Earning a CDA® helped me succeed in the early learning field. I’m the first Council CEO to hold a CDA, and that makes me a poster child for the credential. I completed my CDA as a Head Start aide and renewed it for seven years. The CDA sparked my interest in learning, and I advanced my education until receiving a PhD. Along the way, I continued growing as a professional as well. After teaching for five years, I became a Head Start director and eventually a Head Start executive director. Then I became the child care administrator for Alabama and subsequently deputy director for the Office of Child Care in the federal Administration for Children and Families. Now I’ve brought my experience to the Council, where I support early childhood teachers in earning their CDA and keeping it up to date.
Why should you also renew your CDA? Learn what some of our early childhood professionals had to say. For example, Isabel Blair, a family child care provider in New Mexico, has renewed her CDA for 20 years. “Though I now have a master’s degree,” she said, “the CDA has symbolic meaning for me since it started me on my career.” Earning a CDA also launched Diane Larsen on a career that led to her current role as a CDA teacher at a high school in Ohio. “I earned my CDA as a Head Start aide, and I was so proud of it,” she recalled. “I continued to renew it for eight years after earning my college degree and becoming a center director, a role in which I made it a point to hire staff who held a CDA.”
Like Diane, other early learning professionals have kept their credential up to date after advancing their education. Phyliss Roland, a Delaware CDA coach, renewed her CDA several times after earning a bachelor’s degree in human services, she said. “I enjoyed the chance to work on a credential that identified me as a professional in ECE and gave me the information to become more intentional while engaging with young children.” The knowledge that Fatima Hamad gained from earning a CDA helped her become a CDA mentor in New Mexico and go on to work on her master’s degree. “The CDA opened the doors for me to continue my education,” she said, “and I renewed it twice because I thought it was a great way to refresh my knowledge of best practices in early education.”
It’s also important to renew your CDA to keep up with the latest research, according to Delriese Hamilton, a Head Start teacher in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Child development research is updated every day and in order to be an effective teacher in this field, you should challenge yourself, get your CDA credential and keep it current,” Delriese said. And Sara Segura, a Florida early childhood teacher agreed as she prepared to renew her CDA. “It is important to maintain your CDA,” she said, “because the early learning field is constantly changing and renewing your CDA means better outcomes for children.”
It also benefits you to renew your CDA because renewing your credential is simpler than earning it again from the beginning. So, we encourage you to take advantage of our upcoming CDA Renewal Amnesty program from July 6, 2026, to April 26, 2027. Renewing the CDA opens doors for educators at every stage of their careers, so you shouldn’t miss this limited opportunity, according to Sharon Hudgins-Beck, owner of a training organization that helps educators earn and renew their CDAs. “Renew your CDA for yourself,” Sharon has often urged the candidates she guides. “Don’t work in this field without being credentialed. You never know what will happen in your career and what opportunities might come your way.”
The Council wants to help educators take advantage of the doors that might open up by offering CDA Renewal Amnesty for educators whose credentials have expired as far as January 1, 2016. This is a chance to build on what you’ve already achieved, to stay informed on the latest research in the early learning field and to show an enduring commitment to our profession. Your experience and expertise make a lasting difference in the lives of our youngest learners and their families. You can continue giving them your best by keeping your CDA up to date.
These are among the many reasons for renewing your CDA, explained Jennifer Edwards, owner of a teacher training business in New York. And she added even more. “When people hesitate to renew their CDA, I remind them of how hard they worked for it in the first place,” Jennifer has told us. “Having a CDA is part of defining yourself as a professional in the early learning field,” as Jennifer pointed out. Educators who hold up-to-date CDA credentials strengthen our entire profession, the goal I pursue at the Council. And my experience has showed me how far holding a CDA can take you. Whatever stage you are in your career, you can smooth the path ahead by renewing your CDA through our upcoming amnesty program. It’s the Council’s way of opening doors for more educators to succeed.
Download Your New CDA® Sample Exam Questions Now! The Council for Professional Recognition, the organization that administers the CDA® credential, is excited to share the new CDA® sample exam questions. This free resource uses research,...
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Vice President of Product
Mackenzie Pelland serves as Vice President of Product at the Council. In this role, she oversees the Council’s product strategy and portfolio, including credentialing programs, educational publications, professional development resources, and branded merchandise, ensuring offerings are sustainable and responsive to the evolving needs of early childhood educators and the broader early care and education field. Her work focuses on building scalable, user-centered products that strengthen quality and integrity across the Council’s credentialing, educational, and professional learning offerings.
Prior to this role, Mackenzie served as Director of ECE Observation Systems at the Council, where she oversaw the observation portion of the CDA® credentialing assessment process and led the ECE Observation Team. She also worked to support, refine, and strengthen the Professional Development Specialist community to better meet the needs of a diverse CDA® candidate population.
Before joining the Council, Mackenzie was Senior Director of Monitoring and Compliance Systems at Acelero Learning, where she led the development and execution of monitoring systems related to federal grant compliance, child care licensing, health and safety, incident management, and facilities compliance across Head Start programs nationwide. She also previously served as Program Accountability and Policy Implementation Manager at New York City’s Department of Education within the Division of Early Childhood Education.
Mackenzie is recognized as a credentialing specialist by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. She holds a master’s degree in education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Certificate in Education and Program Evaluation from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in politics and education from Occidental College.
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.
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.
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 Wilmington, NC with her husband and two dogs.
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