FRIDAY LEADERSHIP FORUM
Join in conversation with Dr. Alissa Mwenelupembe, Managing Director of Early Learning at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), as she shares her leadership journey and key lessons that she learned along the way.
Alissa Mwenelupembe has worked in early childhood education for the past 20 years and has a long history with NAEYC as a member, volunteer, author and past student governing board member. That engagement took on another level when she joined NAEYC in December of 2020 as the Senior Director, Early Learning Program Accreditation. Alissa now serves on NAEYC’s Executive Team as Managing Director, Early Learning.
Anchored by a passion to ensure all children have access to high quality early learning opportunities, Alissa has occupied various roles throughout her professional journey. She began her career as an early childhood educator working with toddlers and eventually transitioned into leadership roles, including an extensive period where she served as the Center Director at three NAEYC accredited early learning centers.
She has also been a coach and content specialist in Indiana’s QRIS system: Paths to QUALITY, written content for Exchange Press, helped to draft the "Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education" NAEYC position statement, as well as co-edited the book Each & Every Child: Teaching Preschool with an Equity Lens published by NAEYC.
Drawing from all these experiences, Alissa takes pride in being both a constructivist educator that has worked hard to bring reflective practices to the educators she has supported throughout her career and possessing the lived experiences of knowing the nuances required to run an early learning program, manage and support staff, tend to the care and education of young children, and meaningfully and intentionally engage with families.
Alissa holds a master’s degree in early childhood education and a doctorate in early childhood education from Ball State University. Her dissertation research focused on the experiences of Black women navigating the career ladder in the early childhood profession.
SATURDAY KEYNOTE
In this presentation, Jen shares the key principles of developing resilience and hardiness, with tools and strategies to prevent burnout and maintain stamina. It includes a discussion on the ways to utilize the MOST model (Motivation, Optimism, and Stress Tolerance) as a strategy to stay positive and maintain your resiliency during difficult times. Join us for this interactive session and learn ways to leverage the power of emotional intelligence to improve your self-management skills and gain more emotional self-awareness and stamina.
Jen Shirkani is a nationally recognized expert on emotional intelligence and a featured speaker at national and state conferences, universities, government agencies, and at business organizations around the world. She is the author of Ego vs EQ and Choose Resilience. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership. She has previously spoken at the Pima County Educators Association, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Bentley University, UConn Business School, High Point University, Southern NH University, University of Tampa, University of Maryland Global Campus, and the US Department of Education. Jen has been a frequent guest of several national radio programs, and has been featured in Bloomberg/Businessweek, Leadership Excellence magazine, Reader’s Digest, Inc.com, Business Insider, Publishers Weekly, Fast Company, and Upstart Business Journal. Jen is based in Mesa AZ and travels globally to speak on leadership development, communication skills and on making common sense more common.
FEATURED SESSIONS
Jen Shirkani is a nationally recognized expert on emotional intelligence and a featured speaker at national and state conferences, universities, government agencies, and at business organizations around the world. She is the author of Ego vs EQ and Choose Resilience. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership. She has previously spoken at the Pima County Educators Association, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Bentley University, UConn Business School, High Point University, Southern NH University, University of Tampa, University of Maryland Global Campus, and the US Department of Education. Jen has been a frequent guest of several national radio programs, and has been featured in Bloomberg/Businessweek, Leadership Excellence magazine, Reader’s Digest, Inc.com, Business Insider, Publishers Weekly, Fast Company, and Upstart Business Journal. Jen is based in Mesa AZ and travels globally to speak on leadership development, communication skills and on making common sense more common.
Pulling from her fifteen years of working with creative geniuses, Genein Letford, M.Ed utilizes neuroscience, metaphorical strategies, heightened observation techniques and the creative arts to reawaken intuitive thinking in her attendees. She recently published her children’s books, I AM CREATIVE! and My Brain My Beautiful Brain with her 5-year-old son, Shawn Letford to show how creative thinking develops in the brain. Her latest book, The Future Classroom Of Intercultural Creativity: Building Students Who Connect and Create Together has been labeled groundbreaking for education in the 21st century. Genein believes creative thinking paired with cultural competency and neuroscience are critical 21st Century skills and she is often called ‘America’s Creativity Coach’ for her work in reigniting Intercultural Creativity® and in our youth and in our workforce.
You may be a mandated reporter, but could you consider yourself a mandated supporter, too? In this session, we’ll discuss how we can protect children from adversity by connecting families to what they need. The strategies and techniques explored are rooted in the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework, an approach that recognizes when families have access to the supports needed to deal with life's stressors, children thrive.
Claire Louge is the Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona (PCAAZ), a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to protecting children by strengthening families.
Claire obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Cornell University and her Masters of Education from NAU. Claire is also certified to teach the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework, and speaks on a number of topics related to community solutions to child maltreatment and professional resilience. Claire is a part of Together for Arizona, a collaborative advancing child safety and well-being; and serves on Arizona’s Thriving Families Safer Children initiative, which focuses on addressing racial disparities for African Americans in the child welfare system. She also chairs the Prevention Workgroup of the Governor’s Council on Child Safety and Family Empowerment.
Claire co-authored Flourishing Families, an activity-based curriculum designed for professionals to teach families to build protective factors in their lives. She is a Flinn Brown Fellow, a graduate of the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy, a Leading for Change Fellow, an AmeriCorps VISTA alum, and has a Certificate of Nonprofit Executive Leadership from the ASU Lodestar Center. In her volunteer time, Claire organizes theatrical role play adventure events for teens in partnership with youth-serving organizations. She is a mom of a daughter named Kira, a Scrabble enthusiast, and loves shopping at thrift stores.
STEM SESSIONS
To best support early literacy and school readiness and to build a foundation in computer science, science, technology, engineering, and math (CS-STEM) for PreK students, Nevada Robotics presents a unique and innovative program called Books and Bots that combines reading, math, and robots. Robots are educational tools that teach critical skills such as creativity, collaboration, verbal communication, and computational thinking, problem-solving; all competencies that are a part of how children become learners and build foundational literacy skills. Partnering robotics education (a CS-STEM skill) with literacy and math is a perfect combination of what are widely considered to be the most critical subject areas for young students. Early learners will make literacy and math gains through hands-on CS-STEM lessons that use robots as a learning tool.
AJ Long, Engineering Education Manager and Trainer. AJ is a veteran educator and administrator who has dedicated her 29 year career to supporting teachers and students. She has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies and received her Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education. AJ holds a current K-8 Teaching Credential in Nevada with a Middle School Math Endorsement. AJ’s passion is helping teachers by meeting them where they are and helping them grow their confidence in teaching robotics, engineering, and computer science. AJ has led over 50 educational robotics training sessions across Nevada and has led Nevada Robotics since 2019.
Claire Parker, Engineering Education Coordinator and Trainer, is an experienced elementary and middle school teacher with an extensive background in engineering education. She holds three VEX Robotics Certificates for training teachers on classroom robotics, a Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation and Assessment, and is a candidate for a Masters of Science in Educational Psychology. She is passionate about providing high quality teacher professional development and ensuring that all Nevada students have access to hands-on learning. Claire has led 40 trainings in the past two years.
Jill Strawder-Bubala, Curriculum Coordinator, Communications Specialist and Trainer, is a life-long educator with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism, a Master of Arts in English Literature, and a Secondary Teaching Certificate. She has worked with children from ages preschool to college as both an educator and administrator. Jill is passionate about helping children of all ages develop strong reading skills to become life-long learners, and about supporting teachers as they learn new skills and competencies.
Rebecca Kufeld, Rural Robotics Coordinator and Trainer, is our Rural Robotics Coordinator based in Elko, Nevada and an experienced early childhood education professional. She has an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education, is a candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, and is a member of the Nevada Registry. Rebecca is passionate about cultivating relationships and supporting educators and families in rural Nevada. Rebecca has supported 15 trainings in the past year and currently teaches early childhood robotics at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Elko and Spring Creek Nevada.
Experience how to introduce the foundations of engineering to children to effectively engage them in problem-solving challenges.
Noortje Nelissen is a Professional Development Facilitator at Arizona Science Center. After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Elementary Education, she began teaching First and Second grade in the Kyrene School District. Noortje loved engaging her students in STEAM activities and seeing the excitement it brings each and every child while participating in problem-solving challenges. She is dedicated to bringing new opportunities for Early Childhood Educators at Arizona Science Center.
Brenna Chambers is the Manager of Professional Learning at the Arizona Science Center. Prior to this position, Brenna was a Preschool Teacher in Flagstaff Unified School District at a Reggio Emilia-inspired program. During her time there, her passion for early childhood education flourished, even resulting in her changing her major from nursing to education. After graduating from Northern Arizona University, she taught Kindergarten in Gilbert Public Schools and loved every moment learning from the young minds in her classroom. She truly believes that all young people should be exposed to STEAM and is committed to bringing even more opportunities for Early Childhood Educators at Arizona Science Center.
Amanda McPherson is the Director of the STEMAZing Project at Pima County Superintendent's Office, with a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Northern Arizona University, an Arizona State Certified Prek-8 educator, Pima Community College Early Childhood Education Adjunct Faculty member, and STEMAZing Teacher Leader Workshop Facilitator for Pima County Superintendent's Office. Amanda also facilitates a monthly STEMAZing Community of Practice through the United Way and taught in the PreK classroom for 23 years.
LITERACY & PLAY SESSIONS
Bonnie Spencer has spent the last 20 years working with children and educators in early childhood programs. She began her career as a preschool teacher in the northeast, and upon moving to Arizona worked as a Curriculum Supervisor with a focus on emergent curriculum. She then had the opportunity to work with author Deb Curtis in her role as an Infant Toddler Coach concentrating on the importance of observation. Bonnie has spent the last few years as a trainer, both in AZ and now NY, with a primary emphasis on Infant & Toddler development, but also Preschool development and Health & Safety. She currently resides in Queens NY with her family creating & providing professional development for Early Childhood Educators throughout the five boroughs of NYC.
Wendy Logue has her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Reading, Language and Literacy. Wendy has over 25 years of experience in a variety of educational settings. She has taught 3-year-olds through 5th graders. In addition to being a classroom teacher, she has been an elementary librarian, a literacy coach and an Effective Schools coach. Wendy can currently be found spreading her passion and knowledge of early literacy throughout the state of Arizona as an Early Childhood Literacy Specialist with the Arizona Department of Education.
Katherine E. Speirs, PhD Associate Extension Specialist, Early Childhood
Associate Professor, Family Studies and Human Development
Ashley Dixon-Kleiber, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Gila County
FCHS Associate Area Agent
TRAUMA & SELF CARE
Dr. Veronica Chacón is the Director of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry and the Assistant Director of the Education Department at Arizona PBS, which is a community service of Arizona State University. During her work with Arizona PBS, she has participated in two pilot projects for National PBS, providing social-emotional learning programs to children and families in the greater Phoenix area. Veronica is also an adjunct professor at Chandler Gilbert Community College, as well as Grand Canyon University where she teaches psychology and child development courses. Veronica is also the co-owner of Sheepdog Leadership LLC., which is a nonprofit organization that provides training on Resiliency to families of First Responders and the military.
Veronica obtained her Doctorate in Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition and Instruction and a Master’s Degree in General Psychology from Grand Canyon University. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Early Childhood Education and Family Support from Western New Mexico University. She has been an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) trained facilitator for approximately 12 years and has provided training throughout Arizona that focuses on the impact of ACEs, building resiliency, and promoting self-care. Veronica also received her instructor certification in Mental Health First Aid from the Center for Well Being and will focus on providing training to adults supporting other adults in the workplace.
This experiential workshop will utilize storytelling, self-reflection, and participation to: explore different attachment patterns, learn how our attachment pattern shows up in relationships, and discover how to interact effectively with different Attachment styles.
Above all, Iya Affo is a wife, mother and grandmother. Professionally, she is a Culturalist and Historical Trauma Specialist. Iya is the Director of Training and Development for the Arizona Adverse Childhood Experiences Consortium, serves as a member of the Arizona State University Disparities in the Justice System Advisory Board, and was recently appointed to the Gilbert Community Engagement Task Force. She is the founder of Heal Historical Trauma Culture & Indigenous Wellness Academy, the International Historical Trauma Association, and is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Arizona Trauma Institute. Iya has visited more than 30 countries; living in Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Native American, and Fon communities, embracing aspects from each culture for personal evolution. Through educating about culture, trauma and subsequent neurological dysregulation, Iya strives to transcend tolerance through cultivating love and respect for people all over the world.
Camille Lachar has been in the field of early childhood education for 35 years. Her degrees include a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Study from St. Joseph’s College and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Phoenix.
Camille is originally from New York, where she started in the field as a teacher working with children from infants through school-age. Over the years she worked as a director, coach, presenter, and in the years before moving to Arizona she was co-owner of a training and consulting company where her work included providing Child Development Associate, CDA training, professional development trainer, and National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC and National Association for Family Child Care, NAFCC accreditation facilitation. She also served on the board of NYAEYC.
Camille moved to Arizona in 2016 where she now holds several part time positions including adjunct faculty in the Early Childhood Department at Central Arizona College, the University of Arizona Global Campus and the City University of New York.
Her volunteer work includes serving as Treasurer on the board of the Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children, AzAEYC, a member of the Professional Development Committee on the board of Division of Early Childhood, DEC, and a member of the Arizona Comprehensive System of Personnel Development’s Recruitment and Retention Group.
Camille enjoys spending time with her husband and rescue dog Frankie, and visiting with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson who live in St. Louis.
Diane Salazar, M.Ed., currently serves as Principal of Faith North Early Childhood Learning Center in the Phoenix Elementary School District #1. As part of her role as Principal, Ms. Salazar oversees the district’s
site-based preschool program and collaborates with local agencies to support the City of Phoenix Head Start programs located at Phoenix #1 K-8 campuses.
Diane is passionate about Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP), and is currently leading a Phoenix #1 initiative to develop a shared understanding of DAP for leaders and kindergarten teachers. Diane serves on the board of the Arizona Association for the Education of Young Childre, AzAEYC as the VP of Membership.
SYSTEMS & DIRECTORS
Ever wish your program had the resources of corporate providers of early childhood education like a huge advertising budget, recruiters, interview panels, and training departments? If so, this workshop is for you. Please join us to explore how any program can develop a hiring and training process to interview, hire, and retain new staff.
Ronnie Armstrong has served children, families, and early childhood educators for over thirty-five years as a teacher, director, and creator and facilitator of quality professional development experiences for thousands of teachers and leaders in the industry. Research has shown the importance of quality early learning experiences in forming the foundation for children’s successes in school and life. Ronnie has no doubt that many of our country’s problems could be solved if all children had the opportunity to be part of a quality, nurturing, engaging early learning program that sparks children’s curiosity about the world around them while making children feel important, valued, competent and capable. Ronnie argues that early care and education is one of the most important jobs in our communities.
Barbie Prinster is the Executive Director for the Arizona Early Childhood Education Association. AECEA is a membership-based trade Association representing licensed, private, for profit and non-profit child care centers in Arizona. AECEA promotes affordable, quality early care and education that meets the needs of Arizona’s families and children and is a steadfast advocate of workforce development in Early Childhood Education.
Barbie has worked in the Early Childhood Education field for over 30 years, she started out as a 3-year-old teacher and eventually became a Center Director. For the last 15 years, Barbie has worked for AECEA overseeing Vendor and Membership development, managing professional development training contracts, providing grass roots advocacy trainings, Early Childhood Conferences, several advisory committees, working with the Legislature and Governor’s office on child care policies and co-chairing Early Childhood Day at the Capitol for the ECE community. In 2020, Barbie became the Executive Director of AECEA.
As the part-time chief executive officer of Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children, Dr. Eric Bucher collaborates to develop strong early childhood leaders, build equitable systems, and elevate the voices of early childhood professionals. Dr. Bucher works full-time as an assistant research professor of early childhood policy at The Children's Equity Project at Arizona State University. Dr. Bucher also serves on the First Things First Phoenix North Regional Partnership Council, the Arizona Special Education Advisory Panel, and the NAEYC Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs. Dr. Bucher's 17 years of early childhood experience includes directly teaching children (birth to age 8), developing content for preschool programs at a science museum, designing professional development, managing local/national early childhood grants, leading in state and government agencies including Head Start/Early Head Start, and serving as a content expert for the state's early learning standards.
FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM LINKEDIN YOUTUBE
Barbie Prinster is the Executive Director for the Arizona Early Childhood Education Association. AECEA is a membership-based trade Association representing licensed, private, for profit and non-profit child care centers in Arizona. AECEA promotes affordable, quality early care and education that meets the needs of Arizona’s families and children and is a steadfast advocate of workforce development in Early Childhood Education.
Barbie has worked in the Early Childhood Education field for over 30 years, she started out as a 3-year-old teacher and eventually became a Center Director. For the last 15 years, Barbie has worked for AECEA overseeing Vendor and Membership development, managing professional development training contracts, providing grass roots advocacy trainings, Early Childhood Conferences, several advisory committees, working with the Legislature and Governor’s office on child care policies and co-chairing Early Childhood Day at the Capitol for the ECE community. In 2020, Barbie became the Executive Director of AECEA.
ADHS collaborated with the Morrison Institute for Public Policy to (1) identify ACEs that are challenges in Arizona (2) review policies and programs in the state related to those ACEs and (3) identify policies and programs in other states that aim to reduce or mitigate ACEs. This presentation will focus on highlighting the policies and programs identified for the top 6 ACEs that are challenging in Arizona: poverty, divorce, neighborhood violence, domestic violence, mental illness in families, and parental incarceration.
Erica Quintana has extensive experience in child and family development. She led the multi-year “Spotlight on Arizona Kids” project, which focused on the safety and well-being of children whose lives intersected with the child welfare system. As part of this work, she mapped programs in Arizona that help prevent child abuse and neglect. In addition, she edited and contributed to the 2019 Arizona Town Hall background report, Strong Families, Thriving Children, which focused on child well-being in Arizona. Erica has recently completed analyses on the Costs of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Arizona.
Erica collaborated with the Arizona Department of Health Services to complete the Arizona Needs Assessment 2020 for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home (MIECHV) Visiting Program. As a follow-on to her work with ADHS, she worked with First Things First to develop a community risk index and calculate potential beneficiaries for home visiting services across FTF regions and sub regions across Arizona.
Erica has won numerous awards for her work on child neglect and child welfare in Arizona, including recognition from the Arizona Capitol Times as a public policy leader in social services.
Erica holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Development with a minor in Psychology from Arizona State University.
