Scaling Up the CDA: Q&A with Council Leaders
What inspired you to launch the Reimagine project? Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr. (CM), Chief Executive Officer: I joined the Council when we were in the middle of the pandemic and needed to rebuild the...
Published by CounciLINK on December 19, 2019
Toni thinks you should never give up on your dreams despite the challenges you face. “I’ve wanted to take care of babies since I was two years old,” she says. “I love to hold them, watch the expressions change on their faces and see their little smiles.” Babies are her passion, and her tremendous love for them has made her a successful early educator for over two decades, though she’s had a learning disability since birth. But she never dreamed in a million years that she would get her Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential.
Her efforts were ill-fated at first, though everything seemed to be falling into place. She received a scholarship from the Head Start program at her center, Smart Kids in West Jordan, Utah. She took all the required classes and really worked hard to prepare for the CDA exam. “I thought I was ready three years ago when it was time to take my test,” Toni says. Then she had the bad luck to break her ankle after falling on Christmas Day.
The next day she had surgery at the hospital and was home for a few weeks. Still, she was determined to take her test as planned. “I went in not realizing how bad I was feeling from the painful break,” she recalls. “I knew I wasn’t able to do my best. So, when I received the letter saying I did not get my CDA I was disappointed but not surprised. I knew I should have rescheduled my test,” Toni says. and she did — two more times.
Again, everything seemed to be set for her to succeed the next time. She received another scholarship from her center, arranged a date for her test, studied and practiced again and again. She was even able to get an accommodation for a reader to sit next to her during the test and help her understand the questions.
This time she was sure she had passed, so she was heartbroken when she received the letter telling her she had failed again. “I threw the letter on the ground and started to cry. I felt like I was not smart enough to get my CDA and I should just give up.”
Fortunately, she had a guardian angel who wanted to make her dream come true. When she told her long-time center director Jill Davidson how discouraged she was, Jill reassured her that she was the most loving, nurturing person she knew and deserved to have her CDA.
Jill also brought her to a Head Start Conference, where she met Vilma M. Williams, Manager for Multilingual and Special Programs at the Council for Professional Recognition. Vilma also urged Toni not to give up and suggested she write her story down to inspire others when she did get her CDA.
And she finally passed in April 2018. “When I saw the letter announcing my results, I was afraid to open it at first,” Toni recalls. “But there it was: a congratulations letter. Needless to say, I just cried. After three years and three attempts, I had made it!”
Earning the credential made her a better teacher, Toni says. And that matters because babies can learn more than most people think. “They’re very smart and very alert,” she explains. “They’re like little sponges and absorb everything around them. What you teach them they carry for the rest of their lives.”
So, Toni spends a lot of time singing to them, reading to them and having them play with books — all activities covered in the training for the CDA. “The CDA helped me be a professional teacher,” Toni says, “so I could be there for the babies.”
She’s also there for the parents, Jill explains. “Toni values her relationships with the parents. They treat her with respect because they know she lives for their babies.” She’s on her third or fourth baby from some families, and she cherishes each one.
“I love all my little babies. I treat them like my own kids,” Toni says. At the same time, she’s careful not to compete with the moms and dads. Toni is usually the one who sees the babies take their first steps and say their first words, as Jill explains. But she doesn’t tell the parents. She keeps the big news to herself so that parents will think they were there when their babies passed important milestones in life.
Earning a CDA was a major milestone in Toni’s life. And she hasn’t kept this achievement to herself because she wants to give others hope. “I have overcome challenges and reached my dreams,” Toni says. “Every person should have the right to pursue happiness, even if they’re disabled.” And this commitment to equity for all is at the core of the CDA, Toni points out. “If you are a competent teacher, they will give you your CDA.”
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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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