Alana Dresden has over 20 years of experience in education, ranging from early childhood to adulthood. Alana earned a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Bilingual Education from UW-Milwaukee. Alana assisted in developing the Supporting Dual Language Learners Credential at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she is currently teaching.

Angèle is an author, speaker, and consultant in early childhood education. She makes professional and research information easy to read and practice. Readers and clients like her practical and thoughtful approach to teaching dual language learners, kindergarten readiness, early literacy, family engagement, and supporting educators and leaders. Angèle is a former member of the NAEYC governing board and past president of MNAEYC. She belongs to a multilingual, multicultural, cross-continental family, and she lives in Minnesota.

Smita Mathur is a professor in the Department of Early Elementary and Reading Education in the College of Education at James Madison University. Her research interests are related to play across cultural groups and teacher preparation. She has served as the president of The Association for the Study of Play.

Danielle Fuentes Johnson is an independent consultant for Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies, specializing in ECE systems change. Danielle’s work includes efforts to have home-based child care (HBCC) recognized and supported on par with school-based settings, embedding emerging bilingual learners in ECE systems, exploring how the immigration and refugee process impacts young children, and building Latiné Leadership in early childhood systems.

Tonia Durden, Ph.D., is a Clinical Professor and Birth through 5 Program Coordinator within the Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University. Dr. Durden’s primary scholarship and research trajectory focuses on exploring how to develop and support African American children’s socio-cultural development and create racially equitable learning experiences for children of color.

Diana is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia.

A. Ruth Okoye, Ed.D. is SFL’s Director of K12 Initiatives. She is an experienced teacher, technology integrator, and researcher who has taught and led professional development efforts in both university and K12 environments. Her areas of expertise include technology integration in K12 settings as well as developmental reading and writing. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Regent University.

Toni Cacace-Beshears recently retired as CEO of Children's Harbor (Places and Programs for Children, Inc.) in Chesapeake, VA. Throughout her career, she has worked to improve the quality of early childhood education and early childhood teachers in a variety of settings. She has been a frequent presenter at meetings of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at TCC and Board member for The Source for Learning. She holds an M.S.

Reece has been a teacher and administrator in the early childhood field for over 34 years. He earned his doctorate in Learning and Instruction with an emphasis on Reading Education from the University of Pittsburgh. He has taught pre-k, first-, second-graders, and university students in higher education. During the last eight years, Dr. Wilson prepared future teachers at James Madison University. After earning tenure and promotion at JMU, Reece wanted to work directly with children and families.

Amy has over 20 years of field practice working with children and families in varied settings, including schools, hospitals, community recreation centers, parks, and the court system. In addition, Amy has several years of experience teaching adult students and continues to serve as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College. She is also a member of NAEYC and the Early Childhood Education Peer Group for the Virginia Community College System.