Dear Colleagues,
We often fail to remember Black pioneers of the early childhood profession. Now, as we mark Black History Month, it’s a perfect time to honor Black teachers—both present and past—who have made the world a better place. One of them was Betsey Stockton, a former slave who set up Philadelphia’s first preschool for children of color in 1828. Another was Haydee Campbell, the first Black person to receive formal training in ECE. 1882, she became the principal of kindergarten programs for Black children in the public schools of Saint Louis, MO. And here in Washington, DC, memories still live on of Dorothy Howard, who set up the District’s first preschool for Black children in her home.
The Garden of Children School, which Howard ran from 1929 to 1961, was way ahead of its time as it embraced “early-start” concepts of education, teacher competence and warmth. Her pupils included the children of diplomats, university presidents and at least one Nobel Laureate. Parents were drawn by her conviction that preschool should be educational and not just some form of babysitting for families.
Howard succeeded in getting children as young as four to read. And this month, we also mark the birthday of another great champion of reading: LeVar Burton. He plays a starring role in our new white paper on Race, Reading and Representation. As producer and host of Reading Rainbow, he strived to turn all children into lifelong readers by sharing books that feature folks of diverse races and colors. “Representation is so important in the media we consume,” to show all children “you matter in this world,” as Burton points out. So, the books he’s read to young learners have ranged widely from Enemy Pie, a moving lesson on the rewards of making new friends, and Amazing Grace, about a young Black girl who wants to be Peter Pan in a school play, to anything by Dr. Seuss, his all-time favorite children’s author.
Tameka Donaldson is another big fan of Dr. Seuss, and we’ll be talking about her work this month as a PD Specialist and director of KinderCare in Grove City, OH. Tameka’s birthday happens to be March 2, the same as Dr. Seuss, and on that day each year, Tameka has her teachers read Green Eggs and Ham to the kids and then everyone drinks green milk. She also shows the milk of human kindness by serving the homeless and needy through her nonprofit Bridging the Community Together for Success.
A big part of any community’s future success depends on having competent teachers, and Jerry Graham has spent decades filling that need. As a training specialist for Navy child care programs, PD Specialist and lead consultant for Choices Early Learning, he lends his expertise to early childhood settings so they can help children reach their potential. “As an ECE professional, I’ve had the chance to stand before the canvas of the future and be one of the painters,” he says. And as he comes close to the end of his career, he wants to ensure excellence in ECE by passing the torch to the next generation of teachers.
The future of our field looks good so far, thanks to outstanding Black educators like those our readers nominated for recognition this month. They include teachers, trainers and center directors who’ve made the world better than they found it. And the Council is working to swell their ranks. We’ve recently received a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education to aid thousands of the state’s ECE educators in earning their CDA. The grant will lead to a larger, more diverse pool of qualified teachers and let them, too, paint the canvas of the future. These rising teachers will gain the skills to help children learn, have successful lives—and one day even make some history of their own.
Happy Black History Month,
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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