The closing session of the 2025 Early Educator Leadership Forum brought the room to its feet—not with a formal keynote, but with a deeply personal and profoundly moving panel discussion moderated by Christina Lopez. The panel featured four powerful voices: Jessica Acevedo, Ana Teresa Farias, Giane O’Connell, and Nicole Johnson—educators, researchers, and frontline leaders who are transforming early education from within.

Together, they offered a compelling portrait of what leadership looks like when it’s rooted in love, equity, and lived experience.

The energy at UMass Boston was boisterous, joyful, and electric as more than 200 early educators gathered for the 2025 Early Educator Leadership Forum. Hosted by Early Education Leaders, the annual gathering was a celebration of the power, potential, and purpose of early educators as changemakers. From thought-provoking keynotes to powerful storytelling, the event showcased what happens when educators lead the way with bold ideas and reimagining what’s possible in early childhood education.

As participants checked in, grabbing coffee and pastry to fuel for the day, we asked what they were most looking forward to. Answers ranged from “Sharing new ideas and learning new ones!” to “Connecting with other child care providers” to “Hearing all the stories.”

The Leadership Forum formally opened with a powerful welcome from Dr. Anne Douglass, founding executive director of Early Education Leaders. Framing the Leadership Forum as “the only convening dedicated specifically to cultivating the leadership of frontline early educators,” Douglass acknowledged the field’s current challenges—funding threats, systemic inequities, and political attacks on marginalized communities—but emphasized the strength and resilience of the workforce.