CDA Renewal - Preschool, Part B

Christy Jones-Hudson
MA IMH-E®

Christy Jones-Hudson, director of children and family services for Goodwill Easterseals of the Gulf Coast, provides monitoring and oversight to early childhood education programs. She is the owner of a small consulting company, Multicoachural Consulting, LLC which provides training and technical services to programs with a focus on serving children with special needs. Her writing has been published in national platforms such as Exchange Magazine and Motherly. She is the creator of the Game Faces Preschool Membership for High Performers opening September 2020.

Angie Neal
MS CCC-SLP

Angie Neal is a Speech-Language Pathologist from Greenville, South Carolina. She has worked in outpatient pediatrics and school settings, but her passion is helping students succeed in an academic setting. Mrs. Neal frequently presents across the United States and uses her animated presentation style to share practical strategies that can be quickly and easily implemented.

Allie Bishop Pasquier
MS

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. 

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.

Rachel Wagner
MSW

National Trainer and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, Devereux Center for Resilient Children

Rachel Wagner is a Lead National Trainer and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist for the Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC). She is the author of FLIP IT! Transforming Challenging Behavior.  Rachel began her career as a preschool teacher and then worked as a teacher and counselor at a therapeutic preschool. She also served as an Early Childhood Mental Health Coordinator and Consultant for several Head Start programs. Later in her career, Rachel began one of New York’s first early childhood mental health consultation services. In her work at DCRC Rachel travels the country speaking to groups on topics related to social-emotional health and resilience.  Rachel currently resides in the Syracuse, NY area with her family. She is a passionate speaker, a dedicated listener and an advocate for children who communicate in unique ways.

Jennifer McCroddan
BA

Jennifer McCroddan recently transitioned as Program Director for Cross Church Preschool to develop supporting and consultation roles. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in the field of early childhood where she has served as an educator, writer, administrator, and mentor. She has a passion for training early childhood professionals and finds herself right at home in a group of teachers who are eager to grow themselves and encourage the growth of young children and support their families.

Stephanie Goloway
EdD

Dr. Stephanie Goloway is a lifelong advocate for the power of imagination, play, and storytelling. She is a professor emeritus of early education and child development at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, she taught in childcare, elementary school, and special education settings. She has been the director of both a college lab preschool and an early intervention center and has worked as a children's librarian and professional storyteller. Stephanie holds an EdD in Early Childhood from Walden University, where she researched how fairytales, storytelling, and Vivian Paley's pedagogy could impact both resilience and emergent literacy in young children, especially those living with substance use disorders and other forms of trauma. She is the author of an upcoming Redleaf Press book about using fairytales to nurture children's resilience in the early childhood classroom.