Published by CounciLINK on August 23, 2018
Evelyn K. Moore provided a living history lesson during an August Lunch and Learn session at the Council for Professional Recognition. Moore spent her professional life dedicated to improving the lives of African American children through early childhood education. During her visit to the Council, she shared her perspective on the challenges and triumphs she experienced in her extensive career as a teacher, leader, advocate, and strategist for quality and equality in early childhood education, especially in the lives of young African American children.
In the 1960’s, Moore transitioned from her role as a special education teacher to an early educator for the Perry Preschool Project a program designed to provide high-quality preschool education to three- and four-year-old African American children living in poverty and assessed to be at high risk of school failure. The original Perry Preschool Project was 1962-1967.
The Perry Preschool Project was a groundbreaking study and is one of the most famous continuous education experiments of the last 50 years. The study observed and evaluated the short and long-term effects of high-quality preschool education for low income and high-risk African-American children.
“I enjoyed listening to her life story. It was very inspirational and gave good insight into how, although we may think we have nothing, we can always use that as the drive to strive to do better for ourselves and those around us,” said Daisha Coley, Customer Service Associate at the Council.
Later, Moore co-founded the National Black Child Institute (NBCDI) headquartered in Washington, D.C. For 38 years she led NBCDI and constantly worked to improve and advance early education for young African American children. Moore continues to defend and support the need for universal childcare which includes access to high-quality early childhood education for all children regardless of race, economic level, or other identifiers.
“Listening to Ms. Moore’s journey, proves once again that our only boundaries are the ones we place on ourselves,” says Maya Yeshurun, Social Media Manager at the Council.
Moore strongly believes that all children deserve the benefits of a high-quality education. Her work and passion continue to inspire those seeking to make a difference in the lives of all young children.
“I feel grateful for having the opportunity to listen to such a terrific advocate for excellence in the ECE field, someone who has been at the forefront of promoting the utmost importance of Child Care and Education for so many years. It was refreshing, very educational and ‘mind-blowing.’ Evelyn Moore’s commitment to this cause should be imitated, duplicated and replicated!” said Joel Padilla, Bilingual Communications Specialist at the Council.
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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.
Chief Financial Officer
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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