The National Kids Yoga Conference, a project of YoKid…Stretch Your Limits is made possible by a dedicated board of directors, staff, and volunteers. We envision a world where all kids have access to yoga and mindfulness.
Board of Directors
William Drew – Board Chair & Executive Director (he/him)
A lifelong meditator, William Drew, simply known as “Drew,” is the founder & owner of Healing House Yoga LLC (a Registered Yoga School and Continuing Education Provider, recognized by Yoga Alliance) as well as Mindful i Consulting LLC. As a Mindfulness-Based Consultant and Performance Coach Drew focuses on seamlessly integrating Reflective Practices and Intentional Movement into the workday as foundational to Transformational Change; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
Through his work in schools Drew has influenced policy, help drive down behavior- based student disciplinary actions as well as increase learning time for classroom educators- increasing the quality of engagement and sense of joy, for all.
Drew’s work has allowed him to present the benefits of Reflective Practices and Intentional Movement to school districts, community/professional & trade organizations, small and medium-sized businesses as well as medium and large-sized insurance & health care providers.
“YoKid has been an inspiration to me, over the years. The quality of presenters and the opportunities for support as a teacher and business owner forced me to improve how I would deliver for families and my partners in education and the greater community- every year. I am honored to step into the role held before me by Michelle and Jen. I am determined to build on each of their successes. Like them, I am committed to serving the family of Kids Yoga Teachers and Kids Yoga Business Owners- supporting them, always and elevating the culture with every chance I get.”
When not writing or training others on Yoga and Meditation, Drew is getting cooking tips from his niece, perfecting the flying splits or working on lowering his time running a 5k.
Nallely Alcocer – Treasurer (she/her)
Nallely Alcocer is the founder of YO YOGA – Yoga for Young Ones. She is a 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher, a 95hr Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher, and has received Growing Up Mindful certification. She is also an experienced elementary school teacher and is deeply passionate about teaching and learning. Since the pandemic, she pivoted her yoga offerings online. She has truly enjoyed being able to connect and build community with families from different countries.
“I believe in the importance of gathering and connecting with like-minded people. Since the first NKYC workshop I attended, I felt inspired and supported by the NKYC community. My goal serving on the board is to support NYKC to continue providing a space for meaningful connections to everyone who works with children and teens. I believe that bringing yoga and mindfulness to youth is an extraordinary and much needed job.“
Nallely enjoys spending time with my family, going for nature walks and picnics, drawing and travelling. She speaks Spanish and English and looks forward to connecting with you.
Brigitta White – Secretary (she/her)
Brigitta Elsa White, MS, R-DMT is the owner of sunraeyoga.dance and has served as Children’s Yoga Teacher at The Newton School in Sterling, VA since 2011.
Brigitta also offers bilingual children’s yoga classes with Bilinguitos, a Spanish Immersion Virtual Program. She has operated as a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) with The American Dance Therapy Association, since 2007 and as a Children’s Yoga Teacher through Radiant Child Yoga, since 2010.
Most recently, Brigitta has served as the President of the Board of The MD-DC-VA Chapter of The American Dance Therapy Association.
“As a person fortunate enough to learn from YoKids’ co-founder, Michelle Mitchell, Brigitta is proud to now serve on the Board of Directors. “As a Hispanic American woman and former YoKid volunteer, I am passionate about bringing yoga to children, especially to marginalized communities. I believe that our work together will impact many generations to come. Children’s yoga can change the world!”
When she is not teaching yoga or home-schooling her wonderful children, Brigitta spends her time writing poetry and prose.
Jennifer Mueller – Chairman Emeritus (she/her)
Jen comes to YoKid as a former volunteer teaching kids yoga to underserved communities in DC. She’s also been a presenter over the past 5 years for the National Kids Yoga Conference. (Read presenter spotlight)
Jen has been teaching yoga to families and children since 2008. Before turning her attention to yoga full time by founding Breathing Space, Jen spent more than a decade working with non profit organizations in everything from daily operations, event and volunteer management, and finance to national policy advocacy and media relations. Jen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts and a Master in Public Management degree from the University of Maryland.
She has trained with Budding Yogis, ChildLight Yoga, Yoga 4 Classrooms, Cosmic Kids Yoga, and YoKid to offer classes to families and children of all ages. Jen’s work with children inspired her to complete adult yoga teacher training at Willow Street Yoga in 2010 and train in Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield.
Jen is a Yoga Alliance® Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RTY 200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCTY). She was a children’s yoga teacher trainer with Childlight Education Company for 8 years and co-created their Yoga for Babies & Toddlers training. She is also a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) through Infant Massage USA and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
Jen understands that good teachers are life-long students and has long worked to build professionalism within the children’s yoga field. She sees her involvement with the National Kids Yoga Conference as an extension of that mission.
Committee Members
Larissa Noto – Finance Committee (she/her)
Larissa has been practicing yoga and mindfulness for 23 years and teaching for the past 7 years. Larissa is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), 95 hour Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) and 85 hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT). She has trained all over the world in various yoga modalities, with a specialty in trauma informed movement that is accessible to all ages and abilities. Larissa currently teaches in schools, colleges, universities, various yoga studios, libraries, hospitals, community and recovery centers across the nation. She is also a teacher, trainer and content contributor with Childlight Education Company (NH), Pratyush Sinha Foundation (PA), and The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem (PA).
As both a former educator and lawyer, Larissa has worked with various populations in NYC, Newark, NJ and Washington DC and has a passion for Mental Health, Education Law and Accessibility to Education under the IDEA. Currently, Larissa works as an advocate with various diverse populations in the state of Pennsylvania and as a Parent Mentor, through the Family Connections for Language and Learning.
“Coming together as a community is so important – it allows us to collaborate, connect and learn new tools from one another. Being in Community with one another is equally important – it serves to invigorate, inspire and rejuvenate our own practices by learning from other teachers doing this same work, the world over. This is one of the things I most look forward to every year when Conference time rolls around.” – Larissa Noto
When she isn’t sharing her love of yoga with others, she is a wife, mom of 3 boys, and professor. She loves reading, traveling, photography and gardening in her spare time.
Emily Fleming – Membership Committee (she/her)
Emily Fleming is the founder of Yoga In Classrooms And Schools Consulting. YCSC works works with schools and school districts to develop tailor-made, impactful, and long-term yoga and mindfulness programming for students, staff, and families through a model of long-term coaching and support, cross-curricular integration and the creation of culturally relevant programming aligned to the needs, values, and goals of the school community. Emily is both a certified educator with a decade of classroom teaching experience, and a certified yoga instructor (RYT500, RCYT). Emily has spent the majority of her teaching career teaching yoga and mindfulness as a daily enrichment class at a middle school in Baltimore, MD, which prompted her to found Yoga In Classrooms and Schools Consulting. Emily also offers online trainings and a mentorship program for kids yoga teachers looking to teach in schools with a focus on helping them get in the door, navigate school budgets, and market themselves and their program to school leaders.
“I’ve met so many incredible kids yoga teachers and business owners through NKYC – people who I’m sure I wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. NKYC has allowed me not only to gather with like-minded people, but has also provided valuable workshops and offerings that have expanded my knowledge and skills as an educator and kids yoga teacher. As a committee member, I hope to be able to foster this sense of community among our members and continue to have NKYC be a space of growth, learning, and connection for all.” – Emily Fleming
Emily enjoys traveling, spending time in nature, cooking delicious gluten-free meals, and curling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea on weekend mornings.
Maia Horsager – Program Committee (she/her)
Photo & Bio Coming Soon!
Professional Staff
Lindsay Paul, Program Director (she/her)
Lindsay previous volunteered as a kids yoga teacher with YoKid and later worked for YoKid managing school programs in 2017.
She has experience as a kids yoga teacher and coordinating school programs. As a registered children’s yoga teacher and registered yoga teacher, she’s taught yoga to kids ranging from toddlers to teens both inside and outside of school settings.
She’s trained and taken continuing education courses with Radiant Child Yoga, Little Flower Yoga, and YoKid. She received her 200-hour yoga teacher training from Radiance Yoga in Alexandria, Virginia.
Lindsay also has 10 years of experience at an educational nonprofit where she focused on building relationships and enhanced support services.
She enjoys creating ways to support and connect teachers to resources which is why she’s excited to be part of the National Kids Yoga Conference to support children’s yoga educators and professionals.
Support Our Mission & Join a Committee
Informal committees have always driven the NKYC program and many of those leaders continue to be engaged as we grow.
The vision for the National Kid Yoga Conference is one of increased involvement from diverse voices in the children’s yoga and mindfulness field.
We are looking for talented, energetic, dedicated professionals to serve on the conference steering committee. The committee will help determine the programmatic direction of NKYC and implement that vision. Get in touch if you’re interested and submit the following: 1) professional resume and 2) a letter of interest.