statewide early childhood policy advocacy organization.
