Episodes
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Micki M. Ostrosky is Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professor of Education in the Department of Special Education and Interim Head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC). She has been at Illinois since 1991. Throughout her career, she has been involved in research and dissemination on the inclusion of children with disabilities, social and emotional competence, and challenging behavior. She was involved in the development of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Young Children. Micki is a former editor of Young Exceptional Children (YEC), and the co-editor of several YEC monographs. She has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and several books, including the Making Friends book (2016), which supports the acceptance of individuals with disabilities, The Project Approach for All Learners (2018), CHAMPPS: Children in Action Motor Program for PreschoolerS (20230, and Unpacking the Pyramid Model: A practical guide for preschool teachers.(2021). Micki has been recognized for her professional accomplishments with honors such as UIUC University Scholar, Goldstick Family Scholar, College of Education Senior Scholar, and the Division of Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Childrenâs Award for Mentoring, and most recently DECâs Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award. Finally, Micki has been the advisor of more than 30 PhD students who have graduated from the University of Ilinois.
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Dr. Ilene Schwartz is a professor in the Area of Special Education at the University of Washington and the Director of the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at UW. She earned her Ph.D. in child and developmental psychology from the University of Kansas and is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Schwartz has an active research and professional training agenda with primary interests in the areas of autism, inclusive education, professional ethics, and the sustainability of educational interventions. Dr. Schwartz is the director of Project DATA, a model preschool program for children with autism that has been in operation since 1997 and was started as a model demonstration project with OSEP funding. She is currently working on projects to improve the quality of inclusive services for students with disabilities and strategies that can be used to improve access to services for young children with ASD in under resourced areas.
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Dr. Ann Anderson Berry is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Research of the Department of Pediatrics and the Executive Director of the Child Health Research Institute at UNMC and Vice-President of Research at Childrenâs Hospital & Medical Center. Additionally, she serves as Division chief of Neonatology and is the founding Medical Director of the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC). Her research activities include funded federal and state research grants evaluating Perinatal nutrition and the impact on maternal and fetal outcomes, and grants to better understand Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), the impact of intrauterine opioid exposure on brain development, and the compounded impact of poor nutrition and social stressors on infants with intrauterine opioid exposure. She is a constant advocate for Nebraska families and understands the importance of recognizing rural and urban needs when allocating perinatal resources. As a mentor to multiple students at the undergraduate, medical student and resident level as well as the PhD students she trains she works to prepare trainees to do impactful and outstanding work in their chosen fields. Dr. Anderson Berry serves on national committees for the American Society of Nutrition, the Pediatric Academic Society and the Association of Neonatologists. She completed her training at the University of Wyoming for undergraduate studies, Creighton University for her medical degree, her Pediatric Residency and PhD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and her Fellowship in Neonatology at the University of Utah. She loves spend time with her two daughters and husband in the mountains of Wyoming.
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Dr. Danila Crespin Zidovsky is the Senior Policy and Leadership Specialist at the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative. Prior to joining Zaentz, Dr. Crespin Zidovsky served as Special Assistant to New Mexicoâs Secretary of Education. She has served as senior staff for multiple political campaigns, both at the national and at the local level. She was an original member of U.S. Senator Martin Heinrichâs staff, as well as senior staff during his successful reelection campaign, when only a handful of Democratic representatives won their races across the country. Dr. Crespin Zidovsky has taught both in South Korea and New Mexico, and for numerous nonprofits focused on early education and social justice. She holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Emily Wiklund Hayhurst is the Assistant Director of Learning Design and Communications at the Zaentz Early Education Initiative, where she develops professional learning programs, multimedia resources, and action-oriented tools for early education leaders, practitioners, and policymakers. Emily graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, earning a masterâs degree in human development and psychology while participating in the Zaentz Fellows Program. Before coming to Harvard, she served as an early childhood educator in Washington, D.C.
https://zaentz.gse.harvard.edu/
https://zaentznavigator.gse.harvard.edu/
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Dr. Alessandra Landini is the Principal of the I.C. A. Manzoni in Reggio Emilia, with a PhD in Human Sciences, thesis in Physics Education from the Department of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and a Master Degree in Organization and Management of Multicultural School Institutions from Alma Mater, Bologna. Her scientific education research project studies a vertical science curriculum based on storytelling and the use of metaphor, between early childhood and secondary school. Her doctoral thesis examined the approach to the study of energy in primary schools and the multi-metaphoric nature of the concept of energy.
Her other areas of interest range from general didactics to innovative teaching. As a General Didacticsâ expert at UNIMORE, she provides integrative teaching activities at the university. She collaborates with the "Metaphor and Narrative in Science" research center and provides teacher training on inclusive didactics as a national trainer for AID (Italian Dyslexia Association). Other areas of research focus on the use of descriptive evaluation in first and second grade secondary schools and teacher training as a community of practice, with particular attention to the development of creative skills in STEAM, integrating school and museum settings. Since 2020, she has been studying a vertical curriculum of Heritage and Citizenship with her institute, which leads teachers and students to immerse themselves in the city's territory and museum and cultural heritage.
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Dr. Robin McWilliam is a professor of special education at The University of Alabama . Dr. McWilliam is also the Founder and Director of the Evidence-based International Early Intervention Office (EIEIO). His research interests are in early intervention (birth to age 6), specifically models of service delivery, working with families, and child engagement. Dr. McWilliam developed the Routines-Based Model of Early Intervention (Birth-6) and am involved in its implementation in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and the U.S. Dr. McWilliam developed the international community of practice called The RAM Group, to provide research and technical assistance on the Routines-Based Model. Dr. McWilliam teaches doctoral students, lectures, conducts workshops, and writes. He serve as the International Editor of the scholarly journal Infants & Young Children and serves on numerous editorial boards.
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Dr. Scott McConnell has been a teacher, program director, researcher and college professor interested in preschool and early elementary education for more than 40 years. Scott is a professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota and Director of Assessment Innovation at Renaissance Learning. Prior to joining Renaissance, Scott was part of a multi-university team that developed Individual Growth and Development Indicators, and heâs conducted research on their use in preschool classrooms. His professional interests focus on young childrenâs paths to becoming proficient readers, and the ways that systematic interventions like multi-tiered systems of support can help all children achieve that goal. He earned his bachelorâs degree in psychology at Portland State University and his masterâs degree in school psychology and PhD in educational psychology at the University of Oregon. Scott lives in Minnesota, and he and his wife Laurie Davis are parents of four adult children.
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Edward Melhuish is Professor of Human Development at the University of Oxford. He has been the Director of the National Evaluation of Sure Start (2001-2012), the Effective Pre-school Primary & Secondary Education (EPPSE, 1997-2014) and SEED projects. He is currently undertaking longitudinal studies of 4000 children in England and Norway. These studies contributed to social policy in the UK for families, early years services and education, including universal provision of pre-school for all 3 & 4 year-olds and establishing 3500 Childrenâs Centres, Every Child Matters and 10-Year Childcare strategies, and early education for 2-year-olds for the 40% most disadvantaged. He has given evidence to parliamentary committees and is an advisor to research councils in Norway, Finland, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Korea, Canada, USA, Chile, and the European Commission, OECD and WHO.
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Prof Emer Ring is Dean of Early Childhood and Teacher Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Prof Ring leads and manages one of the largest education faculties in Ireland, which provides a wide range of programmes from early childhood to post-primary level at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She is a Lecturer in the area of Early Years Education, Inclusion and Education Policy on the Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Care and Education (BA ECCE) and the Bachelor of Education (BEd) programmes. Prof Ringâs previous experience includes Head of Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies (2011-2019). She engages in, and has led a wide range of national and international research in education related to early childhood, primary, post-primary, and special school contexts, including presenting at conferences and seminars and publishing widely. Prof Ring has also been District and Senior Department of Education Inspector with responsibility for inspection of education provision for children in early years,â primary, post primary and special school settings (2001-2011), with a particular focus on special education. Her teaching experience spans the role of early years education and shared teacher of children with special educational needs (1981 â 2001). Prof Ring engages in supervision of students on practicum experiences and supervises a wide range of undergraduate and post-graduate research at Mastersâ and PhD levels. Prof Ring led the design, development and evaluation of the multiple-award winning Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme focused on supporting inclusion in early childhood settings. She has extensive experience in the development of inclusion across the education system and has recently completed a publication for the National Council for Special Education focused on charting the development of special education in Ireland 1922-2022. Other publications include Leading Inclusion from the Inside Out: A Handbook for Parents and Early Childhood Teachers in Early Learning and Care, Primary and Special School Settings; Autism from the Inside Out: A Handbook for Parents, Early Childhood, Primary, Post-primary and Special School Settings and The Contemporary Relevance of John Deweyâs Theories on Teaching and Learning: Deweyan Perspectives on Standardization, Accountability, and Assessment in Education. Together with Dr Lisha OâSullivan, Prof Ring is co-authoring a further publication for Peter Lang: Play from the Inside Out: A Handbook for Students, Teachers and Parents, which is due for publication in 2024.
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Michelle Kang serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a global association advocating for high quality early learning for all children.
Prior to becoming CEO, Michelle served as NAEYCâs inaugural Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, in which she oversaw the strategy and daily operations for Membership, Early Learning Program Accreditation, Publications, Conference, Market Solutions and Global Engagement. During her tenure, the organization dramatically pivoted to serve the field through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, including successfully conducting virtual conferences serving thousands of educators, the first-ever Symposium on Developmentally Appropriate Practice and a virtual Professional Learning Institute that delivered more than 235,000 certificates of professional development. She has guided the substantial system adjustments necessary to support child care and preschools attaining and maintaining accreditation through the pandemic and shepherded the development and launch of the fourth edition of NAEYCâs Developmentally Appropriate Practice book, a critical text used widely as the basis for quality early learning.
Prior to joining NAEYC, she served in leadership roles at Bright Horizons, an international provider of early education, most recently as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Strategy. Her 16-year tenure at Bright Horizons included building partnerships with leading global employers to develop and implement dependent care supportsâchild care, back-up care, and educational advising services. In building these partnerships, she gained a deep appreciation for the life-changing work that early educators do every day.
Drawing on her experiences as the daughter of Korean immigrants, Michelle is committed to creating belonging within organizations and developing inclusive leadership and mentoring opportunities. Also an ardent supporter of higher education student development, Michelle has served as a Resident Tutor and Scholar at Harvard University and as a member of the Student Engagement and Leadership Advisory Board for The College of William & Mary.
Michelle holds a Bachelorâs degree from the College of William and Mary, a Masters of Education in Leadership and Policy from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Science in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from SaĂŻd Business School at the University of Oxford (UK). She and her husband live in Maryland with their three children.
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Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D., is a Research Professor in the Department of Public Policy, a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), and the Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Iruka is leading projects and initiatives focused on ensuring that minoritized children and children from low-income households, especially Black children, are thriving through the intersection of anti-bias, anti-racist, culturally grounded research, program, and policy. Some focus areas include family engagement and support, quality rating and improvement systems, and early care and education system and programs. Dr. Iruka serves on numerous national and local boards and committees, including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the American Psychological Associationâs Board of Educational Affairs, Brady Education Foundation, and Trust for Learning. In addition to being on the National Advisory Committee for the U.S. Census Bureau, Dr. Iruka is a Census Advisor for the National Urban League.
Dr. Iruka is the recipient of the 2022 American Psychological Association Mid-Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Benefit Children, Youth, and Families.
She has a B.A. in Psychology from Temple University, an M.A. in Psychology from Boston University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in applied developmental psychology from the University of Miami, FL.
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Al Spain has over 50 years of operations leadership. His background reflects a career spanning general aviation, military, airline, and corporate aviation operations. Most recently, Captain Spain served as a founder and Senior Vice President Operations of JetBlue Airways Corporation in New York. He retired from JetBlue in 2006 and prior to JetBlue, he was Vice President Flight Operations for Continental Micronesia Airlines, a subsidiary of Continental Airlines. Captain Spain retired from Continental Airlines in 1998 after serving in Flight Standards and Training Division as well as a Captain in line flight operations. He was the FAA designated Director of Operations for both Continental Micronesia and JetBlue. He was domicile Chief Pilot for Oceanic Contractors, a privately owned airline operating in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Most recently, Captain Spain served on the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Airlines, Inc.
He has recently served the US Federal Governmentâs Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) as an Independent Assessment Team member. He also was a member of the National Academies of Science, National Research Committee on Research and Development for Wake Turbulence and NAOMS review committee. He recently served on the FAA Safety Team (FAAST) as a Safety Representative. He is currently involved with Civil Air Patrol at the Wing and National levels, is working with Unmanned Aircraft System development, and is also a member of the Association of Unmanned Vehicles International.
Mr. Spain holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). He is a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has served as a member of the Industry Advisory Board of MITâs Global Aviation Industry Program, and was a member of the Aviation Department Advisory Committee of the State University of New York at Farmingdale. Captain Spain served on the board of The Low Country Economic Development Alliance and the Beaufort County Airports Board. He previously served on the Aviation Management Advisory Board of Auburn University and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Captain Spain flew as a combat pilot in Vietnam (Forward Air Controller) and among his awards are the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Air Medal for Valor. His last military assignment was as Chief, Flight Evaluation Branch, USAAVNS.
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Dr. Timothy Almon Askew holds a B.A. degree from Morehouse College, Summa Cum Laude with Phi Beta Kappa distinction as a junior-year inductee. He received the masterâs degree at Yale University. Dr. Askew was an NCEA Doctoral Fellow in the English Department at the University of South Florida. Pursuing an interdisciplinary degree in American Studies and focusing on American Literature and American Music, he received the Ph.D. degree at Emory University and had the distinction of being the first Ph.D. Marshal at the University. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including a 4-year Academic Scholarship, Morehouse College; Readers Digest Foundation Scholar, Morehouse College; University Fellowships, Yale University; National Consortium for Educational Access Doctoral Fellowship, The University of South Florida; University Fellowships, Emory University; The United Negro College Fund Dissertation Fellowship; Teacher of the Year, Clark Atlanta University; The N.A.A.C.P. Image Award for Excellence in Teaching English, Clark Atlanta University; National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar. Dr. Askew was the Atlanta Public Library âLift Every Voice and Singâ Centennial Celebration Speaker at Georgia State University and has been featured in the Atlanta Constitution and the Houston, Texas newspaper African American News for his research on the song, âLift Every Voice and Sing.â Dr. Askew is a tenured Full Professor of English and Humanities at Clark Atlanta University. He is the Founding President of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society at Clark Atlanta University and a Sustaining Member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is the author of the following books: Cultural Hegemony and African American Patriotism: An Analysis of the Song, âLift Every Voice and Singâ and Refreshing The American Literary Canon, both by Linus Publications, New York. Dr. Askew is the 2017 C. Eric Lincoln Scholar at Clark Atlanta University, one of the highest honors bestowed on a professor at the university. On May 22, 2019, Dr. Askew received the highest honor bestowed on a faculty member at Clark Atlanta University, the Aldridge/McMillan Award for overall excellence in teaching, research, and service. Dr. Askew was named a Mellon Scholar, February 2020.
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Dr. Walter S. Gilliam is the Elizabeth Mears & House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of Yaleâs Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. Dr. Gilliam is Vice President of ZERO TO THREE, a past president of Child Care Aware of America; board Treasurer for the Irving Harris Foundation, and a board director for First Childrenâs Finance, and All Our Kin; and a former Senior Advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dr. Gilliam is co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. Dr. Gilliamâs research involves early childhood education and intervention policy analysis (specifically how policies translate into effective services), ways to improve the quality of prekindergarten and child care services, the impact of early childhood education programs on childrenâs school readiness, and effective methods for reducing classroom behavior problems and preschool expulsion, as well as issues of COVID-19 transmission, vaccination, and health and safety promotion in early childhood settings. His scholarly writing addresses early childhood care and education programs, school readiness, and developmental assessment of young children. Dr. Gilliam has led national analyses of state-funded prekindergarten policies and mandates, how prekindergarten programs are being implemented across the range of policy contexts, and the effectiveness of these programs at improving school readiness and educational achievement, as well as experimental and quasi-experimental studies on methods to improve early education quality. His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets for print (e.g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, LA Times), radio (e.g., NPR), and television (e.g., CNN Headline News, NBC TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, ABC Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, FOX News). Dr. Gilliam actively provides consultation to state and federal decision-makers in the U.S. and other countries (such as the Peopleâs Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates) and frequently provides U.S. Congressional testimony and briefings on issues related to early care and education.
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Chrisanne Gayl is an education leader with over twenty years of policy experience at the federal, state, and local levels. As Chief Strategy and Policy Officer, Chrisanne oversees Trust for Learning's overall grant-making efforts and leads its policy strategy. Chrisanne served as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education, where she was responsible for developing new policies and programs to expand high-quality learning opportunities and supportive services for the nationâs children. She has also worked as the Director of Federal Programs for the National School Boards Association and as an education advisor to the governor of California. Chrisanne has testified in front of Congress and has authored numerous publications. She holds a Masterâs degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University and received her undergraduate degree from Colby College.
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Dr. Natalie Danner is the Early Childhood Content and Engagement Coordinator for the Illinois Early Learning Project. She has worked as an early childhood teacher educator in Nebraska, Oregon, and Connecticut. Dr. Danner has over ten years of experience as an inclusive early childhood (Pre-K & K) teacher and school leader in New York City and Arizona, specializing in the Montessori approach. She earned her Ph.D. in early childhood special education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her research focuses on how teachers support young children with disabilities in their inclusive classrooms as well as the creation and adoption of the EI/ECSE personnel preparation (teacher education) standards.
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Dr. Bo Stjerne Thomsen is Vice-President, Chair of Learning Through Play, and member of the Leadership Team at the LEGO Foundation. As Chair and senior expert on how children and adults learn through play, he provides consultation at a bilateral, regional and multilateral level to international partners and leaders. He represents the LEGO Foundation and the LEGO Brand Group at international forums, and advises leadership teams across the LEGO entities, to attain the overall LEGO Brand Vision of becoming a global force for Learning Through Play.
Over the years, Bo lead the international research agenda and organizational expertise on childrenâs development, play and learning for the LEGO Foundation and supporting the LEGO Group. In his previous roles as Director of the LEGO Learning Institute, Head of the Centre for Creativity, Play and Learning, and Global Head of Research, he built more than 15 international research partnerships and supported the implementation of evidence into projects across 20+ countries, to raise awareness around the role and impact of play on creativity and lifelong learning.
Bo Stjerne has published widely on Creativity, Play and Learning, most recently on the integrated role of technologies in everyday life, and the systems change needed in schools and education to achieve equitable outcomes with learning through play. He is a frequent contributor and advisor to international forums like OECD, WISE, UNGA and WEF, and provides research directions for projects worldwide, to bring attention to the quality of childhood and the power of learning through play.
He holds a masterâs degree in design, architecture and engineering, and a PhD on performative technologies and learning environments. He has been a visiting scholar at the MIT Media Lab in Boston, studied research management and leadership at Copenhagen Business School and IMD in Switzerland, and an advisor to various international research organizations including the Torrance Centre for Creativity, the University of Cambridge PEDAL Research Centre, WISE, OECD, Design for Play in Denmark, World Innovation Summit for Education, and the Lifelong Learning Lab at Tsinghua University.
You can follow him on Twitter: @BoStjerne -
Rhian Evans Allvin
Chief Executive Officer
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Rhian Evans Allvin serves as the chief executive officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a position she has held since August 2013. She is responsible for guiding the organizationâs strategic direction as well as overseeing daily operations. NAEYC is the largest national professional association for early childhood educators. Its mission is to promote high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. NAEYC advances a diverse and dynamic early childhood profession and supports all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. During Rhianâs tenure, NAEYC has successfully completed a dramatic structural transformation to: better serve members nationally and at the state and local levels; exert strong policy and advocacy leadership; and streamline NAEYCâs early childhood program accreditation system to decisively and accessibly define early childhood program quality.
Before joining NAEYC, Evans Allvin was a guiding force in Arizonaâs early childhood movement for more than 15 years. In 2006, she cowrote the citizensâ ballot initiative that created First Things First (FTF), which set aside $130 million in annual Arizona tobacco tax monies to support the health, development, and education of children birth to age 5. FTF also created a state agency to ensure that all Arizona children start kindergarten prepared to succeed in school and in life. Then-governor Janet Napolitano appointed Evans Allvin to FTFâs inaugural state board, on which she served for three years before becoming FTFâs chief executive officer. During her tenure, the organization led and participated in a variety of Arizona statewide early childhood systems-building efforts, including panels that adopted the Arizona Model Early Childhood System Framework; the development of FTFâs 10 School Readiness Indicators; the FTF National Research and Evaluation Advisory Panel; and the development and rollout of Quality First, Arizonaâs quality rating and improvement system.
Earlier experiences also helped prepare Rhian for her role at NAEYC. As a founding partner in the Brecon Group, she specialized in public policy, philanthropy, and community engagement. As senior advancement officer at the Arizona Community Foundation, she used her knowledge in community organizing, communications, fundraising, and nonprofit management to help donors connect their philanthropic interests with community needs. Additionally, she served in leadership roles with Libraries for the Future, a national nonprofit promoting the important role of public libraries in American life, and Childrenâs Action Alliance, Arizonaâs state-based child advocacy organization.
Rhian has authored a number of white papers, articles, policy briefs, and reports, and she regularly serves as a presenter for diverse international, national, state, and community conversations.
Rhian Evans Allvin holds a bachelorâs degree from Northern Arizona University and a masterâs degree in business administration from Arizona State University. She has earned various honors and widespread recognition for her work on behalf of children, including being inducted into the Northern Arizona University College of Education Hall of Fame in 2016 and being given the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Centerâs Excellence in Early Education Award in 2015, the Southern Arizona AEYCâs Board Award in 2014, and the Junior League of Phoenix Valleyâs Impact Award in 2011. Rhian is married to Paul Allvin, and they live in Falls Church, Virginia, with their three children.
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I talk to three facilitators of the BizKids Club held through the Orange County Library System, which introduces kids to business and entrepreneurship.
Michael Linden is a Technology Trainer for the Orange County Library System, where he's served the public for 15 years. He delivers in-person and online classes with a focus on accessibility, adaptation, and personal safety in computer applications and on mobile devices. He also provides one-on-one assistance for library visitors during scheduled Open Lab classes.
Oliva Okolue is a Casual Technology Trainer for the Orange County Library System, where she has served part of the BizKids Program for 1.5 years. She is also the Owner and Designer for Livi Simone Designs, an online handmade accessories business. She assists in the BizKids Program by utilizing her experience as a business owner.
Tony Orengo is an Instructional Technology Specialist at the Technology and Education Center. He has been a part of the Orange County Library System based in Orlando, Florida, for 17 years and is responsible for the design and development of classroom training and e-learning programs that integrate current and emerging technologies.
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Jennifer Ledford, PhD, BCBA-D, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education in the Early Childhood Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs. Dr. Ledford has expertise in single case research design, response prompting procedures, and classroom-based peer-mediated instruction. Her current research relates to improving use and synthesis of research in special education, treating food selectivity and increasing imitation for children with autism, and improving the use of evidence-informed practices by practitioners. She was recently awarded the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Childrenâs Award for Mentoring. Dr. Ledford is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and two textbooks related to single case design and instruction for young children.
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