The Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation (the Leadership Institute) at UMass Boston is pleased to announce the 2019-2020 Early Educator Leadership Fellows for its Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Early Education Research, Policy, and Practice.
The Early Educator Leadership Fellows will spend the next year immersed in intensive training in entrepreneurial leadership, early childhood policy, and the science of early learning. They will also connect with and join our growing network of emerging and established early education and care (ECE) leaders.
“We’re proud of our new Fellows, who have proven experience in the classroom and demonstrated interest in advancing the field of early education and care,” said Dr. Anne Douglass, founder and executive director of the Leadership Institute. “We’re excited to work with this talented group of early educators, program managers, and directors to build on their skills and develop into the transformational leaders we need to improve early learning opportunities for young children throughout the state.”
Launched in September 2016, the Leadership Institute provides early educators, directors, and small business owners with training in relational and entrepreneurial leadership designed to foster the skills, competencies, and mindsets needed for driving change and innovation in early care and education research, practice and policy.
More than 100 institute alumni have formed a powerful leadership corps, leveraging their practical experience and leadership training to improve ECE quality and children’s learning, and mentoring the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. Past graduates of the Post-Master’s Certificate Program have gone on to pursue doctoral study to advance scholarship in the field, sought new positions to make change on a scale greater than that possible in their prior job, joined professional advisory boards, and launched entrepreneurial ventures including the establishment of a mission-specific school.
The Leadership Fellows were selected based on their experience and interest in advancing the ECE field. They represent a variety of public and community-based early education programs and employer- and home-based child cares. Preference was given to those working in the city of Boston and/or serving children from low-income families. As Fellows, each educator was awarded a scholarship to defray the cost of the Post-Master’s Certificate Program.
The following individuals were selected for the 2019-2020 cohort of Early Educator Leadership Fellows:
- Jamie Buskey, Preschool Education Coordinator, ABCD Head Start & Children’s Services, Boston
- Rebeca Cotton-Baez, Teaching Fellow, Lemberg Children’s Center, Waltham
- Alessandra DePass, Child Care Licensing Specialist – Metro Boston area, MA Department of Early Education and Care, Quincy
- Jacqueline Gallo, Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction: Early Childhood, Lynn Public Schools, Lynn
- Eliza Hoover, Teacher, Spruce Street Nursery School, Boston
- Theresa Loch, Lead Teacher, Worcester Head Start, Worcester
- Kelly Martignetti, Director, Trinity Preschool, Topsfield
- Melanie Mattscheck, PreKindergarten Teacher, The Advent School, Boston
- Christopher Richard, K2 Teacher, Boston Public Schools, Roxbury
