Danielle broadens children’s horizons as a home visitor for Early Head Start in Sandusky, MI. “I serve 10 families in a rural part of the state,” she says, “and we do a group socialization each month.” This gives Danielle and the families a chance to go on field trips that she and the parents pick out. “We’ve done cider mills in the spring and fall,” she says. “We’ve planted a garden. We’ve gone trick or treating, got together for Christmas parties and visited senior citizens at an assisted living home. We’ve gone to the zoo and the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum, which I like because it’s very hands on.”
And Danielle is very at home among the exhibits because she has a master’s degree in museum studies and a bachelor’s degree in classical studies. “I wanted to go into the museum education field,” she recalls, “and create classes for children”—a goal she pursued about 10 years ago as a volunteer at the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum. “The museum wanted someone to teach children about history,” she says, “and I decided to spend some time on Native American history because two of my grandparents are Native. So, I brought in a Native American storyteller who told the children about Native cultures in our part of the country. We made Indian fry bread for a snack. We talked about Native instruments and music. I showed the children some arrowheads and a medicine bag that my grandparents had given me. And we learned some Native words—all to help children connect more with the past and realize the choices they make affect the future.”
And Danielle made a choice that changed her future and the profession she would pursue. “I realized I needed more experience teaching children to work in the museum education field. So, I decided to get a job at Cozy Corner Child Care Center in Kimball, MI. Then I fell in love with the little kids and child care became my passion,” Danielle says.
She worked at Cozy Corner from 2018 to 2021, with a short break to have her fourth child. After returning to work, Danielle earned her Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™, so she could become a lead teacher. It turned out that CDA helped her in both her personal and professional life. “The CDA® was important for me,” she says, “because my degree focused on different aspects of history and education, rather than early learning. There is no way I could be the educator I am today without my CDA. It helped me know what kids need and how to help them through bad days when something isn’t clicking,” Danielle says.
The part of the CDA that clicked most with her was the knowledge she gained about behavior. “I loved the behavior classes I took, because they showed me what certain behaviors mean,” she says. Danielle learned to see the signs of issues like autism, oppositional defined disorder and language delays in the classroom. And the knowledge she gained also helped her at home. “The behavior classes I took made me understand my own children’s behavior better. I’d be reading something for one of my classes, look at one of my children, and realize, oh my gosh, that’s exactly why he’s doing this or that. So, the behavior classes also improved me as a mom.”
And that’s a big deal for Danielle because she and her husband have a big family of seven children. “I love being around my kids at home,” Danielle says. She also loves being around the children she’s been serving as a home visitor for the past three years. And parents value the sense of commitment that Danielle brings to her work. “We just did an internal review of Early Head Start sites in our region, and the review involved interviews of parents,” Danielle says. And one of the moms that Danielle served said she had never received so much support from a home visitor before. And that’s because Danielle thinks of all the children she serves as “my kids.”
She also cares about the low-income parents she helps and empathizes with the challenges they face, whether it’s health concerns or paying the bills. “Every time I get a new family,” Danielle says, “I go to see them with an open mind and listen carefully to their concerns. Sometimes I walk into a house and it’s a mess, but I try to be understanding. Maybe the mom had a rough day and didn’t feel like cleaning up,” Danielle says. She gives them the benefit of the doubt and sees later on that it was the right thing to do. “The next time I walk into the house, it’s spotless,” she says. “So, I really try to get to know a family before I make any judgments.”
This helps Danielle build bonds with the parents as she works with their children, many of whom have developmental delays. And she made an especially strong connection with Roberta, a foster mom whose 18-month-old son, Michael, was still crawling instead of walking. “Roberta couldn’t have children of her own, so she bent over backwards to get Michael the support he needed to thrive,” Danielle recalls. “After she brought Michael to my program, I assisted her in helping Michael get therapy, medical services and dental care, all of which made a big impact on the little boy.”
It turned out there was nothing physically wrong with the boy, as Danielle learned. He just didn’t have the nurturing and support he needed to develop and grow. “It turned out that his biological mom and dad had a history of drug abuse, child neglect and domestic violence,” Danielle says, “and the little boy had been through traumas that led to his delay. It didn’t help that the biological parents were fighting to keep him, so he was being jostled back and forth between the two homes until Roberta finally won the legal right to keep him for good. She invited me to come with her on the day she officially adopted Michael in court, and he’s flourishing now as he gets set to attend Head Start.” And it was wonderful to be a part of Michael and Roberta’s story, Danielle says. “You can tell how much she loves him and I’m so glad I got to play a role in helping them become the family they are now.”
Danielle loves watching children and parents grow, as she explains. “I’ve had most of the children I work with for several years. I’ve worked with their siblings, too, and the best reward of my job is when the children greet me with a big smile and hug when I walk in the door. Then I sit down on the floor with them, and it’s great to see them soak up everything as I sing songs to them, read stories and help them with any physical challenges they face. I also help the parents with the challenges they face, whether it’s health problems, housing or paying the bills. I talk to them about these issues and give them access to other organizations that can help.”
The parents and children are very at ease meeting with Danielle in their homes. But she knows how important it is for children to be with their peers. “The problem is that there isn’t an Early Head Start classroom in our rural county, and child care of any kind tends to be very costly and scarce around here. So, I do a play group once a month and all the children are invited,” she says. “It’s run like a classroom, so we have circle time, and we do small group activities. We practice fire and tornado drills”—all to help the children get socialized and be school ready someday. One of the best ways to broaden children’s horizons, as Danielle knows, is by giving them the chance to be with other kids.
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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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