“Education has always been in my blood,” Tameka Donaldson says. “When I was a little girl, there were times when I didn’t feel too well, and my mom wanted me to stay home from school. But I always insisted that ‘I’ve got to go to school. I’ve got to learn.'” And this sense of commitment carried her through an Ed.D. though her grandma was dying at the time. “I was very close to her,” Tameka recalls. “When my counsellor saw how I was grieving, she suggested I put my studies on hold. But I said that ‘my grandmother would have wanted me to go all the way,’ and I succeeded in getting my doctorate in educational leadership and management.”
Now she practices a special kind of leadership as director of the KinderCare Learning Center in Grove City, Ohio, where she’s worked for the past 15 years. She’s a servant leader whose goal is to help her staff develop by giving them a voice. “I always tell my teachers there is no ‘I’ in team,” she explains. “We are like a family, and I let them know how much I need their input. To me, a manager is a dictator, while a leader is someone who also follows. So, I let my teachers help me run the center and listen to their opinions. I give them full rein in their classrooms and make them the first point of contact with the children’s parents.” As a result, her center consistently gets the highest possible score in the Human Sigma 6 Gallup, a widely recognized measurement of leadership, business excellence and employee engagement.
Her center also receives high scores for parent satisfaction because her teachers have both the patience and the training they need. “I have a staff of 12 people,” she says, “and under my leadership, 10 have received their Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential. I always make it a big occasion when they earn their CDAs and encourage them to go on with their education. The CDA is a great beginning.” And it certainly was for Tameka, who earned her credential in 2003, shortly after getting her first job as a preschool teacher.
At the time, she had dropped out of college to stay home and take care of her children. “One day,” as she recalls, “I said, ‘I’m ready to do something with my life.’ So, I walked over to the Edwards Creative Learning Center, a day care that was across the street from my home. I filled out an application and they hired me as an assistant teacher. Within 3 months, they made me the lead teacher. And four years later, I became the center’s director.”
As she rose in her career, she kept advancing her education, but she has never forgotten how it felt to get that first credential. “When I earned my CDA, I was so excited. It gave me such pride and such a sense of achievement to know that I was a qualified teacher.” Now she also helps others make that start in their careers by serving as a PD Specialist for the Council.
“I wanted to become a PD Specialist,” she says, “so I could help other educators in improving their classroom environment and outcomes. I’ve done over 100 verification visits and most of the candidates have enjoyed me being there. Sure, a lot of them are nervous, but they calm down when I tell them ‘I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help you get your CDA.’ And when they do earn their credential, I give them my number and tell them to call me if they need advice. I always keep that door open.”
Her ears and heart are also open for the families and children she serves at KinderCare. “Most of the population we work with is economically challenged and many of the children come from single-parent homes. Many of the parents are really stressed because they have no help, so I’m never too busy to talk to them. Sometimes I feel like I’m a psychologist,” she says. And she doesn’t just listen to their problems; she gives them a lot of practical advice. “I point them toward community resources that can help them, whether it’s food or rent assistance,” she explains. And she also urges her staff to give families the ear they need. “I always tell my teachers that the most important part of our job is building relationships with families. Once they trust you and know you’re there for them, it makes your job much easier.”
Tameka puts her soul into her work because she’s firmly convinced that “no child should be left behind” and that “we, as teachers, build the foundation for our students’ future lives.” By partnering with families, she says, “we make sure that every child is excelling as much as they can before going on to grade school.”
Of course, Tameka’s staff still faces some roadblocks as they work with young learners who have behavioral issues. But Tameka won’t give up on a child until she has exhausted every possible resource. “I tell my teachers we don’t know what the children’s lives are like,” Tameka says. “We don’t know what they’re dealing with at home. We need to peel back those layers, the way we did when one child was acting up at 10 in the morning. It turned out that the child was simply hungry, but we had to get down and talk to him on his level to find out.”
There are more young children like him in the area Tameka serves, and a year ago their plight led her to set up a nonprofit, Bridging the Community Together for Success. “We provide meals, warm clothes, household items and anything else they need,” she explains. And this means a big personal investment. Most of the funding for the program comes out of Tameka’s own pocket and she cooks many of the meals she passes out.
While she’s waiting for grants, she’s glad that some of the families at KinderCare have chipped in. She also has some staff members who have made donations, and one teacher has joined her on regular weekly visits to the homeless. “We partner every Sunday to go to a prearranged space,” she says. “We feed the homeless and give them groceries and clothing. Then we have a little service for those who can’t get around and go to church.”
Tameka’s aid to the homeless and needy, like her work with young children and families, is part of her mission as a servant leader. “I feel like God blessed me tremendously,” she says. “I’m not rich, but I feel like I’m supposed to help others, not keep everything for myself. At KinderCare, I serve the children and their parents, along with my staff. And through my nonprofit, I serve the needs of the community at large.”
Despite all she’s already done she has a couple more things on her bucket list. “I’m in the process of writing two children’s books—one on bullying and the other on friendship—that will help children with their lives. I’d also like to do more to advocate for early childhood teachers because this field has a lot of quality people. They don’t get the wages they need to survive and the challenges they face break my heart. I’m ready to expand what I do for others even more because my sole purpose is to serve.”
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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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