Meet Our Staff

John joined EFS in January 2012. Former president of a major subsidiary of Transamerica Corporation, he brings exceptional skills in business, strategy and management to Educational First Steps. For the last ten years, John served as an educator, enlightening young minds in the areas of science and technology at the Lamplighter School. John received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and his Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University and its public management program. After years in the business world, John's young children inspired him to change careers and he became a teacher at Lamplighter. During the decade he spent at Lamplighter, John grew in his passion for the education of young children. The executive director position at Educational First Steps provides him with an opportunity to apply both his business and education experience and skills for the betterment of young children.

James L. Richardson, Jr. became development director in July 2011. Jim is a founding member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) - Dallas Chapter. He was National Fund Raising Director for the United States Olympic Committee and most recently with the SPCA of Texas, and Texas Voice Project for Parkinsons Disease.

A 17  year education professional, Shannon currently serves as Director of Early Learning Programs for Educational First Steps (EFS) in Dallas, Texas. The agency annually mentors and trains almost 1,000 early childhood teachers and directors serving low-income children ages 0-5, executing its early learning center assistance program, Four Steps to Excellence 2.0, under Shannon’s leadership. Shannon is passionate about ensuring each child ‘s opportunity to succeed from the start, and her early childhood expertise has benefited countless children as they have been instructed in developmentally appropriate ways by teachers under Shannon’s guidance. Shannon is an enthusiastic trainer who enjoys sharing her knowledge of building and managing effective teams through strengths-based leadership.

Kym spent many years as a Program Specialist for EFS and was promoted to Tarrant County Director in the spring of 2010. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Management and an Associate's Degree in Child Development. Kym has more than 20 years experience in child care working as a teacher, an assistant director and director of childcare centers and also an after school coordinator.

Donna started working part-time for EFS in June as our bookkeeper. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Miami University in Ohio with a degree in Finance. She moved to Dallas in 1985 and worked for nine years as a National Bank Examiner for The Comptroller of the Currency. Since 2000, she has performed accounting functions at her husband's law firm. They have four children and two black labs. "It's chaos, but fun chaos," comments Donna.