Resume

Education and Professional Certifications
 

May 1982 Magister Artium, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Munich, Germany
Major: Political Science, Sociology Minor: Theoretical Linguistics
 

May 1986 Master in Education, Millersville University, Millersville, PA
Elementary and Early Childhood Education
 

May 1994 Doctor of Philosophy, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD
Education Policy and Administration (EDPA)
 

May 1986 Professional Teaching Certificate – Elementary, Pennsylvania
 

May 1994 Administrator I Certificate, Maryland
 

July 2004 Administrator II Certificate, Maryland Professional Experience
 

​

Professional experience

​

February 2021 to Present

Early Education Consultant

Providing senior expert consultation to CCSSO, state agencies, and universities on a variety of early education policies and projects.

August 2016 to January 2021
Program Director
Early Childhood Education
Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, D.C.
Provided leadership on early childhood education, birth to third grade, to chiefs and staff
at State Educational Agencies. Coordinated multi-state action networks with state offices of early learning on quality improvement of state-funded PreK, early learning teaching practices, development of state Birth-12rd grade family engagement frameworks, early childhood workforce development, and implementation of quality kindergarten entry assessments. Facilitated the publication and authored policy papers, guides for state education agencies, and conceptual frameworks and toolkits. Provided support to states on developing Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans, Continuity of Learning as well as Restart and Recovery state plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Worked closely in collaboration with national organizations and premier national research organizations.


July 2005 to July 2016

Assistant State Superintendent
Division of Early Childhood Development
Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD
Provided leadership for the Division to improve early care and education quality and expand
access to high-quality programs for low-income children, with the focus on preparing young
children for improving school readiness skills and successful transition into public school.
The Division is responsible for state policy and technical support for all early childhood
programs serving children, birth through kindergarten. It assumes leadership, regulatory
oversight, and programmatic accountability for the state’s early care and education system,
including kindergarten and prekindergarten programs, nursery schools, child care centers,
family child care providers, and other early childhood initiatives.
The Division coordinates the state’s child care subsidy program, early childhood mental health
consultation project, the Judy P. Hoyer Early Care and Education Enhancement Program, the
Maryland Child Care Credentialing Program, the Maryland Model for School Readiness, the
Inclusive Child Care Initiative, and the Head Start Collaboration Office.
The Division provides professional development, technical assistance, and leadership
development to the state’s early care and education system. It has oversight of the state’s child
care resource and referral network and the state network of family support programs.
The Division shares oversight with MSDE’s Division of Special Education/Early Intervention

Services regarding services for young children with disabilities.
 

May 1995 – June 2005

Coordinator, Early Learning Programs
Division of Instruction
Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD
Responsible for leadership and coordination of all programs and initiatives of the Department’s
early learning programs, including prekindergarten and kindergarten programs, kindergarten
entry assessment, and the Judy Center Partnership grant program.

April 1994-April 1995

Program Specialist for Early Intervention Services
Division of Instruction
Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore, MD
Responsibilities included the development and implementation of the Early Intervention and
Prevention Services Initiative, as one of MSDE’s policy priorities, and program support for
local school systems regarding prekindergarten and early intervention services.
 

Major Accomplishments at MSDE (1994-2016):
· Developed the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR), the state’s early learning
framework (1997-2013)
· Successfully developed the MMSR statewide kindergarten assessment, one of the first of its kind nationally (2000-2013)
· Co-established the Judith P. Hoyer Early Care and Education Program as part of Maryland’s
early childhood education reform, which included the statewide expansion of Judy Center
Partnerships, a public-private partnership between Title 1 schools and early childhood,
family engagement, and health programs. The Program included the development of the

Early Childhood Accreditation Project for PreK, Head Start, and Kindergarten (2000-2016)
· Worked closely with the State Superintendent in assisting on legislation and implementation of policies for all-day kindergarten and expanded access to prekindergarten programs statewide (2002-2007)
· Chaired transition team and implemented successful consolidation of all early care and
education programs into Maryland’s State Department of Education, at the time a unique
governance model nationally (2005-2007)
· Co-chaired Maryland’s Task Force on Universal Preschool Education, leading to a series
of legislation to expand prekindergarten to all four-year olds (2006-2007)
· Received and lead the implementation of a Race to the Top – Early Learning
Challenge Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education (2011-2016).

· Served as an early learning fellow faculty at the National Conference of State Legislatures in 2005.

Co-directed the Early Intervention and Prevention Services Initiative, a collaborative project with the Division of Special Education and Early Intervention Services, to promote inclusive early childhood policies and practices at local districts (1994-2000)
 

July 1987- March 1994

Program Director
Bryant Early Learning Center
UCM, Inc. Alexandria, VA
Responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of a comprehensive early learning
program for children, birth to 5, in collaboration with Fairfax County Public Schools, county
agencies, and community-based organizations.
 

August 1986-May 1987

Assistant Education Coordinator
Head Start
Community Action Program, Lancaster, PA

Responsible for providing staff development and technical assistance to Head Start programs
in Lancaster County. Designed and developed programs on early childhood assessment and
early literacy for local Head Start programs.
 

September 1982- May1986

Preschool Teacher and Site Director
Head Start
Community Action Program, Lancaster, PA
Responsible for the management of a rural Head Start program in Lancaster County.
Successfully implemented a high-quality early childhood program.
 

​

Professional Activities

Provided leadership within the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) as President of the Executive Board of the Washington Metro Branch and the General Chairman of the 2000 Annual Study Conference in Baltimore, MD.

Coordinated an international seminar for ACEI in collaboration with the Bavarian Ministry of Education and the Bavarian Institute for Educational Research.
 

Published articles in professional journals and presented extensively on literacy learning, early
childhood assessment, education policy and administration, and early childhood program standards in the U.S. and in Europe.
 

Participated on federal, state, and local boards and advisory committees.
 

Former and current member of NAEYC, NAECS/SDE, ACEI, SRCD

Lead and participated in numerous state and national webinars.
 

Committees and Professional Associations
2011-12 Member, Common Elements Data Systems Stakeholder Group of the National Center for Education Statistics.

2006-07 Co-chair, Maryland Task Force on Universal Preschool Education.

2002–06 State Team Leader, Mid-Atlantic Early Childhood Education Network, Council of Chief State School Officers.

2003-04 Member, Maryland Partnership for Teaching and Learning K-16 .

2000-02 Member, Leadership in Action Program, Annie E. Casey Foundation and Center for Excellence in Government.

2000 Chair, Annual International Conference and Exhibition, Association for Childhood Education International, Baltimore, MD.

1999 Member, International Symposium on Early Childhood Education and Care for the 21st Century, Ruschlikon, Switzerland.

1997 Chair, ACEI International Seminar, Munich, Germany 1996-98 President, Metro Washington Governing Board, Association for Childhood Education International
 

​

​