The Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP) is delighted to present its 15 member Inaugural Cohort of outstanding Maryland early childhood professionals who are enrolled in its Leading for Change in Early Childhood Education course offered through The Sherman Center and the Division of Professional Studies at UMBC. The Leading for Change course is an innovative 3 credit post baccalaureate 12 month cohort based course that will build skills in visioning, values, personnel and resource management, organizational capacity, data analysis, creativity, innovation and public policy.  The course will provide a mix of in-person, daylong learning sessions, guest presentations, asynchronous online learning sessions, individual and small group projects, and field trips.  Each MECLP fellow will complete a capstone project focused on an issue specific to early childhood education in Maryland. A coaching component will support fellows post course completion.

2019/2020 MECLP INAUGURAL COHORT MEMBERS

Jennifer Arnaiz:  Jennifer is the Director of the Child Care Resource and Referral Center in the Early Childhood Services Division, Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County Government. 

Erin Bonzon: Erin is an Administrator in the Office of Children and Families, Department of Community Resources and Services, Howard County Government. 

Dawn Cockran: Dawn is Dorchester County Public Schools’ Expansion Grant All-Day PreK Lead Teacher and a MSDE Master Teacher.   

Leslie Frei: Leslie is a Teacher Specialist in Early Childhood Education, Frederick County Public Schools.  

Stephanie Geddie: Stephanie is an Instructional Facilitator for Early Childhood Programs, Howard County Public School System.

Cheri Helmstetter: Cheri is the Birth - Age 4 Literacy Coach for the Allegany County Public Schools’ Striving Readers Grant.

Candise Hill: Candise is a First Grade Team Lead at Brehms Lane Public Charter School in Baltimore City Public Schools.

Laura Hutton: Laura is an Associate Professor and Education Department Coordinator at Harford Community College

Tiffany Jones: Tiffany is a Level 5 EXCELS family child care provider in Montgomery County and Director/Vice Chair of the Head Start Parent Policy Council.

Tomeaka Jupiter: Tomeaka is Director of Healthy Families Baltimore County, a program of Abilities Network.

Christine Lopez: Christina is an Early Childhood Instructional Resource Teacher for PreK classrooms in the Early Childhood Office, Prince George’s County Public Schools and the current President of MDAEYC.

Carolina Reyes: Carolina is the Owner/Director of the Arco Iris Bilingual Children’s Center (AIBCC) in Prince George’s County, a bi-lingual child care center

Naina Schneiderman: Naina is an Infant and Toddler Special Educator in Montgomery County’s Infant and Toddler Program.  

Rebecca (Becky) Vivrette: Rebecca is a Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor at the Taghi Modarressi Center for Infant Study, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Rudi Zelman: Rudi is a Program Manager at the non-profit Literacy Lab, in Baltimore City.

For more information please email meclp@umbc.edu