Looking Back on 2015
The end of the year is always a good time for reflection – and we at the Council look back on 2015 as another banner year in our service to you – the early care...
The Council is revving up for the 2022 Early Educators Leadership Conference. This year’s conference will focus on a timely theme: Leading Career Pathways to Equity. Learn ways to move our profession ahead by advocating for young children, their families—and the educators who serve them. Join us as we encourage, educate and elevate those in our field who are doing so much to lift our children up.
Our retreat-style conference will offer nearly 30 sessions custom tailored to your interests and concerns. You will gain inspiration and vital information on how to improve your daily work with children, families and colleagues. You’ll also learn ways to be at your best for them in cutting-edge sessions on self-care.
And you can catch some rays while you enrich your life since this year’s conference will be held in Orlando, FL, on October 5-8. It’s a great time to visit the Sunshine State, and we’ll be meeting at a great place, the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. This lovely, family-friendly resort is close to many local attractions, so think about arriving early or extending your stay to take advantage of all the area has to offer.
Ready to Register?
Ready to learn more and register for this exciting event? There’s no better time than now. We look forward to greeting you at the Early Educators leadership Conference in 2022. Let’s lead the way toward helping more teachers have rewarding and well-compensated careers—the key to recruiting and retaining folks who can help all young learners succeed. More equity for our early childhood teachers means more equity for the children they serve.
Ready to Share Your Expertise?
Consider presenting at this year’s conference. We are now accepting proposals and we welcome your ideas. We’re eager to hear your thoughts on how to steer our sector toward more equity in the workplace and the classroom. The deadline to submit your proposal is March 4, 2022.
Ready for Great News?
If you’d like to join us at this year’s conference, we have great news for you! The Council is offering scholarships. Find out who is eligible, learn how to apply and be sure to share the information. We’re accepting scholarship applications from February 25 to May 6.
Ready for ECE Practitioner Day 2022?
Get set for a full day geared toward the support and well-being of CDA professionals and practitioners in the ECE field. Attend professional development sessions, health and self-care, along with the chance to network with your peers. Practitioner Day will take place on October 8, 2022.
The end of the year is always a good time for reflection – and we at the Council look back on 2015 as another banner year in our service to you – the early care...
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Vice President of People and Culture
Janie Payne is the Vice President of People and Culture for the Council for Professional Recognition. Janie is responsible for envisioning, developing, and executing initiatives that strategically manage talent and culture to align people strategies with the overarching business vision of the Council. Janie is responsible for driving organizational excellence through strategic talent practices, orchestrating workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management as well as a myriad of other Human Resources Programs. She is accountable for driving effectiveness by shaping organizational structure for optimal efficiency. Janie oversees strategies that foster a healthy culture to include embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization.
In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
Chief Operations Officer
Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
Chief Financial Officer
Jan Bigelow serves as Chief Financial Officer at the Council and has been with the organization since February of 2022.
Jan has more than 30 years in accounting and finance experience, including public accounting, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She has held management-level positions with BDO Seidman, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Communities In Schools, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and American Humane. Since 2003, Jan has worked exclusively in the non-profit sector where she has been a passionate advocate in improving business operations in order to further the mission of her employers.
Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
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