Our Staff

Director

kharp@ellington-ct.gov

860-870-3130 x2200

Kristen Harp is the Youth Services Director for the Town of Ellington. Kristen has a Bachelors in Sociology: Family and Gender Studies and a Masters in Elementary Education. She has worked in education in both urban and suburban settings for ten years before joining the Town of Ellington’s Youth Services Department.

Kristen has also completed certifications and trainings in Mental Health First Aid, QPR Gatekeeper, Psychological First Aid Responder, SOS, SBIRT, and Talk Saves Lives.

Kristen utilizes her education background to serve the community of Ellington while developing and promoting programs that focus on growth through creativity, diversity, equality, and leadership.

Assistant Director

EYS Alliance Co-Advisor

jmaitland@ellington-ct.gov

860-870-3130 x2126

Jessica Maitland has been a part of the EYS team since 2020. As program coordinator, Jessica works with preschool aged children up to young adults. She has taken on the role of incorporating mindfulness into many of Youth Services’ programs. She has completed a teacher training in yoga and mindfulness which focuses on the complete physical, mental, emotional and social well-being of students offered through Little Flower Yoga. Her other certificates include that in mental health first aid, psychological first aid, and Signs of Suicide trainer. Her most notable projects so far have been researching and creating mental health publications, leading elementary- aged emotional awareness classes, mentoring high school students, and offering conversations around managing anxiety.

Program & Prevention Coordinator

EYS Alliance Co-Advisor

mmercure@ellington-ct.gov

860-870-3130 x2210

Marque Mercure is the current Prevention Coordinator as of July 2023 but has been involved with EYS' playgroup programs since 2020. She has her Bachelors in Public Health Sciences and very active in the Ellington community as a mother of three elementary aged children in the Ellington Public School system. She is CPR, mental health first aid certified, along with other various youth sport coaching certificates including NAYS and NFHS concussion certification. Marque is looking forward to becoming a state certified sexual assault counselor, TTS, along with other certificates and trainings to further her advocacy and ability to promote prevention through education. She is open to all ideas from the parents, children and young adults in our community for how she can successfully achieve her role as the Prevention Coordinator.