Governing Board Secretary Candidate

I would like to be considered for a position on the NAEYC Governing Board as I have spent my whole professional and personal career around the premise that we are lifelong learners trying to become the best early childhood professionals we can while serving others. During my time as an undergraduate student, I had the wonderful fortune to have amazing mentors, both of whom I still am in constant contact with to this day.

The first mentor I had was Jacque Alvarez, my mother-in-law, who began her career as an owner and operator of her own preschool program in Toledo, Ohio. She is solely responsible for encouraging me to become an early childhood professional. As a first-generation college student, who had professional football aspirations but not the talent, size, or ability, she encouraged me to volunteer in her preschool between my freshman first and second semesters. This was life changing for me. I was so fortunate as a young 18- year-old man with zero experience in early childhood to find what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, work on behalf of others and specifically our youngest learners. I loved that experience and it was life affirming! We presented together at the 1999 Midwest AEYC Conference. It was a full-circle moment for me!

My second mentor, who I owe so much, is Dr. Ena Shelley. She was a professor at my undergraduate college, Butler University. I chose to attend Butler, because the state of Indiana offered a very specialized early childhood undergraduate degree. While at Butler, Dr. Shelley, like Jacque Alvarez saw something in me that I did not or could not. The experience I had with a Butler was life-affirming. It was there; I was first introduced to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dr. Shelley, co-presented with me at the IAEYC conference and then I was hooked on trying to make myself the best possible early childhood professional I could become. During 2022, we had the pleasure of presenting again but this time at the AASA National Conference on Education. Again, another full-circle moment for me. The selflessness that Dr. Shelley and Jacque Alvarez instilled in me as a servant leader has stuck with me my whole career. They not only helped me but allowed me to grow on my journey. They were leading by example of what serving others can look like when working with children and families and colleagues, college students, college faculty, legislators, and most importantly each other.

As you can hopefully see, the qualities mentioned in the NAEYC Vision and Mission Statements come through loudly in my career and the actions/decisions I have made during my time fulfilling and leading others to become the best versions of themselves. By reaching for everyone’s fullest potential and supporting others, the actions of NAEYC have guided me through my entire career and made me be the person I am today. I am grateful to all the experiences I have been provided as a NAEYC presenter multiple times, committee member of the NAEYC Accreditation Council, and Peer Reviewer for the NAEYC 4 th Edition DAP. It is now time to give more back in my service to this amazing organization that has given me so much. Early Childhood Education is a calling. I would work to lift this further by connecting what I have learned during my career with the work that the Governing Board does on behalf of the NAEYC members and assist in any way possible to provide the opportunities that I was allowed to continue so that our current and future early childhood educators can also benefit, like I did.

Teacher shortages, wages, morale of the staff, program closures, unconstitutional challenges to issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion are areas that whoever is selected for these open positions on the NAEYC Governing Board must face together as these have become the new realities of working collaboratively and cooperatively to make learning come alive for children and families that we serve nationwide. If provided with this opportunity, I would dedicate my heart and soul to make as positive of a difference as possible while working with the resources made available by the NAEYC Governing Board. Having served as a preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade teacher, elementary building principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and now as an executive director has provided me with the perspective that early childhood education is equity. We must continue to offer children the help they need at the moment they need it while tailoring the experiences for the teachers and others that serve them the support they need to be the change in the world we all need them to become. To serve with you would be an honor.

Thank you.