They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that was the case for our Early Educators Leadership Conference this month. We had so many attendees that they overflowed into two lux Westin hotels at The Galleria in Houston. It’s the largest shopping center in Texas and the fourth largest in the country, with a dazzling array of options for dining and shopping. You can find everything from Old Navy to Neiman Marcus under its massive roof. There are also two swimming pools and a full-size ice-skating rink for recreational and figure skating, a post office and play area for children—the focus of the early childhood field.
Our conference also offered a wide array of options for meeting the needs of young children and the educators who serve them as we work to drive change in our profession. Sure, our field has been skating on thin ice for the past few years, a thought that came to mind while strolling past the rink. But with the pandemic in the past, it’s time to innovate, inspire and impact the early childhood education community nationwide. We learned how in the Lone Star State as we heard from stars of the early childhood profession.
“We’ve brought together national leaders who are igniting change,” as Council CEO Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr. explained at our opening general session. He kicked the conference off by asking, “How do you foster innovation?”—a question that brought a lively response from the panel members. Michelle Kang, CEO of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, responded that “innovation comes from listening to what educators are telling us so we can respond to their needs.” But we can’t do much until we build trust, added Natalie Vega O’Neil, president and CEO at Junior Achievement of Washington. “Once you have trust in place, you can move ahead,” she said. And “action is what leadership is about,” said Dr. Leah Austin, president and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, a leader in building equity for young learners.
And conference attendees showed their commitment to being ECE leaders by showing up to attend sessions like a stirring panel on men in ECE. It featured Council COO Andrew Davis; Jamal Berry of Educare, DC; Anthony Toombs from the Playmaker Project and Dr. William White from My Brother’s Teacher. The panel members shared their experiences and insights on the role of men in the field, along with the commitment to bringing more brothers into the profession. “We need more folks who really care about kids,” Toombs pointed out. “We have to tell men about the opportunities in our field.” And taking active steps to recruit men is part of leadership, as Dr. Moore pointed out during the session. “Life isn’t a spectator sport,” he insisted. “If you’re going to be in the stands, you’re wasting it.”
This call to action has already reached many of our presenters at the conference. For example, Zuly Vazquez, national manager of professional development for Head Start, issued a rousing plea for attendees to awaken the leader inside them and make an impact, something each of us already does to some degree. “Whatever you are doing, you are impacting people consciously or unconsciously,” she said. “A leader simply makes a stronger impact by uniting people around a common vision.” And Zuly has shown that she’s that kind of leader as she advances CDA training for the members of our profession. So is Dr. Shantel Meek, the recipient of our CDA Advocacy Award. As executive director of the Children’s Equity Project, she assists the Council in embedding equity in everything we do as we reimagine the CDA credentialing process.
“We’re leveraging technology to increase access to the CDA,” Dr. Moore said as he discussed how the Council is streamlining online systems that CDA candidates use. Of course, we don’t have any technology as flashy as the towering robots, Mr. Anywhere and Mr. Everywhere, who appeared at our dance party, an evening of futurism and fun. They were ready to party, and so were the attendees as strobe lights lit up the dance floor that night. The sense of belonging that filled the room embodied the official Texas motto, “Friendship.” And it came from a common mission to help more teachers gain the skills they need to give kids high-quality care.
One of the people who’s making a major impact to move our field ahead is Dr. Tony Allen, who spoke at the closing general session. He’s CEO of Delaware State University, home to the Early Childhood Innovation Center, where they provide holistic support for educators statewide to earn their CDA. He inspired attendees to chant and clap as he talked about his work to make the center a model for the nation and urged them to step up as leaders.
The work of leaders like Dr. Allen has advanced the Council’s mission and helped us reach an impressive milestone, Dr. Moore announced as the conference closed. The Council recently awarded its millionth CDA, he informed the crowd. And as he spoke, another motto came to mind, that of our meeting place this year. Houston calls itself “a city with no limits,” a phrase that describes its efforts to look ahead and always improve. Our field can also keep getting better if we “embrace partnership and professional growth, creativity and collaboration,” Dr. Moore pointed out. “We can all be leaders who inspire, innovate and impact,” he’s convinced. If we work together, there are no limits to how we can build the future of the early childhood field.
“Attending the EELC has been life changing in a number of ways. Not only does it speak to and nurture the early childhood professional inside of me, but it has also allowed me and prepared me to better serve those who are in the field.”
“EELC has really opened my eyes to the possibilities that are in store for our future. Many say our kids are our future, but our kids are now.”
“EELC has really opened up my mind to more possibilities.”
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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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