Published by CounciLINK on August 22, 2019
Judith Lowery has been an early childhood educator for close to two decades, but she still strives to learn more in her field. “Every year,” she said, “I gain important knowledge to impart to my students in an industry that’s constantly changing.”
Her determination to keep honing her professional skills inspires students at Area 31 Career Center in Indianapolis, IN, where she has taught for the past four years. Her program serves high school students from 11 school districts and offers them the chance to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA®) credential. She knows CDA® training holds students to the highest standards and provides them with cutting-edge ways to educate young children.
Lowery stays at the forefront of her field by working closely with an advisory board of college administrators and industry professionals. Twice a year, she meets with her colleagues to discuss the Career Center’s program, her state’s changing requirements and the needs of local childcare centers. Visiting these settings allows her to stay in touch with current practices and programs, as do the verification visits she makes as a CDA Professional Development Specialist™ to assess candidates for the CDA®.
Recently, she also has been using her assessment skills to help struggling preschools improve their programs. The preschools call on her to put together training sessions for their educators and work with their directors one-on-one.
“My goal is always to improve the children’s environment by boosting their educators’ knowledge base,” Lowery said. This mission inspires her to keep abreast of current research on young children, partner with stakeholders and keep developing her sk
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Chief Operations Officer
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.
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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.
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