CDA Renewal - Preschool, Part A

Carrie Fruin
EdS

Carrie Fruin is the former Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Reflection Sciences, a company focused specifically on Executive Function and its development in children from birth to grade 12. She is currently a science instructor in a top district in Minnesota and continues to present STEM instructional practices at conferences across the country. Carrie has developed close to 50 online courses for teachers including trauma, best practices for remote education, and instructional coaching and mentoring. She has her EdS is in Transformational Leadership with a focus on instructional technology. Her ultimate goal is to ensure the equitable education of all children through teaching, lecturing, and publishing.

Lauren Starnes
PhD, EdD

VP of Early Childhood Education Research and Development, Primrose School Franchising Company

Kelly Gfroerer
PhD LPC

Executive Director

Kelly Gfroerer, PhD, is Executive Director of the Positive Discipline Association. She has worked as a teacher, school counselor, and educational consultant in early childhood education for over two decades. She has a wide variety of work experience in preschool and early childhood settings including implementing Positive Discipline and specifically class meetings as a counselor and consultant in early childhood programs. Kelly is a frequent speaker on Positive Discipline and a Positive Discipline Certified Trainer. Kelly is the co-author of the book, Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers, and Positive Discipline in the Classroom Tool Cards. Both of these publications include practical, easy to implement classroom management tools that teach social and emotional life skills to young children.

Jess Bernal
MA LMFT

Jess Bernal is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Early Childhood Education Consultant who specializes in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology.  Jess has over 16 years of experience working with children who have been exposed to trauma, children who have severe behavioral challenges, and children with disabilities.

Julie Nicholson
PhD

Julie Nicholson is Professor of Practice in the School of Education at Mills College where she has been a faculty member since 2005 and directed several innovative programs including the Leadership Program in Early Childhood, a Joint MBA/MA Educational Leadership Program, and the Center for Play Research. She is Co-Founder of the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education. She has published over 30 peer-revised journal articles and is the lead author of 12 books, all addressing issues of social justice and equity in early childhood.

Crystal McClendon-Gourdine
PhD

Crystal Gourdine, Ph.D. is a wife, mother, community leader, and consultant lending over 25 years experience in early childhood, K-12, and post-secondary education to partnerships within non-profit, district, and university-based early childhood programs.

Her expertise includes early childhood administration, race equity, and professional adult learning and support. She specializes as a Race Equity coach, trainer, and facilitator; customizing learning environments for early childhood programs, tailoring a quality redesign to meet federal, state, and local policies, and collaborating with community stakeholders to disrupt systemic inequities.

Formerly a public school educator, college instructor, and family child care owner, she also consults with state and local organizations offering program assessment, reflective practice and mentorship, and coaching and training on early childhood quality improvement measures using a Race Equity lens. 

Crystal holds both doctorate and master degrees in Human Development/Educational Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park; a master's degree in Leadership in Early Childhood Education from Mills College; and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Spelman College.

Sandra Duncan
BA, MS, EdD

Amber Tankersley
PhD

Amber Tankersley is an associate 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 20 years as a preschool teacher, university child care center director, university instructor/professor and director of an 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, parent/professional relationships, and she supervises practicum students and preschool student teachers.