Matthew Louie began his career in the San Francisco Regional Office in 2015 as a fiscal assistant and progressively worked his way up to become a senior financial operations specialist with the Office of Grants Management. His former grant portfolio included forty Region IX grantees throughout California, Hawaii, and the Outer Pacific. He was also the fiscal specialist for the Head Start State Collaboration grants in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii. In addition to his Region IX workload, he was also the financial specialist for all Region XII migrant grants located in California.

During his time at the Regional Office, he had a strong dedication to assisting and supporting grantees to ensure services were provided to children and families. That same commitment lives on as he continues to support grantees in an outside role

Visit Matthew’s Website Portsmouth Square Consulting to learn more about him!

Cynthia Yao is a nationally respected leader in early childhood systems with over 25 years of experience in education, human services, and organizational development. As the former Regional Program Director for the Office of Head Start in Region 9, she provided federal oversight to programs serving over 100,000 children across six states and territories, managing a portfolio of more than $1.8 billion in funding. Cynthia led cross-sector initiatives, advanced compliance and quality systems, and built capacity within agencies to better serve families and communities.

A proud Head Start alumna and mother of two, Cynthia brings both personal conviction and professional excellence to her work. She is the Founder & CEO of RISE Partners LLC, a purpose-driven consulting firm that partners with early childhood organizations to strengthen leadership, advance strategic planning, and transform program services. Through RISE (Resilient • Impact • Strategic • Execution), Cynthia and her team support programs in building sustainable models that honor the dignity and potential of every child and family.