Staff Spotlight: Wenona Risley

We are pleased to announce that Wenona Risley has joined our Early Childhood Services division as Admissions Assistant. Wenona earned her associate degrees in Human Resources and Business Administration from Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Wenona speaks two additional languages, German and French. 

Wenona explains what lead her into the early childhood education field. “I was a nanny for 12 years and love being around children. I enjoy helping them grow and having an impact on their development and learning. I love their raw energy.” Why Head Start/Early Head Start? “Because it is education-based, and I understand the importance of access to early education.”

Wenona recently moved to Vermont from South Carolina but has deep roots here in Bennington. She has been coming to Bennington ever since she was born. Wenona loves music and singing, as she can play ten different instruments. Her favorite is the clarinet. Wenona also sang on an album that won two Grammy awards. She previously sang with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. She loves cats and has a very handsome one named Luke.