Dear Colleagues,
We’ve all likely wondered what we were made for at some point in our lives. Billie Eilish also poses the question, “What was I made for?” in the theme song of the box-office smash, Barbie. The answer for girls used to be that you were made to be a mom. But now “a woman has choices,” said Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel who invented the Barbie doll in 1959. And the little girls in the opening sequence of Barbie showed how determined they were to go down a different road in life.
They stand in a bleak, primeval landscape, as a narrator explains that little girls had nothing to play with but baby dolls since the beginning of time. This left them no way to imagine their future except as moms. Then came Barbie, a line of dolls whose appearance has become more diverse and inclusive with the passage of time. At the sight of her, the girls smash their baby dolls to pieces and imagine themselves as astronauts, judges, doctors and heads of state.
Barbie empowered girls, as Handler intended. “My whole philosophy of Barbie,” she said, “was that, through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be”—a message to remember as we marked National Barbie Day on March 8. This year, the event coincided with International Women’s Day, a time to honor diverse cultures and races, many of which have their own Barbie doll. “Barbie’s story has never been just about her,” said Krista Berger, senior vice president, Barbie, and global head of dolls, Mattel. “It’s about the countless kids she has inspired”—like our educators worldwide—and the way she “continues to give everyone the opportunity to dream.”
And one way to dream big is by reading books, as we point out this National Reading Month. It’s a chance to encourage reading each day and foster a love of books in children across the country. March is also the time when we mark the birthday of Dr. Seuss, author of many great books for kids, including Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Tierra James reads it to children every year, as you’ll see when we feature her this month. “I like the way Dr. Seuss explains the role that both trials and tribulations play in finding your way in life,” Tierra says. “You may start on one road and then realize you’re meant to go on another road,” as Tierra did. While studying theater in college, she worked part-time at Growing Room Child Development Center in Georgia, where she fell in love with the children and decided to switch fields. Now Tierra is working on her Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™, mentoring new colleagues and on the road to being a lead teacher. Tierra is going places she never imagined with her CDA®.
So are students at Northeast Community College in Nebraska, where Lisa Guenther serves as an instructor. Lisa puts a focus on reading to provide her state with qualified early childhood teachers, as you’ll see in this edition. She holds special book-related events for students and community members, including a family reading program and a read-aloud pajama party to honor Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Reading aloud is also part of her routine for college students, as Lisa points out. “I read a story at the end of every class to show students how to read books to kids and help them pick up a crucial habit. Reading aloud daily to a child will change the world and the world for that child,” as Lisa firmly maintains.
And teachers see the value of reading aloud if they earn a CDA. They also produce better outcomes for children, as Dr. Moore tells us in his white paper, Practice and Performance. He shows us why the Council’s competency-based approach has proved to be the most effective way for educators to gain confidence and concrete skills. Now our sterling record has led us to dream even bigger in our bold new mission and vision statements, Dr. Moore says in his blog, Endless Prospects for the CDA. We’re now striving to empower early childhood teachers so they can help all little girls, and boys, have choices and be whatever they want to be. That’s what teachers are made for, and they know it after earning a CDA.
Our best wishes to Barbie lovers worldwide,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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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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