Dear Colleagues,
Do you know the story of Black History Month, a celebration that’s now nearly 100 years old? It all started with Carter G. Woodson, who founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in Washington, DC. Woodson was a professor at Howard University, a historic Black institution, where he was determined to help his students advance by taking a broad approach to teaching. “The mere imparting of information is not education,” Woodson pointed out. “Real education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better.”
Our early childhood teachers do this, too, especially those who earn a CDA®. They know that education is not just about imparting facts. It’s also about addressing children’s social, emotional and physical growth so they can live full lives. And this month we feature two educators who are helping to spread the reach of the CDA. They’ve seen that “having a CDA means a teacher knows what they’re doing with children,” as Ray Jaramillo points out when we feature him this month.
Ray is the owner of the Alpha School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the author of Gust, Gust, Gust! about a boy who’s afraid of the wind. In recent years, Ray has done book readings at several colleges, and he’s also used his voice to speak out for the early childhood profession. He spent eight years on the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education and now serves on the New Mexico Child Care and Education Association, where he works with other advocates and lawmakers to improve early learning policies in the state. “We’re now focusing on adjusting our child-to-teacher ratios,” he says, “and we’re trying to make the CDA part of the career pathway for New Mexico early childhood teachers.”
Earning a CDA also prepares high school students for rewarding careers, Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis tells us as we celebrate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, too. But the students need teachers who know how to guide them toward the credential, as Candace Vinson points out in this month’s edition. So, she works with the Michigan State Department of Education to support CDA teachers and convince high school principals to invest in CDA programs. “In recent years,” Candace says, “we’ve expanded from 55 to 132 high school CDA programs, which has brought more skilled young people into the early childhood field. And they’re needed since Michigan doesn’t have enough qualified teachers to serve all children. So, the high school CDAs “will advance equity in early learning,” as Candace points out.
Equity in early learning has always been a hallmark of the CDA, now in its 50th year. And Dr. Calvin Moore recently appeared on the Childcare Directors Chair podcast to provide updates on the CDA credentialing process in honor of this half-century mark. In the podcast, Dr. Moore discussed the Council’s latest efforts, including CDA renewal amnesty and an coming birth-to-five credential. He also pointed to the importance of ongoing professional growth and mentorship in the early childhood field, along with the role of the CDA in promoting professional standards.
The CDA enjoys widespread recognition, but it wouldn’t be the valued credential that it is today without the Black early childhood researchers who have helped it develop. And Dr. Moore discusses a few of them in his newest blog, Dolls and Data. They include Edmund Gordon, co-founder of Head Start, which led to the birth of the CDA, and Evangeline Ward, executive director of the CDA Consortium, which designed a performance-based system for the credential. Credit also goes to Evelyn Moore, an early fan of the CDA, co-founder of the National Black Child Development Institute and one of the teachers in the Perry Preschool Project, a milestone in early anti-bias learning. And “Black researchers can make a unique contribution to the early learning field since they are a part of the community they study,” as Dr. Moore points out. “They bring a first-hand perspective and a focus on equity as they lay down the groundwork for change.”
Happy Black History Month,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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Vice President of Strategic Alliances
Elisa Shepherd is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the Council, where she leads initiatives to advance the Council’s mission and strategic plan through designing, managing, and executing a comprehensive stakeholder relationship strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education (ECE), Elisa has dedicated her career to developing impactful programs, professional development opportunities, and public policies that support working families, young children, and ECE staff. Before joining the Council, Elisa held numerous roles within the childcare industry. Most recently, she served as Associate Vice President at The Learning Experience and as Senior Manager at KinderCare Education, where she influenced government affairs and public policies across 40 states.
Elisa’s commitment to leadership is reflected in her external roles on the Early Care and Education Consortium Board of Directors, the Florida Chamber Foundation Board of Trustees, and as the DEI Caucus Leader for KinderCare Education. She has been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Early Childhood by Childcare Exchange’s Leadership Initiative.
Elisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a focus on child development from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Jan Bigelow serves as Chief Financial Officer at the Council and has been with the organization since February of 2022.
Jan has more than 30 years in accounting and finance experience, including public accounting, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She has held management-level positions with BDO Seidman, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Communities In Schools, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and American Humane. Since 2003, Jan has worked exclusively in the non-profit sector where she has been a passionate advocate in improving business operations in order to further the mission of her employers.
Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
Vice President of People and Culture
Janie Payne is the Vice President of People and Culture for the Council for Professional Recognition. Janie is responsible for envisioning, developing, and executing initiatives that strategically manage talent and culture to align people strategies with the overarching business vision of the Council. Janie is responsible for driving organizational excellence through strategic talent practices, orchestrating workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management as well as a myriad of other Human Resources Programs. She is accountable for driving effectiveness by shaping organizational structure for optimal efficiency. Janie oversees strategies that foster a healthy culture to include embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization.
In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
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