Dear Colleagues,
Accreditation plays a key role in “empowering tomorrow and shaping the future,” according to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum. The two organizations launched the first World Accreditation Day in June 2008 to put a spotlight on how accreditation builds trust in the quality of products and services that organizations provide. Accreditation has long been a mark of assurance in a wide range of fields from agriculture to technology—and training for our early childhood teachers since they play such a vital part in young children’s lives.
Quality early learning depends on having qualified early childhood teachers, like those who earn their CDA® through accredited training programs. There’s a list of training groups on the website of the National Workforce Registry Alliance (NWRA), an organization with which the Council formed a partnership last year. And many of our CDA holders have attended programs that appear on NWRA’s Training Organization Recognition List, a guide to help educators choose roads to professional growth.
Programs that make it to NWRA’s list have shown a commitment to quality, best practices and accountability in the design and structure of CDA training. Instructors have knowledge of adult learning principles and qualifications to teach the content of their course. The credit hours issued for training are consistently and correctly measured. The training has clearly stated outcomes for participants. And the training content is expressly designed for early childhood teachers—all standards that the Council has strived to establish and continues to uphold. And this edition of CounciLINK features two members of our staff whose role is to ensure that the CDA credentialing process is valid, credible and fair.
Sarah Murphy, the Council’s manager of quality assurance and research, plays a key role in a wide range of projects to improve the CDA. She arranges for new CDA exam questions to be written by subject matter experts, reviewed and piloted. She helps develop the rating scales that Professional Development Specialists™ use when they observe prospective CDAs. She also contributed to the CDA Reimagining Project and conducted the 2022 survey of CDA stakeholders to measure how the credential shapes educators’ careers—efforts that Sarah approaches with passion since she loves working for a cause. And what cause could be better than providing children with the competent teachers they need? “With all the staffing shortfalls that early learning programs face,” she says, “I’m convinced that what I do matters.”
The shortage of early childhood teachers “makes it crucial to provide CDA candidates with a seamless experience and ensure credential holders provide high-quality services to children,” says Abena Ocran-Jackson, the Council’s VP of credentialing, and Abena also wants to make sure she provides the highest-quality services she can by always striving to build her expertise. “You have to challenge yourself and challenge others, too,” Abena says. So, she recently earned a credentialing specialist certificate. She has inspired her team members to earn the certificate, too, so they can contribute even more to the Council’s work, like our upcoming Birth to Five CDA® Credential, a way for educators to expand their scope.
The Birth to Five setting, like the Council’s existing infant/toddler and preschool settings, serves as the best first step into the early childhood profession. And the Council is now exploring the best next step, as Dr. Calvin Moore writes in his new blog, Tearing the Paper Ceiling. the Council is considering a new lead teacher credential, the Child Development Professional ™ (CDP), that would offer an alternative pathway for highly skilled and seasoned educators who already hold a CDA. The CDP™ would prepare early learning professionals for career options ranging from lead teacher to roles as a mentor or coach, so they can gain more of the opportunities they deserve. We should empower our early childhood teachers, as the Council is convinced, because they shape the future for young children.
With our commitment to serve you,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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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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