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Advisory Board Member
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Background Information
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Osborne F. Abbey, Jr., Ed.D.
Vice President & Chief Education Officer
for Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.
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Dr. Abbey is an experienced
educator and administrator with a background in curriculum design
and implementation, special education, technology, and financial
planning, most recently serving as Assistant Superintendent of
the Township of Union Public Schools in New Jersey from August
1996 through November 2003. Dr. Abbey has taught university level
courses in curriculum, gifted programs, educational administration,
and research. |
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Dawn Abel
Vice President, Wisconsin Early Childhood Association
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For the past 18 years,
Dawn has owned and operated a licensed family child care. She
has also instructed school-age children and worked closely with
a home schooling support group for parents and children. Affiliations
include 10 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the
Wisconsin Family Child Care Association as well as three years
as president. Dawn is currently Vice President of the Wisconsin
Early Childhood Association and a facilitator for NAEYC Family
Child Care Interest Forum. |
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Rita Bigham
Pre-K Staff Development Director for WVIZ Public
Broadcasting Systems (PBS)
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Rita Bigham serves as Director of Pre-K-12 Educational
Services at WVIZ/PBS ideastream in Cleveland, Ohio. At PBS,
Rita directs the development and implementation for all professional
development for teachers Pre-K-12 including face-to-face and
online training, and interactive video distance learning. Her
leadership has enabled WVIZ/PBS ideastream to be a professional
development leader for teachers in Ohio as well as nationally.
Rita holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from
Ashland University and a Master's degree in Instructional Design
from Kent State University. Previously, she was an elementary
teacher where she taught all grades from 1-8 and moved on to
technology teacher/coordinator and curriculum specialist. Professional
memberships include Kappa Delta Pi, International Reading Association
(IRA), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
(ASCD), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE),
and National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC). Currently Rita serves on the Board of the Greater Cleveland
Educational Development Council as well as on committees for
eTech of Ohio.
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Dr. Deborah Ceglowski
Associate Professor, University
of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dept. of Special Education and
Child Development
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As an Associate Professor
at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Ceglowski
teaches courses focused on Child and Family Development: emergent
literacy, play, research methodology, and leadership. She received
her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Early
Childhood Education. In 1998, Teacher's College Press published
her book Inside a Head Start Center: Developing policies from
Practice. Additionally, she has published numerous articles
and book chapters and served as the book review editor for Early
Childhood Research Quarterly. |
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Dr. Sandra Crosser
Professor, Ohio Northern University, Center
for Teacher Education
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Prior to being a professor at Ohio
Northern University, Dr. Crosser was an elementary school teacher.
In addition, she was also the owner of a private preschool for
25 years. Beginning her career with Ohio Northern University in
1989, Dr. Crosser has taught courses on Child & Adolescent
Development, Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Methods
& Materials in Early Childhood Education, and Curriculum in
Early Childhood. She has also published a book, What Do We
Know About Early Childhood Education: Research Based Practice. |
Rick Caldwell
Quality Program Manager, Georgia
Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
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Rick's love of early childhood education
began while teaching exploratory Spanish to kindergartners. He
earned a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education while teaching
in Georgia's Pre-Kindergarten Program. With extensive experience
educating child care providers, Rick continues to believe that
long-term improvement in early childhood care and education services
can only be achieved through building supportive relationships
with providers. Rick is currently the Quality Program Manager
for the Georgia Association of Child Care Resource & Referral
Agencies as well as adjunct early childhood education instructor
for local technical colleges. |
Angie Dorrell
Early Childhood Consultant
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Marsha Engquist
President, Lake Shore Schools
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Marsha owns and operates Lake Shore
Schools, a private, for-profit program serving children ages 15
months through 14 years. An outspoken advocate for licensure of
all child care centers, Marsha believes that every child should
be afforded equal quality care. Lake Shore Schools not only provides
high-quality care, but activity-oriented curricula through student
participation. Marsha also served four terms as President of the
National Child Care Association (NCCA) as well as three terms
as Vice President of Governmental Relations for NCCA. She is currently
a member of numerous early childhood education advisory councils
and associations. In October 2006, Marsha participated in the
Governor's Summit on Early Childhood in Illinois. |
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Leslie S. Eslinger
Education and Product Development
Specialist, Becker's School Supplies
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Leslie has worked in the field of
early childhood education for over 25 years as a teacher, administrator,
and trainer. In 2006, she joined Becker's School Supplies as the
Education and Product Development Specialist. She also provides
professional development workshops to early childhood educators
at regional and national conferences. Currently, Leslie is on
the Board of Directors of USA Toy Library and focuses on the importance
of play in the lives of young children. Redleaf Press published
her first book, Theme Kits Made Easy, in 2002. |
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Linda Geigle
Executive Director, National Association
for Family Child Care
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Since 2001, Linda has
worked for the National Association for Family Child Care and
is currently the Executive Director. Previously, she was the Executive
Director of Children First, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah as well
as a family child care provider. Linda is also a past President,
Treasurer, and Secretary of the National Association for Family
Child Care. She also held the positions of President and Secretary
of the Professional Family Child Care Association of Utah. |
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Dr. Lynn Hartle
Associate Professor of Early Childhood
Education, University of Central Florida
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Lynn Hartle, Ph.D. began her career
teaching in the Detroit, Michigan area and then founded the Montessori
Children's House in Cookeville, Tennessee. After teaching young
children for 10 years, Lynn earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and
Instruction, Early Childhood emphasis from The Pennsylvania State
University, transitioning to a career in higher education for
over 20 years. Along with teaching, her scholarship is in Early
Childhood Teacher education with emphases in technology uses;
teaching strategies for diverse learners, and program quality
improvement. Based on funded research projects, she has published
journal articles, book chapters, and co-authored two books as
well as presented at state and national conferences. Lynn is currently
President of the Technology and Young Children Interest Forum
of the National Association for the Education of Young Children,
board member of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher
Educators (NAECTE), and board member of the Early Learning Coalition
of Orange County, FL. |
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Dr. Judy Herr
Early Childhood Program Director and Early Childhood
Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout
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Dr. Judy Herr is currently the Early
Childhood Program Director and a professor of Early Childhood
Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She is the former
Associate Dean for Curriculum and Instruction, Home Economics
Graduate Program Director, and Director of the Child and Family
Study Center. Dr. Herr is also the author of several early childhood
college textbooks. She is currently on the Board of Director's
of the Children's Kindness Network and an advisory board member
for Early Childhood News. |
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Donna Jonas
Director of Communications, McCormick
Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
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Currently, Donna is the Director
of Communications for the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood
Leadership. Maintaining and developing relationships with corporate
and community partners is one of her goals, as well as ensuring
continued community awareness of the many projects and accomplishments
of the McCormick Tribune Center. Prior to joining the McCormick
Tribune Center, Donna taught MMI & LD/BD children. She was
also the managing editor of National-Louis University's College
of Education Quarterly publication, and served as Director of
Development for a nonprofit agency helping developmentally challenged
children and adults. Donna is also the acting chair of the McCormick
Tribune Center's Leadership Connections Conference which
hosts 500+ leaders in early child care annually. |
Dr. Wilma Melendez
Program Professor of Early Childhood,
Nova Southeastern University
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Dr. Wilma Robles de Meléndez is a
program professor of early childhood education at the Fischler
School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University.
She teaches and coordinates the early childhood education and
early literacy programs. Her extensive experience in the field
of education includes having been a-classroom teacher, school
principal, child care center director, and general kindergarten
supervisor. An avid traveler and reader, her research areas are
early literacy development for English language learners and multicultural
education. She is actively engaged in the field and presents at
the national and international level. Dr. Robles de Meléndez is
the author of several publications including the Lee y serás
Child Care Providers Workshops (Scholastic, 2005), Teaching
Social Studies in Early Education (Delmar, 2000), and the
second edition of her book Teaching Young Children in Multicultural
Classrooms (Delmar, 2007). |
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Dr. Kimberly Moore
Chief, Family Member Programs Flight, Lajes
Air Force Base, Azores Portugal
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In her 28 years in education,
Dr. Kimberly Moore has been a classroom teacher, corporate trainer,
operations manager, supervisor, and executive officer. She has
personally supervised the operation of the Child Development Center,
Youth Center, and Community Center with the Air Force. Currently,
Dr. Moore holds several licenses and certificates, including Validator
& Commissioner for NAEYC, Endorser for the National AfterSchool
Association Accreditation Program, and Verifier for the National
Child Care/National Early Childhood Program Association. She has
created numerous programs, including Primrose School's Character
Education Program and the Armed Forces Network Television series
USAFE Command Helpful Hints for Families. Dr. Moore also
wrote a monthly column for Early Childhood Today magazine. |
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Judy Nee
President/CEO, National AfterSchool Association
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As president of the National
AfterSchool Association, Judy has spent the past 15 years working
in the afterschool field at the local, state, and national level.
She has designed afterschool programs to reach the most under
served populations, using a combination of educational, social,
and recreational programming. Establishing a professional development
project with the Florida community college and university system,
Judy incorporated coursework, certificate, and degree seeking
track for afterschool and youth development professionals. Most
recently, Judy led the development of a nationally recognized
model afterschool education component that incorporates academic
content and staff development. Judy holds a Master's Degree in
Community Psychology and is a Ph.D. candidate in Leadership and
Education. |
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Rae Pica
Children's Physical Activity Specialist
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Rae has specialized in the area of
children's physical activity for 27 years. A former adjunct instructor
with the University of New Hampshire, Rae is the author of 17
books including Experiences in Movement, A Running Start,
and the Moving & Learning series. She shares her knowledge
with groups such as the Sesame Street Research Department, the
Head Start Bureau, the President's Council on Physical Fitness
and Sports through lively and informative workshops and keynote
presentations. Rae has also served on the task force of the National
Association for Sport and Physical Education and is currently
the movement consultant for a new Canadian TV program, Bo on
the Go. |
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Elaine Piper
Network Coordinator for the Tennessee Child
Care Resource & Referral Network
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Elaine's area of expertise in family
child care. She was a family child care provider for 25 years
as well as a member of the NAFCC Board of Directors for three
years. Elaine holds a Master's Degree in Education with a specialization
in School-Age Child Care from Concordia University. Currently,
Elaine is the Family Child Care Specialist for the Tennessee Child
Care Resource & Referral Network. |
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Schellee Y. Rocher
Director of Provider Operations, Los Angeles
Universal Preschool
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Schellee has over 17 years experience
in the field of early childhood education. She has held positions
of Head Start Teacher and Director, public school teacher, and
early childhood consultant for New York City's Administration
for Children's Services. In the fall of 2002, Schellee joined
Crystal Stairs and managed the Early Childhood Educational Unit.
Currently, Schelle leads the Quality Support Team as the Director
of Provider Operations at Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP),
whose goal is to make voluntary, high-quality preschool available
to every four-year old child in Los Angeles County by 2014. Schelle
holds a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Development and a
Master's Degree in Curriculum & Instruction. |
Barbara Sawyer
Board Member, National Association
for Family Child Care
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Barbara is currently the director
of Special Projects for the National Association for Family Child
Care. She is also an active partner in a national training consortium,
Child Care Consulting and Training Services, Inc. (C.A.T.S.) Barbara
presents family child care individual leadership and skill building
training across the country. |
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Ramee Serwanga
Provider Operations Consultant,
Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP)
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Ramee began her early care and education
career as an intern in one of UCLA's child development centers.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's in
Human Development with a specialization in Early Childhood Education.
For 10 years, Ramee has educated early childhood professionals
and children as a volunteer, teacher, director, and consultant.
Ramee is currently a consultant for Los Angeles Universal Preschool
(LAUP). |
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Hedda Sharapan
Director of Early Childhood Initiatives,
Family Communications, Producers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
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When Fred Rogers began
producing Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Hedda joined his staff
and served as Assistant Director. Over the past 40 years, she
has worked closely with Fred Rogers on his books for children
and parents, parenting brochures, and viewer mail. She continues
to carry on Fred Rogers' legacy through writing, speaking engagements,
and developing and presenting training materials for early childhood
educators. Hedda holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from
Carnegie Mellon University. At Fred Rogers' suggestion, Hedda
pursued graduate studies in Child Development and holds a Master's
Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. |
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Karen Jo Walsh
Owner & Curriculum Director, Lake Shore
Schools
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Since 1980, Karen has worked for
Lake Shore Schools. Previously, Karen served as the Training Program
Coordinator at the University of Chicago where she developed and
coordinated training programs. Additionally, Karen implemented
a two year program of training under Title XX through the Department
of Children and Family Services. Karen also served as the Early
Childhood Education Coordinator at the Education Resource Center
in Chicago. |
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Sherry Workman
Executive Director, National Association
for Child Care Professionals
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Sherry holds a degree in Curriculum
& Instruction with a Kindergarten endorsement. She taught
in the public schools and also started her own preschool and private
school; enrollment increased from 20 children to 160 in just four
years. Sherry established and managed a child development center
for Mercy Hospital of Laredo, TX. Being instrumental in initiating
innovative programs to enhance early care and education training,
Sherry created a company which managed a state child care association
and developed a credentialing program for directors in Texas and
Alabama. |
