Biz Harris

Executive Director

Biz charts the course for the organization, builds strategic partnerships, and maintains a culture of innovation, equity, and core-values alignment. She leads the organization in building and adapting strategic plans, and coordinates staff to meet goals aligned to MELA’s mission. Biz earned a Master’s of Divinity degree from Emory University in order to explore how communities of faith work together to make change and brings passion for collaboration and community to her work. Harris has demonstrated continued success in bringing people together to work toward a common goal. Early in her career, she was the co-coordinator of the Mississippi Education Policy Fellowship Program, which focused on building the capacity of preschool-12 and higher education leaders, practitioners, and advocates to advance equitable policies for Mississippi students. Following that, she worked with the Tallahatchie River Foundation to launch their local collective impact initiative around pre-kindergarten. When Morgana Freeman, Executive Director of the Tallahatchie River Foundation, devised the concept for the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance in 2018, she asked Harris to join the team as one of the organization’s founding members, alongside former Executive Director Dr. Angela Bass. In addition to her work with MELA, Biz is the founder and volunteer director of Nurture Our Future, a non-profit that provides out-of-school learning & enrichment experiences, parent support and service referrals, and books to families in Laurel, Mississippi.

April May

Coalition Building &
Leadership Development
Director

As a dedicated advocate and integral member of MELA, April plays a pivotal role as a backbone in coalition building. With a keen eye for strategy, she oversees incentive programs and masterfully devises recruitment strategies, amplifying the coalition’s impact and fostering a vibrant community of engaged members. Hailing from Jackson, Miss, April brings a wealth of experience with 18 years dedicated to education and early childhood professional capacity-building.

Her fingerprints are all over Mississippi’s early learning landscape with a deep understanding of the childcare system. April’s influence extends beyond her role at MELA; she sits on the board for the Mississippi Early Childhood Association, has been a crucial member of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC), and stands as a driving force behind the Mississippi Leadership for Children Network – a pioneering initiative launched in collaboration with forward-thinking colleagues and Leading for Children, Inc.

In addition to her impactful work at MELA, April is an adjunct professor, enriching the next generation of professionals with her knowledge. Her expertise extends to the stage, presenting at local and national conferences and leaving an indelible mark on the broader landscape of early childhood education.

Luci Leffler

Advocacy & Policy
Manager

Lucinda (Luci) Leffler serves as the Manager of Advocacy and Policy at MELA, where she strengthens Mississippi’s early childhood system through research, policy development, and advocacy. She works with partners across sectors to shape policy recommendations, elevate community voices, and coordinate initiatives, ensuring that policies advance equity, access, and opportunity for young children and families.

Luci’s passion for early childhood advocacy began as a student, when she represented the Mississippi Early Childhood Association (MsECA) and participated in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Public Policy Forums. She later completed research internships with the National Women’s Law Center and MSU’s Social Science Research Center, contributing to projects on the child care workforce, stipend programs, and state policy recommendations.

A summa cum laude graduate of Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Science, Luci also earned certification in Trauma-Informed Child Advocacy through the Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) program. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Early Intervention to expand her expertise in advocacy, inclusive practice, and trauma-informed approaches. A Mississippi native, Luci is committed to building partnerships and advancing solutions that support the well-being of the state’s youngest residents and their families.

Pempho Moyo

Communications Manager

Pempho Moyo (pronounced Pem-po Mo-yo) serves as the Communications Manager for MELA, where she supports the organization’s communications efforts and helps share MELA’s work with our partners, our policymakers, and our communities. Through strategic communications, they help elevate MELA’s mission and family efforts to strengthen opportunities and outcomes for children and families across Mississippi.

Prior to joining MELA, Pempho served as a Policy Coordinator in Kansas, where she focused on family-forward policies. She brings a policy-informed perspective to their work at MELA, translating research and policy into meaningful stories that help audiences understand both the issues and the people they impact.

Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies and Psychology from Swarthmore College and a master’s degree in Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Robyn Breland

Coordinator of Operations and Administration

Robyn B. Breland is an advocate, communications strategist, and community leader dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion, and opportunity across Mississippi communities. With nearly two decades of experience working across nonprofit, public health, and community development sectors, she has built a reputation for developing innovative programs, cultivating strategic partnerships, and leading initiatives that expand access to resources for underserved populations.

Robyn’s work has focused particularly on improving health outcomes and opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), Black communities, and other historically marginalized populations. She has helped lead large-scale community initiatives that have connected thousands of individuals to health services, educational opportunities, and community resources while building cross-sector partnerships with healthcare professionals, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

In addition to her professional work, Robyn is an active civic leader committed to strengthening community engagement and public leadership. She currently serves as a Board Member-at-Large for the Mississippi Public Health Association, where she helps advance public health priorities and collaborative solutions across the state. Her broader civic involvement includes leadership and service within professional and community organizations focused on philanthropy, communications, and community development.

She holds a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Jackson State University, with additional graduate coursework in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University. Robyn has also been recognized as PR Practitioner of the Year by the Public Relations Association of Mississippi for her leadership and contributions to the field.