Management Team

Linda Asato, Executive Director

BA Psychology University of California at Berkeley
Masters in Public Administration, School of International and Public Affairs Columbia University, New York

Linda Asato brings twenty years of successful public sector, non-profit management experience, and a lifetime commitment to child and family advocacy. She understands the dynamic early childhood environment and has extensive experience in community organizing, public administration, and organizational development. As the Executive Director, Linda is at the forefront of leading the Network in its mission to inspire, inform, and advocate for a quality child care system that supports all families in California.

Prior to joining the Network, Linda served as the Executive Director of Wu Yee Children’s Services in San Francisco. She currently serves on the San Francisco Children and Families Commission (First 5 San Francisco).

Tom Calhoun, Chief Financial Officer

BA Political Science University of California - Riverside
MBA University of California - Riverside

Tom Calhoun is the Chief Financial Officer of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. He oversees and directs the financial, human resource, IT and administrative functions of the organization. He collaborates with management of the various programs including membership services/public policy, research, Parent Voices, Trustline and California Child Care Initiative Project staff to provide support and a high degree of accountability and control to the organization.

Tom brings over 30 years of financial and operating experience, having worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. He started his career with Stryco Manufacturing Company working in their accounting department, and subsequently took a position as a contract manager working for the city and county of San Francisco administering contracts for the Clean Water Program, a division of the Department of Public Works. In 1989 Tom decided that he wanted to direct his efforts toward pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector, beginning his career with California Child Care R&R Network.

Tom serves on the audit committee of the Bay Area Council and is a member of a number of professional organizations. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children.

Ana Fernandez-Leon, Manager CCIP

BA Universidad Complutense - Madrid
MA University of Louisville, KY

Ana has been an employee of the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network since 2006. Her involvement with Resource & Referral and Early Childhood Education began in 1992, as a volunteer for a local family child care association. As a Project/Program Manager at a local R&R agency, she coordinated the Exempt Provider Training Project, a successful team effort to recruit, train, and support license-exempt providers, a pioneer project at the time. She also managed the Child Care Initiative Project and the California Child & Adult Care Food Program

Ana has taught Early Childhood Education courses, in English and Spanish, at several community colleges in the Bay Area.

Mary Ignatius, Statewide Organizer

BSW Rutgers University, NJ
MSW Temple University, PA

Mary Ignatius is the Statewide Organizer of Parent Voices (PV), a Network project and parent-led grassroots organization fighting to make quality child care accessible and affordable for all families.

As the Statewide Organizer since 2005, Mary has infused new and existing Parent Voices chapters with her infectious energy, and sparked expanded interest and enthusiasm in the goals of Parent Voices. As a young mother and a college-educated woman of color, Mary is committed to social and economic justice, and brings passion and inspiration to her peers.

Mary has been a leader in the Marguerite Casey Foundation-funded Equal Voice for America’s Families and the Family Values @ Work Consortium, a network of 14 state coalitions advocating for economic security, paid sick days, and policies that value working families.

Prior to joining the Network, Mary worked with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, and Project SURVIVE, and has been an instructor at City College of San Francisco.

Rowena Quinto, Research Director

BA Global Studies Socioeconomics - University of California - Santa Barbara
MA Public Administration, The Maxwell School at Syracuse

As Research Director, Rowena manages all primary and secondary research activities, and provides technical assistance and training to member agencies on data collection, database systems, and statistics relating to Network research projects. She also manages the Network’s Statewide Data Standardization Project, which produces the biennial California Child Care Portfolio, a county-by-county statistical report about child care costs, supply, and demand throughout the state.

Cindy Mall, Senior Program Manager

BA Developmental and Experimental Psychology University of California - Santa Barbara
MS Child Development University of California - Davis

Cindy came to the Network in 1987 as Office Manager, but within five years was developing and managing TrustLine. Cindy also coordinates the Network's statewide Annual Conference held for the past 20 years at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove. Prior to working at the Network, Cindy was a preschool teacher, a recreation leader for children and adults with developmental and physical challenges, and the director of a before- and after-school program.

A mother of two, Cindy is active in PTA, and chairs the Valley Vista School Fundraising Committee.

Kim Johnson, Public Policy Manager

BA Social Welfare University of California - Berkeley

Kim serves as the Public Policy Manager of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. In this role, she guides the Network and its member agencies in budget and legislative analysis and in public policy education and advocacy efforts. Kim also staffs the Network's Public Policy Committee.

Kim has worked on quality improvement initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels for the past fifteen years. Prior to joining the Network, Kim worked as a Local Child Care and Development Coordinator at The Children's Network of Solano County, Director of Programs and Training at Parent Services Project, and most recently as Program Manager with the California Early Childhood Mentor Program. Kim has also served as the Public Policy Chair of the California Child Care Coordinators' Association.

Kim has a passion for improving the lives of children and families and is continuously inspired by her three children.