Dear Colleagues,
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” as Aesop said many centuries ago. And his words remained true as we marked Random Acts of Kindness Day this month. There are a wide range of small but significant ways in which to make the world a little bit kinder. You can share your favorite book with someone and read it to a child. You can be a good listener and smile. You can sing an uplifting song and go above and beyond what’s expected of you. You can send an encouraging email, share a healthy habit and teach young children to be kind to each other—all things our early childhood teachers do every day.
Kindness is at the heart of equity in early learning, according to Berol Dewdney, Maryland Teacher of the Year. She works with children in an underserved part of Baltimore, MD, and she’s committed to bringing out the greatness she sees in every student. “I want to give people the unconditional love that lets them go out in the world, take risks and do all the things that need to be done,” Berol says “Feeling that kind of love makes people unstoppable, like the many amazing students who’ve inspired me to be a leader. I think the love I have for them is a superpower that makes everything possible,” Berol explains. And she’s now using her public platform to inspire other members of the early childhood profession. “I want to help teachers grow their brains and give their hearts,” she says, “to make the world a better place for children.”
This is also the goal of Janiecka Brown, who guides and mentors rising teachers as a PD Specialist, college instructor and child care center manager at the Community Action Council of Howard County, MD. Janiecka is committed to helping folks earn their CDA® and surmount any roadblocks they face along the way. As a PD Specialist, for instance, she makes a conscious effort to help candidates relax. “I know people are nervous when they go through observations,” she explains, “so I tell them I’m still in the field and I’m not sitting here trying to judge you. I’m simply here to help you. We’re equals because we’re both professionals in ECE.”
Maryland needs more people like this to carry out its ongoing plan to provide pre-K for all, and the Council believes all children have a civil right to high-quality early childhood education. There’s no one more convinced of this than Dr. Calvin Moore, who urges readers to mark Black History Month this year by taking their children to a museum. His blog explores the way museums depict the Black experience in this country, ranging from the tribulations of enslavement to the trials of the civil rights movement and the triumphs of accomplished Black figures in fields ranging from politics to poetry, education to economics.
The Black experience, as honored in museums, reveals scenes of both celebration and struggle, as Dr. Moore points out. And children may not grasp everything they’re seeing. Still, “children have a lot of instincts about what’s fair and unfair,” Dr. Moore says. And one way to show their sense of right and wrong is by doing random acts of kindness this month. Children can play with someone new, say thank you, give a hug and let someone go first—all small things that count, as Morgan Freeman explained. “How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.” And whatever your age, you can find ways to be caring, considerate and kind.
With our kindest regards,
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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