Dear Colleagues,
Did you know that there are nearly two million nonprofits in our nation? Did you also know that the Council has counted itself among them since 1985? Our purpose for over 40 years has been to serve the early childhood community by overseeing the CDA® credential. Like all nonprofits, we address social issues, empower people and make a lasting impact. We provide children with more of the qualified early childhood teachers they need to fulfill their potential and allow families to work, knowing their children are safe and learning. The economy, in turn, has the workforce it needs to grow, so our country does better when more educators hold a CDA.
Over a million people have earned the Council’s credential, a milestone we’d like to point out this month. August 17 was National Nonprofit Day, a time to honor nonprofits and highlight the social issues they address. Raising the quality of early learning and care is the Council’s key goal so we’ve examined recent steps to revise child care requirements, as you’ll read in our new white paper, Getting Regulations Right. In it, we explore the way states are working to reduce the red tape that makes early childhood teachers’ jobs so hard—while also keeping children safe. And one way is to invest in the early learning workforce. If we had more qualified teachers, like those who earn a CDA, we wouldn’t need as many regulations.
But we do need more people, like Maricela Novoa, an early learning bilingual specialist for the Nebraska Department of Education, where she supports Spanish-speaking educators who want to advance their skills but lack the resources to do it. “Part of my work is to ensure all the training and courses are in Spanish so the educators can earn their CDA. That allows the educators to make a difference in the lives of Spanish-speaking children and families,” Maricela says in this edition. And her commitment to the children and families extends beyond her job. Maricela has helped organize an early learning conference each year in her state and provided free child care training at her local YMCA.
Like Maricela, Marsanell Butler also goes the extra mile as director of the education preparation program at Wiley University in Marshall, Texas. Marsanell invests personal time and attention to make sure her students fulfill their promise, and this month, she opened opportunities for more students by launching the Leading Educators through Accelerated Pathways program. The LEAP program allows working adults to get both their CDA and bachelor’s degree in less than four years, Marsanell says when we feature her in this edition. “We are opening doors for people to become the highly qualified teachers our children deserve faster than before. This is not just a program. It is our commitment to the future of education.”
The Council has shown its own commitment to our field’s future by connecting with like-minded groups, as you’ll learn from our latest blogs. We know that home visiting strengthens families, so we’ve joined forces with Parents as Teachers National Center (PATNC). Read how our joint work promotes excellence in the home visiting profession. Then see how we’re working with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) to help institutions of higher education increase CDA completion and ensure educators receive college credit for their CDA coursework so they can do more to reach their goals.
CAEL and PATNC are just two of the many partnerships the Council has formed with other nonprofits, Dr. Calvin Moore tells us in his new blog, The Power of Child Care Nonprofits. We need collaboration, not competition, as we strive to build a pipeline of early learning professionals who can give every young child the high-quality education they need. It’s a big goal and we can’t reach it alone. So, the Council has made it a point of working with groups that share our commitment to have an impact by investing in the early learning workforce. In addition, we and our nonprofit partners share a broad conviction that drives our work. We know that when children, families and educators do well, everyone in society profits.
Looking forward to partnering with you,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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The Council for Professional Recognition is proud to partner with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) on the inaugural Credit for Prior Learning–Early Childhood Education (CPL-ECE) Cohort, an initiative designed to strengthen pathways...
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For years, the search for solutions to early childhood education’s workforce challenges has felt like a treasure hunt. Policymakers follow new clues. Advocates debate new frameworks. System leaders chart new routes forward. Each effort is...
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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,...
Ariana’s mother is the last to pick up two-year-old Ariana from the early care and education program late on Friday afternoon. She hugs Ariana and sighs, “I have reached my limits today with Henry still...
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.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Janie Payne is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) 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)
Janice brings more than 20 years of experience in accounting and strategic financial management, with an extensive background spanning global associations, nonprofits, and technology organizations. She most recently served as CFO/COO for a global association advancing women in commercial real estate. Prior to that, she was the CFO at Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting community college success, and Director of Finance at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Controller for two technology companies.
A Maryland-licensed CPA, Janice is deeply engaged in the profession through her service on the AICPA Governing Council and leadership roles with the CFO Leadership Council. In 2025, she was recognized as an AICPA Global Woman to Watch. She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs & Public Policy from UC San Diego and a B.A. in International Affairs & Economics from The George Washington University, bringing both financial expertise and a global policy perspective to her work.
Janice’s journey is uniquely shaped by global and mission-driven experiences. Before transitioning into accounting, she spent a decade managing refugee programs in the United States and abroad, including roles with the International Rescue Committee and the Maryland Office for Refugees & Asylees. She has also lived and worked internationally in both Japan and Uganda.
Outside of work, Janice is a dedicated endurance athlete who completed a full Ironman triathlon in 2024, bringing the same discipline and determination to her personal pursuits as she does to her professional impact.
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