aRPy Ambassador Program: Bios and Contact Information
Ambassadors
| State/Ambassador | Bio |
|---|---|
Arkansas
Alesa Lambert
|
As an aRPy Ambassador, I will help both Arkansas practitioners and families access the tools and support that is available through the DEC Recommended Practices. Being able to share these resources will help bring about the positive outcomes that we desire for our young learners. My introduction to Early Childhood Special Education began when I volunteered to pat backs at naptime and provide lunch breaks at a local day school for children with developmental delays. I have worked in the field as a paraprofessional and an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher. As a professional in the Arkansas Early Childhood Education community, I have made it a priority to cultivate relationships that encourage collaboration, mutual trust, and respect between all stakeholders. I have been successful in working with different agencies to provide services and supports for early learners with significant and profound delays. This collaborative work has led me to continually seek ways that I can influence and have a positive impact on Arkansas' youngest learners and their families. As an aRPy ambassador, I look forward to bringing information about RP's to practitioners and families that will support positive outcomes for our young children. |
Arkansas
Karen Lange
|
Addressing the needs of young children in Arkansas has been the focal point of my career as an early intervention and early childhood specialist. I started my career as an elementary educator before I began working with young children, ages 3-5 with developmental disabilities. Then when a deaf child was assigned to my caseload I was led to specialize in early intervention for deaf and hard of hearing children, becoming a parent advisor for the parent infant program at the AR School for the Deaf. This career change not only allowed me to discover a new passion for deaf and hard of hearing young children and their families, but also provided an opportunity for me to focus on the early intervention system in the state. This spring another opportunity arose for me when I was accepted into the Doctoral program at the University of Arkansas in the curriculum and instruction department. As I begin my scholarly adventure as a doctoral student my studies will include serving children and students in inclusive environments, children with autism and students with dual sensory deficits/disabilities. As an aRPy ambassador, I look forward to promoting the recommended practices through my teaching as a graduate assistant and through my scholarly research. I plan to incorporate my past experience and my current work with the state Interagency Coordinating Council, into my studies as a doctoral student. In addition, my involvement with a current cross collaborative team to promote the availability of an inclusive early childhood system, provides many opportunities to promote the DEC recommended practices and improvement tools. As an aRPy Ambassador I will continue to be involved in collaborative initiatives to improve our state system for all young children, a system with greater accessibility to quality programs that support families and promote positive outcomes for all young children, including those with disabilities and those of diverse backgrounds. |
California
Regan Bynder
|
Regan Bynder is an Operations Specialist at Ventura County Office of Education, Early Childhood Programs Department. Her career in early childhood spans 30 years. She received her Bachelor's in Child Development from Northeastern University, Boston and her Master's in Human Development and Psychology from UCLA. Her professional journey includes teaching, directing, resource and referral technical assistance specialist, family childcare network administration, project management, coaching, training, and consulting. Regan's passions include Social and Emotional Development, STEM in ECE, Inclusion, Long Term Investigations, Learning Stories, Teacher Beliefs and Mindsets, and Natures Place in ECE. She is a recognized coach and trainer for CA Teaching Pyramid, authorized in Toddler and Pre-K CLASS, a National LEAD STEM fellow, authorized Program for Infant Toddler Caregiver Trainer (PITC), an Outdoor Classroom Specialist Level 1, and in process of completing her Beginning Together Preschool Inclusion authorization through WestEd. She lives in Ventura County, CA with her two amazing children and Cooper the wonder dog. |
Colorado
Andrea Laser
|
I am thrilled to have been selected as an aRPy Ambassador and hope to focus my ambassador work in centering the DEC Recommended Practices for pre-service and in-service early childhood special educators. I see great value in practices as they have a clear focus on child and family centered practices that recognize, affirm, and sustain children and families' capabilities and identities. These value of these practices to the field is critical in advancing equitable opportunities to all children and families. I teach and work with practicum students mainly in the graduate early childhood special education specialist licensure program; am also a faculty fellow at ThinqStudio, a faculty-initiated, faculty-driven community of learners exploring the possibilities of learning and teaching in higher education. Previously, I worked in public schools with 3 to 8-year-olds for 16 years before moving to a higher education setting. Currently, I'm interested in creating communities at all levels of education that develop and maintain a sense of belonging. At home, I love spending time outdoors with family and friends. |
Connecticut
Adriana Fontaine
|
I have worked for the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC), which serves as Connecticut's Parent Training Information Center, for the past thirteen years. During this time, I have served as a Parent Consultant, providing individual guidance to families of children with disabilities and developed and presented trainings on special education mandates around the state. Additionally, I have developed, implemented and evaluated two programs of collective impact for families of young children with developmental delays/disabilities in Connecticut. The Family Connections Program was crafted to offer unique support to families enrolled in our state's early intervention system (Birth to Three) via parent mentor support, technical assistance, and referrals to community services. In the last six years, the program has reached and impacted over six hundred families, connecting new parents to experienced parents and creating solid partnerships with providers, resulting in a reliable, supportive network of families that provide ongoing emotional support and guidance to each other as they face the challenges and joys of raising their unique little one. Our Preschool Pathfinder Program was developed with the support of the Connecticut State Department of Education, to provide direct support to families facing challenges navigating transition from early intervention into special education preschool. I am passionate about educating families regarding the importance of early intervention, how to describe their child's unique needs and encouraging families to engage in collaborative practices with professionals early on. I am the proud mother of two children; a daughter who is in college and a son in high school with learning disabilities. As a mother, I understand the challenges families face on a day to day basis as I once did once when my son received early intervention. As an aRPy Ambassador, I want to gain knowledge about the current trends and RPs and how to best implement these practices in my line of work with families, providers and special education staff. An important aspect of my work is addressing bias and cultural barriers for monolingual families. Therefore, I intend on disseminating best practices that promote working in partnership with families from diverse multicultural backgrounds. |
Connecticut
Bethanne Vergean |
I am so passionate about the Early Childhood Field, and being selected as aRPy Ambassador allows me to share the Recommended Practices across the early childhood Communities in Connecticut. Bethanne Vergean is an Early Childhood Specialist at the UConn Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Bethanne is currently working on a OSEP Model Demonstration Project - Developing Identification, Screening, Referral and Tracking Systems for Infants and Toddlers. The purpose of the project is to build state and community capacity to develop, demonstrate, evaluate, and replicate an interagency system to track, identify, screen, refer or monitor infants and toddlers at risk for, or having a delay or disability in Connecticut. She is coordinating a Community College grant to improve the quality of early childhood education (ECE) associate degree programs in the 12 state community colleges by redesigning the ECE curricula to better prepare the community college ECE student to work with young children with disabilities and/or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families. Bethanne has over 20 years of experience in a variety of early childhood focused roles, including inclusive early care and education and early intervention. In addition to her aRPy Ambassador role, Bethanne also serves as the CDC's Act Early Ambassador to Connecticut supporting implementation of developmental monitoring and screening statewide and CDC Mental Health Champion. |
Delaware
Meedra Surratte
|
Meedra serves as the Executive Director of Parent Information Center of Delaware, Delaware's Parent Training and Information Center (PTI). She is a community and education advocate serving students with disabilities and their families for over 15 years, including as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, (CASA) and Education Surrogate Parent (ESP) for children and youth in foster care. In her role, she sits on several committees supporting the improvement of systems serving infants, toddlers and children with disabilities and their families, including Delaware's Part C and Part B State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIP), State Personnel Development Grant, (SPDG), Delaware's Special Education Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (SESPAC), Early Childhood Committee, Early Hearing detection Intervention (EHDI) and ICC committees. Her interests lie within capacity building, particularly in the areas of education, special education, family engagement and building sustaining partnerships between families and schools. She is committed to ensuring equity in education, representing the interests of students and families from our most undeserved communities. Meedra holds a B.A. in Organizational Dynamics and a Master's in Special Education. Meedra is the proud mother of three girls, ages 20, 4 and 2. |
Florida
Kathy Powell
|
I am thrilled and honored to join the aRPy Ambassador community, dedicated to promoting positive outcomes for young learners in early childhood education. As a passionate advocate for high-quality early learning experiences, I am excited to collaborate with my fellow aRPy Ambassadors to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning among young children. I believe that through this community, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families, and I look forward to contributing to this important work. I am honored to have been selected as an aRPy Ambassador and to have the opportunity to share my passion for early intervention and special education advocacy with the community. As a parent of a child affected by Autism, I have firsthand experience of families' challenges in navigating the special education system. It is my privilege to serve as an advocate for families, their children, and individuals with disabilities. As the Program Director of the Parent Offering Parents Information and Networking (POPIN), a program of Family Network on Disabilities (FND), my primary focus is to provide families with the necessary training, information, and technical assistance to help them advocate for their children successfully. This includes helping families understand the special education processes and best practices that lead to increased student achievement with effective parental involvement. In my role, I have also been actively involved in providing training, information, and technical assistance related to early intervention. This includes helping families understand the importance of early identification and intervention, connecting families to early intervention services and supports, and promoting family-centered practices that prioritize the needs and goals of the child and their family. As an advocate for children with disabilities and their families, I am committed to increasing awareness and understanding of the benefits of early intervention and advocating for policies and practices that support equitable access to these services for all families. I am excited to continue this work as an aRPy Ambassador and collaborate with other advocates and professionals to further these goals and promote positive outcomes for all young learners. I find it particularly rewarding to share resources that emphasize the importance of inclusion and participation for children and youth with disabilities. Through full participation in their schools and communities, children with disabilities can reach their full potential and lead fulfilling lives. As an aRPy Ambassador, I look forward to continuing to collaborate with other advocates to impact the lives of children and families positively. |
Georgia
Mesha Robinson |
Mesha Robinson is the new Early Intervention Training and Support Manager for Babies Can't Wait. However, Mrs. Robinson is not new to the Department of Public Health, she has served as the Newborn Hearing Detection and Intervention Coordinator for the Coastal Health District, for 13 years. Aside from her regular Coastal Health District duties, Mrs. Robinson is a believer in promoting Health and Wellness along with Employee Communication throughout the District. She serves as a True Colors Facilitator and Lifestyle Coach for the Diabetes Prevention Program, which is a yearlong CDC education program designed to help those who are prediabetic or at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Mrs. Robinson is dedicated to educating, encouraging, and preventing disease in the community. She has 15 years of service as a Georgia State employee and has also served Case Manager for the Department of Family and Children's Services prior to joining the Department of Public Health family. Mrs. Robinson graduated from Paine College in Augusta Ga, with a BA degree in Psychology emphasis on Counseling and has recently completed her certification in Nutrition and Healthy Living through Cornell University. Mrs. Robinson is proud to be a part of early intervention and provide professional and engaging trainings and needed in her role. Mrs. Robinson personal goals is to maintain healthy balance lifestyle and LOVES Food, Music and Relaxation. |
Idaho
Melissa Crist
|
Melissa Crist, M.S. is the Director of IdahoSTARS Programs at the Idaho Center on Disabilities and Human Development, the state University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). IdahoSTARS houses the majority of quality initiatives in early care and education for the state of Idaho, including the state Quality Rating and Improvement System, the state Child Care Resource and Referral network, childcare licensing and subsidy support, and the state early childhood professional development system. Melissa has over 15 years of experience in a variety of early childhood focused roles, including inclusive early care and education and early intervention. In addition to her aRPy Ambassador role, Melissa also serves as the CDC's Act Early Ambassador to Idaho supporting implementation of developmental monitoring and screening statewide. |
Illinois
Chelsea Guillen, M.S.
|
Chelsea was pleased to be selected as an inaugural Ambassador. She continues her work with the DEC RP Committee and was part of the Commission that produced the most recent version of the practices. Through her work as a professional development and technical assistance provider in Illinois' early intervention system, she works to ensure that the professionals in early intervention are using proven strategies for working with young children and their families. As a family member of children who have benefitted from early intervention and early childhood special education, it is also important to ensure that the critical role families play in the intervention process doesn't get lost with the practitioner focus of the RPs. In her role as Ombudsman, Chelsea works to ensure that the Practices are taken into consideration when policies and procedures are developed and systemic improvement activities are planned. |
Kansas
Jennifer Francois
|
Assistant Professor of Family Studies and Human Services (Early Childhood Education) at Kansas State University. For the past 20 years, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings that focus on young children and their families. These include being involved in a longitudinal research grant on children with specific language impairment, serving as an administrator for an early care and education program that served children with disabilities and their families and most currently, my role as a faculty member in a teacher education program. My areas of expertise include pre-service teacher preparation in early intervention and early childhood special education, language acquisition, and social and emotional development in young children. I have been actively involved in local and state level organizations that focus on advocacy efforts around young children. These include serving as President for the Kansas DEC and a board member of the Kansas NAEYC. I have also served as a board member of my local Interagency Coordinating Council. Through my role as the aRPy Ambassador, I hope to create an even greater awareness of the DEC Recommended Practices. I hope to be able to provide training and professional development opportunities that lead to a better understanding of how the DEC RPs connect to the work pre-service and in-service professionals are doing with young children and their families. I believe that a continued focus on workforce development around the DEC RPs will create professionals who are better equipped to incorporate these practices which, in turn, will enhance the lives of children and families. |
Louisiana
Toni Ledet, Ph.D., BCBA
|
Toni believes that in supporting and furthering the use of the DEC RPs by both early intervention, Part C providers and special education, 619 teachers and related services providers, children and families will ultimately benefit by receiving effective supports and services that will enhance their lives. To accomplish this goal she will work collaboratively with staff in state level agencies, local agencies, and institutions of higher education, as well as independent providers through various professional development activities and initiatives in Louisiana. She also has a strong belief that working and collaborating with general education providers and community providers is necessary for all to be able to effectively use the DEC practices and resources as partners in supporting children and families. As an aRPy Ambassador she will work with the DEC Board and membership to put the information about the DEC recommended practices and its resources in the hands of all providers across the state of Louisiana. As a provider of professional development in the state across all areas of Early Childhood she hopes to infuse the DEC practices and resources into professional development opportunities both inservice and preservice, and to assist other professional development providers to do the same. As providers across Louisiana work together she expects that they will accomplish the goal of enhancing providers' practices to better meet the needs of children and families. Toni has worked as an early childhood training and technical assistance provider in a variety of early childhood professional development initiatives within Early Childhood Care and Education, Head Start, and IDEA. |
Louisiana
Caitlyn Robinson
|
Caitlyn Robinson is the Part B, Section 619 Coordinator for the Louisiana Department of Education. She serves on the NASDSE 619 Affinity Group Executive Council and sits on several state level councils committed to improving the quality of systems and outcomes for young children from birth through five. Caitlyn has a Master of Education in Special Education and Teacher Leadership. As a parent of a child with a disability and an early childhood educator, Caitlyn sees how quality programs have the ability to change the trajectory of a child's life from their earliest educational experiences. She believes that shared knowledge and advocacy is the way we can create the change we wish to see for our young children with disabilities. "As an aRPy Ambassador, I hope to create change by bringing a greater awareness to the DEC Recommended Practices. I truly believe that the more we advocate for best practices in early childhood and share resources with our professionals, the more we will bridge the gap between research and reality. I hope to bring awareness and knowledge to families and create a pathway of success that improves the outcomes for young children with disabilities. Advocating for better practice builds the capacity of our professionals that work with our children across the state of Louisiana, which will change the trajectory of the lives of our exceptional kids." |
Maryland
Kristen Paul
|
I am honored to have been selected to serve as an aRPy Ambassador and look forward to sharing the DEC Recommended Practices and Practice Improvement Tools with families and providers. I have worked in the field of education for more than 20 years as a teacher, education advisor, and administrator in a variety of environments. After working as the Family Support Liaison for Birth to Five for my local school district, I became the Early Childhood Specialist at The Parents' Place of Maryland (PPMD), the state's Parent Training and Information Center and Family-to-Family Health Information Center. I serve on numerous local and state level committees/working groups, including my county's Citizens' Advisory Council for Special Education, Pyramid Model State Leadership Team, State Systemic Improvement Plan Implementation Team, State Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers, and the Division of Early Childhood's State Early Childhood Advisory Council. I also serve as the CDC's Act Early Ambassador to the state of Maryland. My passion for early identification and intervention and working with families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs was ignited by my young son, who has multiple disabilities. As an aRPy Ambassador, I look forward to spreading the word about the DEC RPs and the value they bring in improving outcomes. |
Massachusetts
Serra Acar, Ph.D
|
I am an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Care at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. My primary areas of expertise include culturally and linguistically responsive assessment, dual language learners and executive function, international perspectives on early intervention/early childhood special education, and preservice teacher preparation. As an aRPy ambassador, I look forward to the opportunity to collaboratively work with important stakeholders including families, pre-and-in service practitioners, and aRPy ambassadors across the country, as well as at the international level. Moreover, I would like to create opportunities to disseminate and train on the products in New England. I believe aRPy products will be very helpful for in-and-pre-service EI/ECSE practitioners and families who have young children. |
Massachussetts
Pat Cameron
|
Hello, my name is Pat Cameron; I am the Director of Family TIES (Together in Enhancing Support), at the Federation of Children with Special Needs in Massachusetts. In partnership with the MA Department of Public Health's Division of Children and Youth with Special Health Needs, we provide information and referral services to families with children with complex medical needs and other disabilities. We also offer Parent to Parent MA; matching families with similar life experiences. I have more than 40 years of experience in early childhood education, special education and young children's social emotional development. Prior to this position, I was the Sr. Technical Assistance Specialist at the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) providing T&TA to states, tribes and territories with SAMHSA's Project LAUNCH grants. I have also worked at the MA Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) as the 619 Coordinator for Preschool Special Education as well as the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in Early Learning Services. I am the parent of two adult children; my 35 year old daughter, Beth, has Down syndrome as well as hearing and vision challenges. It's my honor to promote the DEC's Recommended Practices, especially with families. |
Minnesota
Carol Maliszewski
|
I am excited and honored to serve as an aRPy Ambassador and to support the work in Minnesota to improve the systems, services and outcomes for young children and their families. I have worked in the field of early childhood special education (ECSE) for almost 30 years, and I am a long-time member of CEC/DEC. I have served as an ECSE teacher, Child Care Center Director and the State Part B/619 Coordinator for the state of Wyoming. I have served in my current position at MDE since 2012. In my current position I am committed to promoting the work of the DEC Recommended Practices throughout the State of Minnesota. As an aRPy Ambassador I would be able share all the DEC Recommended Practices resources to support and collaborate with those professionals who support all infants, toddlers, and preschooler with disabilities to achieve improved educational results and functional outcomes in the State of Minnesota. My work as an aRPy Ambassador aligns with my current work at MDE to support our Comprehension System of Personnel Development (CSPD), the Minnesota Centers of Excellence (MNCoE) and the Minnesota DEC board. This opportunity will support Minnesota's efforts to align our ECSE licensure standard to the National EI/ECSE Standards. |
Mississippi
Leslie Junkin
|
I believe that increasing awareness and facilitating the use of DEC RPs by Part C providers, early intervention, related service providers and families will aid them in improving outcomes. As an aRPy ambassador I look forward to building collaborative relationships with staff in state and local agencies, providers and, most importantly, families. In my role as the MS Parent Training and Information Center project director, I am passionate about empowering families with resources and supports. Parents and family members can't access resources if they don't know where or how to locate them. The vast majority of state and local agencies, service providers, and early childhood education programs are not interconnected, and this disconnect leads to fractures that families often fall victim to in their search for information, education and support. Being mom to a 20-year-old daughter that has Down syndrome gives me insight into the challenges parents face and an awareness of how families search for information. I've received services and supports from all of these agencies. My life experience allows me to know first hand how vitally important information dissemination is for families. My areas of training and expertise include providing parent training to MS families on IDEA, parenting children with disabilities, advocacy, communication and conflict resolution. I've worked as a parent liaison with First Steps early intervention in MS for over 15 years and with many local community groups to create parent support services and resource distribution to local agencies. Empowering families drives me in all areas of my career. Serving as an aRPy ambassador will open many new doors to new paths that will increase availability and awareness of information to families and providers in MS. |
Nevada
Iandia Morgan, M.Ed.
|
I am currently a Developmental Specialist IV/Program Liaison for the Nevada Early Intervention System within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C Office. I am honored to serve as an aRPy Ambassador. Within this role, I will have the opportunity to bring an even greater awareness of the DEC Recommended Practices (RP's) to the early childhood system as a whole, in an effort to improve overall outcomes for children and families. I am passionate about promoting the importance of investing in early childhood education and development for ALL during the most critical years of a child's life. As a result, I have spent the past 20+ years working in a variety of settings that focus on young children and their families. Much of my passion has focused on championing the importance of early intervention, so that positive outcomes are promoted and implemented. It is essential for practitioners to have a concrete understanding of how the DEC RPs connect to the services they are currently providing to children and their families. This increased concentration leads to professionals who are better equipped and feel more confident when incorporating these practices into services currently provided, which in turn also enhances the lives of children and their families and will ultimately benefit them as a result of receiving effective supports and services. Although I work in early intervention, I understand how critical it is to share resources and collaborate with others in the field of early childhood not only locally, but nationally and internationally as well. Working in collaboration assists with sending a clear message regarding the importance of having research-based practices at the forefront of service delivery for children and families across the spectrum. The impact and difference a practitioner can have on a child's positive start to being successful in their natural environments and in their communities is the outcome that is anticipated. Many children with developmental challenges are involved in many other programs. As an aRPy Ambassador, my focus will extend to ensuring that professionals working in those programs are also able to utilize evidenced and research-based practices that are effective in promoting positive outcomes. I am a proud mother of a son, Myles who is 11 and a daughter, Skye who is 9. They fuel me every day to be the best me and as a result, fuel my passion of promoting impactful and meaningful experiences for young children and families. Through my Ambassadorship, I will continue to strive in this area to complement my current role as Developmental Specialist/Program Liaison.
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New Jersey
Deepa Srinivasavaradan
|
I am the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)'s "Learn the Signs. Act Early". Ambassador for New Jersey and the State Parent Lead for NJ's Early Childhood initiatives - Help Me Grow, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems CoIIN, and Home Visiting CoIIN 2.0. I also work at SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, which houses the Parent Training Information Center, the Family to Family Health Information Center in New Jersey and is the lead partner for the National Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR). I am passionate about my work in the area of early childhood because I firmly believe that healthy child development leads to lifelong health and wellness. I am committed to helping families, including the most underserved, to navigate systems of care because of my own experiences as an immigrant mother. I am also NJ's Association for Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Family Delegate and LEND Family Fellow. As the co-chair of the "Early Screening & Diagnosis" workgroup of NJ's Community of Care Consortium and a member of the Infant-Child Health Committee of the NJ Council for Young Children, I have helped create several NJ-specific resources to address gaps in connecting to services when developmental concerns are identified in young children. My current roles provide me the opportunities to collaborate with various programs and organizations in my state and nationally, to educate, empower, and engage diverse families with young children with or at risk for disabilities, especially developmental disabilities. As a new parent aRPy Ambassador, I am looking forward to promoting awareness about the DEC Recommended Practices among families of young children, as well as the professionals who serve them. |
New Mexico
Tsitsi Nyabando
|
I am honored to be an aRPy ambassador. As an aRPy ambassador, I will dispense and bring awareness about the DEC Recommended Practices to my students and early care and education practitioners. I will use the relationships I have developed with faculty and other stakeholders to collaborate in activities that bring knowledge and promote the use of these vital research-based practices. I am passionate about early care and education. I believe every child needs and deserves a solid, high-quality education and care foundation to succeed in life. I am an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at Eastern New Mexico University<, a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution. My current position and service activities have afforded opportunities to develop alliances among professionals who work in different areas of early care and education. I serve as the Higher Education Personnel Preparation representative on the New Mexico Interagency Coordinating Council and on its Workforce Preparation Committee. In addition, I am a member of the New Mexico Early Childhood Higher Education Taskforce (NMECHETF). |
New York
Sasha Bueno
|
As a Family Educator, I am happy to be able to assist families and professionals navigate the special education systems within early childhood. With over 10 years of experience in education and within this role, I partner with key stakeholders and a variety of organizations to spread knowledge by providing technical assistance and professional development to families and professionals of young children, specifically, birth through five years of age. My commitment to improve systems, services, and outcomes for children, with or at risk for disabilities and their families derives from my passion for this work, moreover, I am motivated and inspired by my brother with disabilities. This very passion inspired me to become an educator. Prior to working at this wonderful organization, I have been a literacy specialist, preschool classroom special education teacher and special educator in Early Intervention. These roles have allowed me to work directly with children and collaborate with their families, agencies, fellow educators, and service providers to leverage DEC Recommended Practices in both, English and Spanish. Throughout my career as a bilingual educator, regardless of the titles and duties, one thing remains constant, as DEC Recommended Practices states, families are at the center of this work. Collaboration with families is what drives the outcomes we strive towards. Every day I am eager, willing and able to learn about early childhood development and explore new ways of how I can engage and collaborate with families. Thus, I am more than honored, excited and proud to be an aRPy Ambassador. I aspire to cultivate alliances among early intervention, early childhood special education, general early childhood providers/agencies/organizations so families and professionals can acquire the knowledge and skills that are often needed when navigating through early childhood development and systems. I believe in the power of knowledge, equity, love, cultural diversity, inclusion, and that children should not be defined by their disability, but rather who they are at their core. They deserve the very best, after all, children are our future. |
New York
Erin Reisdorf |
I am extremely honored for the opportunity to serve as an aRPy Ambassador. I am passionate about early childhood education and empowering families to improve outcomes for their children. I have been working at Parent Network of Western New York since 2021. I am certified in motivational interviewing and in the pyramid model (social and emotional early childhood focused). I have a long and successful background working with children through my thirteen-year career as a child welfare social worker prior to coming to Parent Network. I am the parent of 2 young boys. My oldest son is diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. Learning to advocate for him, guided me to my current career path of working with and supporting families to advocate for their children. In my current role as a Family Support Specialist, NYSED Early Childhood Research and Referral Specialist and Support Group Manager, I help families with educational and developmental disability needs, linking them to the right resources they need and empowering them through education, advocacy, and outreach. |
North Carolina
Amanda Berry
|
The field of Early Childhood has been at the forefront of my mind for the last 20 years. It was during the early 2000s that I learned the importance of early intervention when my son was diagnosed with autism. His journey has helped shaped my life including my professional career. I work as a parent navigator for a federally funded Community Parent Resource Center, FIRSTwnc in Western North Carolina. It is my role to help families build capacity in advocating for the needs of the child in the school system. I provide training and one on one assistance to help families navigate the special education process. I am passionate about my work, and I care deeply about helping families of children with unique and exceptional needs. Additionally, I serve as an early intervention specialist for the Child Development Services Agency of North Carolina. I have the pleasure of providing early intervention for children ages 0-3 in the natural setting and routine of the family. I find this work to be deeply meaningful and rewarding. As more and more children are being identified, the need for highly skilled and knowledge-based intervention has increased. I am currently enrolled in a Master of Education program through UNCW with an emphasis on Leadership and Family Advocacy in Early Childhood as well as a graduate certificate in Coaching and Mentoring. I serve on a local Autism collaboration, and I work in close collaboration with the other CPRC's in region B. I am thrilled to begin my new journey as an aRPy ambassador. |
North Dakota
Kristen Votava
|
I am honored to be selected as aRPy Ambassador to have the opportunity to bring knowledge and awareness of the DEC Recommended Practices to state systems, parents/caregivers, higher education faculty, and pre-service students. As an associate professor and graduate director of the early childhood program at the University of North Dakota, I am honored to be an aRPy Ambassador. I am a speech-language pathologist and early interventionist specializing in work with birth to 5-year-olds for the last 20 years. I have provided technical assistance for state early intervention programs and have been an adjunct in the Early Childhood Education, Physical Therapy, Special Education, and Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of North Dakota. I am trained in Hanen, routines-based interview/family assessment, adverse childhood experiences (ACES), and NEAR@home toolkit. My expertise and research is in the areas of social-emotional development, family-centered services, family engagement, resilient leadership, and implementation science. I have presented nationally and internationally on early intervention topics. As an aRPy Ambassador, I want to bring knowledge and awareness of the DEC Recommended Practices to state systems, parents/caregivers, higher education faculty, and pre-service students. Sharing the value of the DECRPs throughout systems and advocating for their use can create practice change in services for children and families. |
North Dakota
Jodi Webb
|
Early childhood education has been my passion and profession for over 25 years. I have had the pleasure of working directly with children in educational settings to moving into supervising and leadership roles to peers in many different roles. From there I progressed into positions of consultation, coaching, training and professional development. I have dedicated my time and energy into local, state, and national boards and workgroups such as local Child Care Centers, IDEA Advisory, NAEYC, focusing on early education, education, special education and other entities in both the nonprofit and profit sectors. I am a firm believer in striving to achieve the best in services that are provided to all children and their families. Recommended Practices are a beacon to the delivery of such services. As an aRPy Ambassador I am excited to be able to bring educational information to stakeholders and to bring awareness of the DEC RPs. |
Oklahoma
Kodey Toney |
I'm honored and excited to become an Ambassador. I look forward to working with everyone. I am the father of two boys with developmental disabilities, Konner and Kruz. Konner's diagnosis of autism at the age of three sparked me to do many of the things I have done to help bring awareness to the rural area of eastern Oklahoma. I have more than 30 hours of training in special education law, and I am a 2013 graduate of the Partners in Policymaking program through the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council, a 2014 Graduate of William and Mary Institute of Special Education Advocacy. I was appointed to the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, TARC 2015 Parent Advocate of the Year, I received the 2019 Champion of Health Award and was awarded 2019 Advocate of the Year for Oklahoma. I have served on three different head start boards in the past six years and have a passion for working with early childhood programs. |
Ohio
Elizabeth Diedrick
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I am a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Toledo and a full-time preschool itinerant intervention specialist. My connection to the field through my role as a practitioner has greatly influenced my studies, and has led me to seek out opportunities in which I can support practitioners as they work to ensure positive outcomes for students and families. My specific areas of interest include teacher well-being, in-service professional development, and meaningfully bridging the research to practice gap. In my role as an aRPy ambassador, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders across Ohio to ensure that the aRPy products are used in a way that will ultimately improve outcomes for students and families. I feel strongly that relationships are at the center of all that we do. Serving as an aRPy Ambassador and cultivating relationships to improve systems, services, and outcomes through collaboration and partnership will be an undoubtedly rewarding experience. I approach this opportunity with great enthusiasm! Through ongoing work with the ECPC/DEC Early Childhood Leadership Cohort, I've already begun incorporating DEC Recommended Practices in my work with Early Childhood Educators. My experience as an Itinerant Intervention specialist as well as my work developing and implementing Ohio-approved professional development activities for Early Childhood Educators provides me with a unique perspective when it comes to utilizing the aRPy materials in exciting and effective ways. I am so eager to begin working with this amazing group of early childhood professionals. #becauseitmatters |
Pennsylvania
Toni Miguel
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Because it matters for each and every child to have dedicated, educated caregivers. I am a consultant with Early Intervention Technical Assistance in the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network. My work focuses on supporting early childhood personnel to deliver high quality, inclusive, and equitable educational experiences for diverse young children with disabilities. A recent doctoral graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill involved research on coaching, social emotional development, and effective teacher education methods. Previous work included inclusive teacher in preschool and early elementary classrooms in New York City and New Jersey. As a long-time member of DEC and a parent to a young child with a disability, I am committed to ensuring every adult who works with or cares for young children with disabilities is fully equipped with the latest knowledge on how to best support each and every child's development and learning. I am committed to building educational environments that are inclusive and equitable and focused on building child and family capacity to have life-long positive outcomes. |
Pennsylvania
Jane Stadnik
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Jane Stadnik joined the PEAL Center—Pennsylvania State Parent and Training and Information Center (PEAL Center) in 2015 as a Parent Advisor in Pittsburgh. Prior to beginning her work at the PEAL Center, she spent 21 years as an Early Childhood Educator, seeing firsthand the importance of high quality early childhood programs. Being a parent of a child with a disability and an early childhood educator the importance of good quality programs for ALL children is imperative to inclusive communities. Children with disabilities that are in included in their early childhood communities often make the transition to their school age communities fully included insuring a better future outcome for all children.
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Spain
Margarita Cañadas
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Margarita Cañadas is a Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and director of the Early Childhood and Early Intervention Service L´Alqueria—Capacitas at the Catholic University of Valencia, Spain. Her research interests include family-centered practices and the inclusion. She has been working at the University since 2005 and is an accredited researcher. She is also the parent of a son with disabilities. Margarita (Marga) translated the ECTA Performance Checklists and Practice Guides based on the DEC Recommended Practices for use in Spain, Central and South America. She has worked with her colleagues there on the translations and is conducting research on their use. She is working to improve practices for young children with disabilities and their families in Spain and expanding that effort to other countries and the Latin American Early Intervention Association. Marga supports the implementation of family-centered practices in fifteen countries, including Spain, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and Brazil using the ECTA Center's Practice Improvement Tools. |
Texas
Elizabeth Beavers, Ph.D
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I have over 25 years of experience teaching and working with school systems, preschools, and Head Starts in the field of early childhood special education. I have served as a classroom teacher, a program coordinator, a consultant, trainer, and teacher educator and am a mother of three who values the importance of play and interactions in early childhood. My areas of expertise include critical and reflective practices in teacher education, emotional dimensions of teaching and learning, and instructional and intervention pedagogy. I have been an active member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children for many years at local and state levels. I am also actively involved with the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood and serve as President for Texas DEC as well as on the National Membership Council. My education and years of experiences in diverse settings have fueled my passion for advancing practices and policies regarding early childhood special education. It is my hope to enhance awareness of the RPs and the resources available to support quality experiences for young children and their families. I believe there is a significant need to bring together the early childhood worlds of public preschool programs, ECI, private early care and education, and related services (private and public) by bridging dialogue around the RPs. As an aRPy Ambassador, I aim to better cultivate collaboration through professional learning experiences. |
Texas
Cynthia Lee
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Dr. Cindy Lee is an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) consultant with the Region 10 Education Service Center. She also works as an adjunct professor at McLennan Community College. Cindy previously worked as an early childhood diagnostician and ECSE teacher. Cindy obtained her Master's Degree in special education and her Doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction & Supervision with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Texas A&M Commerce. She currently serves as the ECSE lead on the Student-Centered Transition Network in Texas and is the President of the Texas DEC Subdivision. Cindy also serves on Governor Abbott's ECI Advisory Board. In her role as an ECSE consultant, she provides technical assistance and professional development to early childhood educators and administrators throughout the Region 10 service area. Cindy has presented numerous professional development sessions for educators in the Region 10 service area and at several conferences throughout Texas and Louisiana.
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Utah
Heather Waters
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I am honored to serve as an aRPy Ambassador to promote broader awareness and use of the DEC Recommended Practices across early childhood systems and services in the State of Utah. I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with national colleagues who are passionate about improving quality of life for families and are equally invested in positively impacting developmental outcomes for young children with developmental delays or disabilities. I was introduced to early intervention 21 years ago as a mother of twins who qualified for services. My experience can attest to the value of family-centered, early childhood systems of care that build the capacity of caregivers and change the developmental trajectory of young children. In 2005, I began my career in Early Head Start before transitioning to early intervention where I served as a Developmental Specialist, Social Service Worker, and Program Director. Currently, as the Performance Auditor for Utah's Part C Lead Agency, I conduct early intervention service delivery and process audits to assess the application of evidence-based and recommended practices in all local early intervention programs in Utah. I also develop performance monitoring tools and related guidance documents to help ensure ongoing, consistent, and high-quality early intervention services across the state. I am a firm believer in the importance of continuous quality improvement. I am invested in learning and applying evidence-based and recommended practices that are culturally relevant and meaningfully engage and strengthen diverse families. As an aRPy Ambassador, I am committed to further infusing the DEC Recommended Practices into professional development opportunities across the State of Utah and feel privileged to have opportunities to continue to influence improvements to systems and practices that will positively impact outcomes for young children and their families.
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Vermont
Katie McCarthy
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Katie McCarthy is the IDEA 619 Coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Education. She has over 20 years of experience in the education and mental health fields. Katie's expertise lies in her knowledge of evidenced based pedagogical practices and developmental processes across PK-12 systems and comprehensive understanding of early education, early childhood special education, literacy, and media literacy. She also has experience with Early Intervention and Special Education as a parent of children with disabilities. Katie is committed to ensuring the full access and participation of each and every child across all environments so that each and every child has the opportunity to live a dignified and enviable life. As an aRPy Ambassador, Katie plans to promote the DEC Recommended Practices to encourage a sense of belonging, support positive social relationships, grow leadership, and enable families and early childhood professionals in Vermont to gain the competence and confidence in advocating and supporting each and every child and their families. She also looks forward to collaborating with and learning from her fellow aRPy Ambassadors. Katie holds a B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, a Teaching Certificate from East Stroudsburg University, and a M.Ed. in Literacy- Reading Specialist from Loyola University, Baltimore, Maryland. Katie resides in snowy Vermont with her husband and three children.
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Virgin Islands
Karen Brown
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Karen H. Brown, Ph.D., MPH, CCC-SLP is Dean of the School of Education and associate professor at the University of the Virgin IslandsUniversity of the Virgin Islands (UVI). Prior to her current role as Dean, she was Associate Director for research, evaluation, and grant development at the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD), also at UVI. She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in special education, a Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology, and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in social and behavioral sciences. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist with 30 years of experience and maintains the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Dr. Brown serves on the Virgin Islands Advisory Panel for Special Education (VIAPSE), appointed by the USVI Governor, and recommended by the Commissioner of Education. She is also an advisory board member for the Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) with the VI Infants and Toddlers Part C program, and the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) with the VI Department of Health. In a similar capacity to the aRPy ambassador role, she has served as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDCs) Act Early Ambassador to the US Virgin Islands since 2016, where she mobilizes stakeholders in monitoring young children's development and guiding next steps for early identification and intervention of children with and at-risk for developmental delays and disabilities.
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Virginia
Lisa Gehring
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Lisa currently serves as an Early Childhood Specialist for the Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) at Old Dominion University. Her passion for supporting young children with disabilities has been evident across settings, with a commitment to building inclusive practices for children birth to five. Lisa began her career as a Resource Mother, a home visiting program aimed at supporting positive birth outcomes for pregnant teens and their babies. She then served 19 years in a public school division, first as a School Psychologist and later as a Program Specialist where she supervised the Early Childhood Special Education program for twelve years. In her work leading teams, she is most proud of developing teacher leaders, who worked together with administration, to transition a self-contained preschool center into inclusive classrooms across the division, improving indicator 6 data above the state target. Lisa remains committed to building teacher capacity to invest in student outcomes. As a Program Specialist, Lisa developed local relationships with state-funded preschool programs, early intervention providers, and Head Start staff. She has a solid background in systems change and experience leading several system-wide initiatives at the local level including the Inclusive Placement Opportunities for Preschoolers (IPOP), the Virginia Commonwealth University- Autism Center for Excellence Project PASS (Preparing for Academic & Social Success) program, and the Early Childhood Inclusion Professional Learning Community. Now as a TTAC Specialist, Lisa works with her colleagues to provide regional technical assistance to 33 Virginia school divisions. She has extended her community relationships as a member of the Tidewater Regional Interagency Coordinating Council, the Hampton Roads Preschool Development Grant Birth to 5 Leadership Team, and the Family Engagement Subcommittee for Ready Region 5. At the state level, Lisa serves on the Virginia Early Childhood Network, working with other TTAC specialists across the state to fulfill Virginia's 619 Scope of Work, including the subgroup that develops technical assistance resources for the state IPOP technical assistance model. With the help of her colleagues, Lisa plans to integrate the aRPy resources into the current IPOP technical assistance model as well as use the resources to inform tools and practices implemented to support students with disabilities in Virginia's Unified Early Childhood system.
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Virginia
Kathleen Gibson
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I am passionate about empowering both families of children with disabilities and ECE professionals to help improve our children's long-term outcomes. I am excited and honored to be selected as an aRPy Ambassador to spread awareness of DEC RPs and the tools available to support our young children's learning and growth. As a parent of three children, one with intellectual and developmental disabilities, I have lived experience and testimony to the importance of high expectations and access to high-quality inclusive early childhood experiences. In my professional role, I am the Early Childhood Specialist for the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), Virginia's Parent Center. Through my professional and volunteer work, I help families of young children understand their role as their child's first, and most important teacher and help empower and support them throughout their child's educational journey. I have a wealth of knowledge and experience in program development and systems change and am a 2020 Partners in Policymaking graduate. I am passionate about equitable access to quality education and community life and advocate for inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities at local, state, and federal levels. I believe in collaborating for systemic change and promoting inclusive education for all students, starting in early childhood. |
Virginia
Lisa Terry
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I provide support for the design and implementation of professional development activities for early intervention providers and administrators in Virginia. I have worked in early intervention for over 10 years as a professional development consultant, educator, service coordinator, and clinical supervisor. I began my career as a home visitor focused on increasing parent-child interactions in family homes. I have been a participant with the State of Virginia's State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) on functional assessment and coaching. I am a certified trainer in the Growing Brain, a ZERO TO THREE curriculum. Supporting the social and emotional well-being of children and families is one of my great joys as well as functional assessment. I am honored to serve as an aRPy Ambassador to align the DEC RPs, resources, and tools in my commitment to support early interventionists in improving systems, services, and outcomes for young children with or at risk for developmental delays and their families. This role supports my efforts as an early intervention professional development consultant with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the Partnership for People with Disabilities. I believe in the power of knowledge and I am very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals and aRPy Ambassadors.
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West Virginia
Brenda Lamkin
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Brenda Lamkin is the Executive Director of The West Virginia Parent Training and Information, Inc. She is a member of the OSEP IDEA SAP/ICC and The West Virginia Advisory Council for the Education of Exceptional Children, The WV Early Intervention Interagency Coordinating Council, The WV State Rehabilitation Council, WV Statewide Independent Living Council, WV Infant/Toddlers Mental Health Association, WV Assistive Technology Council, WV Dept of Education Graduation 20/20 State Team, WV Sensibilities, and additional statewide and local advisory councils. Brenda received her M.Ed. From Fairmont State University. She received her General Civil and Special Education Mediation from the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution. Brenda is passionate about the importance of parent engagement from early childhood through adult life and is the parent of a son with an Autism spectrum disorder. In her spare time, Brenda is a Certified Aromatherapist and Reiki Master Practitioner. |
Wisconsin
Michelle Ogorek
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In my role as an aRPy Ambassador I will bring awareness of the DEC Recommended Practices, promote the use of them, and disseminate the products and tools related to them. My goal is to have the RPs as the foundation of our work and bridge the gap between research and practice for educators and families in Wisconsin. I am very excited and honored to begin the work. I have had the privilege of serving Wisconsin children and families for over 25 years as a teacher, mentor, diagnostician, consultant, trainer and technical assistance provider and throughout my career the DEC Recommended Practices have guided my work every step of the way. I am currently the Early Childhood Coordinator for the State of Wisconsin. In my current position I provide state level leadership and coordination for implementing professional development opportunities and technical assistance to improve early childhood outcomes for young children with disabilities. |