Distributed Leadership at ECTA
updated January 30, 2025
The Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center uses a distributed leadership model that promotes shared decision-making across the leadership team and within the organization. Distributed leadership benefits staff and clients because it:
- Embraces values-based leadership.
- Promotes ideas and innovation.
- Leverages leader expertise.
- Increases responsiveness to internal and external needs.
- Reflects a commitment to innovation and leadership development.
- Increases sustainability by sharing responsibilities.
We operationalized this model within the ECTA leadership team by using the core infrastructure areas of expertise needed to meet the demands of a national technical assistance center of our scope and size. The leadership team retains its organizational structure of associate directors. Dr. Megan Vinh now serves as director.
The other associate directors are Sherri Britt Williams, Laura Curtis, Schatzi McCarthy, Katy McCullough, and Thomas McGhee. We continue to have four partner leads: Lise Fox (University of South Florida), Kathy Hebbeler (SRI International), Shantel Meek (Arizona State University), and Alissa Rausch (University of Denver).
There are six core infrastructure areas of responsibility. Leadership team members lead those infrastructure areas based on their expertise.
Strategic Planning and Budgeting: Sherri Britt-Williams
TA Deliverables and Activity Planning: Laura Curtis
Organizational Structure, Professional Development, and Teaming: Thomas McGhee
Communications, Marketing, and Product Development: Katy McCullough
Outreach, Partnerships, and Collaboration: Megan Vinh
Evaluation and Reporting: Schatzi McCarthy
To implement this model successfully, the ECTA team has established clear roles and responsibilities, confirmed decision-making processes, and created a structure to include all aspects of the work. Topic teams, work groups, and core infrastructure teams continue to carry out their work with their respective leaders and teams. Individuals are trusted and empowered to continue to make clear and transparent decisions within their domains, relying on staff and leadership for input.