Vidya Ragoo is a Specialist in New York State’s Quality Rating and Improvement System for home-based, center-based, and school-based programs. Currently, she works with the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Council on Leading with Racial Equity in birth to age five programs. During Vidya’s academic career at Georgetown University and Lesley University she gained knowledge and interest in sociology, women’s studies, early brain function, social-emotional development, and social justice. While pregnant with her first child, part-time work with a Family Health Center in early childhood education set the path for the rest of her career honing skills centered around child and community development.

Vidya brings a holistic, strengths-based approach to building adult capacity and community infrastructure that supports healthy outcomes for all families with young children to Childhood Education International. In her spare time she coaches leaders, teachers, and parents in social-emotional practices that result in healthier relationships with young children. Vidya has two children and two pets and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Dr. Rose Cardarelli, a lifelong advocate for human security and education, currently serves as CEO for the Education for All Coalition. She is actively involved in several United Nations efforts, serving as an NGO education representative to the Global NGO Executive Committee with the Department of Global Communications, an appointed Rotary International Representative to UNICEF, and on the Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN). Dr. Cardarelli is also a veteran military Medical Service Corps officer and former professor of human security.

Rose’s passion for humanitarian causes, refugee policy, and disaster response has been fortified over decades of professional experience in high stakes initiatives with the U.S. Department of Defense and several international NGOs. Her remarkable service includes conducting education and training programs in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. As former President of the Board, Rose’s unique ability to leverage influential networks to rapidly address urgent international emergencies routinely proves an invaluable resource in the pursuit of Childhood Education International’s mission.

Michael Liburd is the Director of Finance at The Campagna Center in Alexandria, Virginia, an organization that serves over 2,000 children and families each day by equipping them with a comprehensive set of tools needed to thrive. He brings over 20 years of financial reporting, budgeting, compliance, and facilities management experience to the Childhood Education International Board.

Previously he has worked as the Financial Analyst for the Cooperation for Enterprise Development (CFED) in Washington, DC and as a project manager at the American Red Cross. He has also managed audit reviews, federal awards, regulatory compliance, and instructed at the college level.  Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of the District of Columbia as well as a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Howard University. His decorated track-record of community engagement and support enable Michael to execute his role as Treasurer with knowledge, agility, and heart.

Dr. Brandi N. King, Deputy Chief of Practice at Child Care Aware of America, has over 15 years’ experience as an educator, strategic thinker, and thought partner as an early childhood professional. She works as a champion for children and families promoting high quality childcare practices and strengthening professional development initiatives for those who work with families and children from birth to age eight.

Dr. King’s diverse experience guides Childhood Education International in areas of training and technical assistance (T/TA), workforce development, research, social emotional development, and capacity building that inform early childhood policy on professional growth opportunities for early care professionals. She is deeply committed to practice and policy that impacts systemic change at the local, state, and national levels. Dr. King graduated from Howard University with a doctoral degree in Psychology and completed a highly competitive Neuroscience postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Anil Vinayak currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer at CareSave Technologies, Inc (dba Homecare.com and Shiftmed) and is responsible for the financial stewardship of the organization and its subsidiaries. Prior to this, Anil worked as the Chief Financial Officer for the Council of Professional Recognition, a nonprofit organization focused on providing opportunities for early childhood education to advance their careers.

Throughout Anil’s 20+ year career he has held diverse financial strategy roles in for-profit, nonprofit, and small and large international companies and has led financial management programs in over 25 countries. His extensive professional portfolio includes multiple instances of contributing to exponential financial growth of companies such as WealthEngine and ProQuest. His career has been motivated by a passion to increase access to quality education, in particular for children and educators from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Anil’s invaluable experience and knowledge bolster Childhood Education International’s growth and development as a premier organization for innovative education solutions.

Dorene Hurt is a passionate advocate for education for all and has previously led teams in diverse environments dedicated to increasing equitable learning opportunities. As a member of the Broad Superintendents Academy, Dorene has participated in the assessment of large urban school districts across the US, which frequently revealed challenges related to district-wide inequalities. This experience also was applied to similar assessments in countries in Europe and Africa, contributing to the broad perspective Dorene brings to the Childhood Education International Board.

Dorene’s life has instilled in her the beliefs that everyone’s life is of value, everyone deserves to be respected, and she could achieve anything if she weighed the opportunities, challenges, and work required for each goal. As a result, Dorene has demonstrated throughout her career that she is fiercely dedicated to positioning and leveraging educational systems as incubators of structures and strategies that mitigate social disparities.

Faye Snodgress is Chief Executive Officer of the Global Educational Community, an organization that works with schools to develop students who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to thrive and fully participate locally and globally.  Through her roles at Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, academic organizations, and UNESCO, she gained knowledge of sustainable education, global citizenship, social justice, authentic learner-centered learning, and social-emotional learning. During her tenure at Butler University, Faye was involved in policy efforts to provide quality early childhood education for all and establish in early childhood centers using the Reggio Emilia approach.

Her experience working in diverse business and education positions in multiple countries played a significant role in developing Faye appreciation for our deeply interconnected world and the critical importance of ensuring that all learners receive a quality education in achieving a sustainable society.  She is serving as an Altrusa International NGO representative to the Global NGO Executive Committee with the Department of Global Communications.

Dr. Jesus Amezcua, Assistant Superintendent for Business in the Harris County Department of Education (Houston, Texas) oversees the financial operations of the Business Services Division while also providing finance consulting services to independent school districts and charter schools. He possesses over 31 years of leadership experience in accounting, highlighted by roles in mentoring and teaching about financial best practices, professional development standards, and ethics.

Dr. Amezcua’s unparalleled professionalism is underscored by the careful stewardship of multiple financial portfolios of over $200 million USD and pristine financial reporting that received accolades from accrediting institutions. Along with rigorous attention to detail, Dr. Amezcua career has long been connected to school systems that expand access to vulnerable populations. This unique blend of passion and skill makes Dr. Amezcua vital to the evolution of Childhood Education International as it seeks to expand workforce development of innovative education leaders worldwide.

Keami Harris is a passionate and resourceful leader, educator, and advocate developing and executing innovative strategies that support improved academic and social outcomes for underserved children and families. As Chief Equity and Strategy Officer with the Early Learning Funders Collaborative (ECFC), she helms strategic initiatives on a variety of early childhood and related initiatives. Keami moves equity efforts to the next level by working with the philanthropic community to move their equity work within their institutions and as a collective, bringing more philanthropic resources to BIPOC-led organizations.

Keami has worked in public education and national non-profit organizations focused on early childhood education for over 20 years. Keami led professional learning at Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA), developing innovative solutions and practices designed to strengthen the child care system and infrastructure across the nation. She has held leadership positions at the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) and the National Black Child Development Institute in Washington, DC, which has the mission to improve and advance the lives of Black children and their families through education and advocacy. Keami holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Salisbury University and a master’s degree in education from Bowie State University.

Dr. Mary Otieno’s specialization is in educational planning, economics of education, and policy studies, with a focus on mainstreaming and strengthening education systems with respect to quality assurance and standards. She is a seasoned educator with teaching experience at all levels, and she has a particular interest in basic education, higher education, and girls’ education, as well as teacher education and education systems strengthening. Her research focus is on gender, ESD, and technology in both basic and higher education.

Mary is a Senior Lecturer of Educational Planning and Policy Studies Research at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, and previously served as a coordinator of the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Greater Nairobi, including membership in various committees – curriculum review, research, and product development – and serving as a mentor at the Chandaria Business Centre of Innovation and Incubation. She is the founder of the Siprosa Anyango Foundation, an NGO focusing on quality education and poverty, and she runs a lower cost ECD Center in Kenya. She works closely with the Ministry of Education, representing Kenya at the UNESCO meetings on education for sustainable development, and at the UNESCO meeting of its global network of international teacher education institutions.

Diane Whitehead, President and CEO of Childhood International, has dedicated her career to issues that affect the lives of children and families. Diane specializes in children’s education, nonprofit leadership, management, strategic direction setting, and program development. As Chief Executive Officer, she is committed to building CE International’s organization reach, relevancy, and impact.

Diane’s quote to live by: “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan