“How low can you go?” a bandleader called out as a group of early childhood teachers laughed and bent under a limbo pole. A stilt dancer decked out in a pink tutu and tights smiled as she made her way through a crowd. And folks sipped from glasses that twinkled with battery-run lights. The occasion was the Caribbean Dinner and Fiesta at the Early Educators Leadership Conference in Orlando, and attendees danced on a balmy night under the stars. They also had the chance to see some of the stars of our field in three days that focused on leading career pathways to equity in early learning.
ECE professionals from far and wide had come to the Sunshine State to address a pressing theme: how we can support the teachers who support young learners, so they become the productive citizens of tomorrow. And it’s an issue that concerns us all, as our opening speaker, Sherry Cleary, explained when she recalled an incident that took place some years ago. At the time, she was serving as executive director of the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute and headed its efforts to build an effective ECE workforce for the state.
“I was at a meeting in Buffalo,” she said, “when a women stood up and said something that changed my life. ‘Two children will pay for your Social Security when you retire,’ the woman pointed out. ‘If you knew their names, you would make sure they got the best food, health care and education.’ But we don’t know their names,” Cleary added, “so we need to ensure we have a system and an ECE workforce that ensure excellence for all children.”
It’s crucial to lift teachers up since they help build a key part of the nation’s future foundation: our children. And that’s what the conference was about. Attendees joined in health and wellness sessions on yoga, deep breathing and meditation. They discovered new ways to relieve stress and relaxed by getting a seated mini massage They picked up tips for being happy and learned to harness the power of laughter to free their minds.
Attendees also received the affirmation we all could sometimes use when they heard from Coy Bowles, a children’s author, advocate for early education and member of the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band. But his success as a musician isn’t the legacy he wants to leave behind, as he told the crowd. “At one point in my life,” he said, “I wanted people to say I was a great musician. Now I want people to say I did everything I could for teachers. I just happened to be a great musician.” And attendees got a taste of his skills on the guitar when he played a song he’d never performed before: Everything’s Gonna’ Be Alright.
As our teachers push for equity in ECE, they can count on leaders like Erin Smeltzer, CEO of the Children’s Forum in Tallahassee and recipient of this year’s CDA Advocacy Award. Erin urged the attendees to stand up for what we need to move our profession ahead and make it better for all children. “We shouldn’t take no for an answer,” she said, a lesson she’d learned from her mom, who’d recently passed away. “One of the last conversations I had with her was about this conference,” Erin said. And the memory made her tear up as she got her central message across. “My mom made me feel I could do whatever I wanted to,” Erin recalled. “And I want you all to believe what my mom always told me: ‘You can change the world for children.’”
And our teachers can do it with advice and inspiration from great leaders, like two of those we heard from at the EELC. Dr. Kimberly Johnson, children’s book author and educator, gave attendees a road map for moving ahead no matter what hazards and forks you face in the road. “It’s the drive in your heart that will allow you to reach the dream of equity in early learning,” she explained. “Do whatever it takes so you can keep getting closer to success.” Sure, it might be an uphill climb, Dr. Calvin Moore, Council CEO, had learned during his own journey from a humble home to a high-profile position in Washington, DC. There were roadblocks, but he overcame them through his own relentless sense of drive.
And the members of our CDA community can surmount challenges, too, Moore assured the crowd—whether it means bending very low under the limbo pole, stretching high to reach the stars in their careers or striving to ensure excellence in early learning for all children. The sense of commitment and caring they showed at the EELC made it clear everything is gonna’ be alright in our field.
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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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