CDA Renewal - Home Visitor, Part B

Amber Tankersley
PhD

Amber Tankersley is a professor in child development within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary/early childhood education, a master's degree in elementary education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction. She has worked in the field of early childhood for over 25 years as a preschool teacher, university child care center director, university instructor/professor and director of a NAEYC accredited preschool lab. She often presents at workshops/conferences on the topic of early childhood curriculum and the importance of play. She teaches courses such as early childhood curriculum, interacting with children, and parent/professional relationships. 

Tina Pennington
MNSc RNC-NIC

Tina Pennington has over 26 years of nursing specializing in women’s health and the neonatal intensive care nursery. She has a passion for education and tries to bring her vast clinical knowledge to each class.

Patty Velasco
MA LMFT

Patty Velasco has served the community as a marriage and family therapist for over 25 years, providing support to children and families from all walks of life. She has conducted many support groups including adolescent, marriage, domestic violence, and sexual offenders' groups. In addition, Patty has trained parents and interns, implementing the Protective Factors, to know how to build strong and healthy families.

She received BAs in Psychology and Chicano Studies from California State University Northridge. While attending Fuller Theological Seminary, she earned an MS in Family Therapy as well as an MA in Theology. Patty and her husband of 23 years have been pastors in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valley for as long as they have been married. They have three teenage children and one dog.

Delia Vicente
MA

Executive Director, UCLA Early Head Start Program

Delia Vicente, MA is the Executive Director of the UCLA Early Head Start Program. Ms. Vicente has over 15 years of expertise in the area of home visiting. She has been involved in multiple committees targeting programming for domestic violence, father involvement, school readiness, parent engagement, home visiting data, and workforce development. Ms. Vicente developed an obesity prevention program called "Let's Play Outside Again" and other educational materials. She recently published her first children's book. Ms. Vicente has been a visiting professor at California State University Los Angeles and taught home visits under special topics in child development. Ms. Vicente has provided UCLA Pediatric Residents training on child development, screening, and developmental surveillance during their child development rotation. She is passionate about creating opportunities for children to succeed and training the next generation of leaders.

Kenya Wolff
PhD

Sherrie Segovia
PsyD

Dr. Segovia received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology and was principally affiliated with community-based mental health and social service organizations. For over 40 years, Dr. Segovia primarily worked with marginalized African American and Latino children and their families in clinic, school, and home settings.

She has functioned as a counselor, family and child advocate, parent educator, and foster care training specialist. As the Clinical Manager at Hope Street Family Center for over 25 years, Dr. Segovia worked within a multi-disciplinary team to access, coordinate, and provide families with appropriate services. She provided clinical and administrative support and reflective supervision to Early Head Start professional case managers, as well as assessment, crisis intervention, and ongoing therapy for families and children.

Dr. Segovia was a frequent presenter at national, state, and regional conferences. She also co-wrote an article on infant mental health for Zero To Three and other publications. Dr. Segovia has also been an expert speaker on Channel 22 Telemundo and Channel 34 Univision as well as radio stations. In December 2003, she completed her Doctorate in Psychology and a dissertation with a focus on domestic violence and its impact on early language development.

Since 2004, Dr. Segovia served as a lead faculty for undergraduate and graduate courses in human services, psychology, and counseling in the college of social and behavioral sciences at the University of Phoenix. Additionally, Dr. Segovia facilitated a course on Parenting in High-Risk Families in the Child and Family Studies Department at California State University in Los Angeles.  She was also affiliated with the Latino Technical Assistance & Training Division of the California Hispanic Commission as an educational consultant. She served as a member of the board of directors for the California Head Start Association. Dr. Segovia’s specific areas of expertise include parental depression and anxiety, substance abuse, cultural competence, communication skills, parenting, and partnerships. Bilingual and bicultural herself, Dr. Segovia has a particular interest in culturally responsive service delivery.  

Stephenie Howard
PhD LCSW

Stephenie Howard, PhD, LCSW, is an assistant professor at Norfolk State University with the School of Social Work and the founder and president of Communities in Power. She serves on the Child Abuse and Neglect Advisory Committee for Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT) of Virginia; the Child Welfare Advisory Committee for the Virginia Department of Social Services; and the Council on Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity (CRECD) for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Her research area is at the intersection of domestic violence and child maltreatment, examining children’s exposure to domestic violence. She has authored publications in the areas of trauma, domestic violence, and child welfare. She has practice experience in domestic violence counseling and child protective services and teaching experience in undergraduate and graduate counseling and social work. 

Debbi Sluys

Debbi Sluys specializes in helping people elevate and improve their physical, mental and spiritual well-being, expanding the brain’s potential, and with living intentionally in a state of gratitude and kindness. With nearly 30 years of experience in early childhood development, Debbi has gathered a wealth of valuable knowledge about the power of mindset, visioning and success. With her background in professional development and skills in public speaking, Debbi can help you use your brain’s full capacity to reveal your individual dreams, discover your “whys” and accomplish your personal destiny.