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Governing Board2012-2013 **Board member bios are available below
Officers: President: Tracy Jost Vice President and Affiliate Council Rep: Nicole Queen Secretary: Jennifer Scalise Treasurer: Heather Moser Members At-Large: Lea Anne Christenson Tina Diaduk Barbara Garrett Vickie Kaneko	Committee Chairs: Accreditation: Vacant Communications: Jennifer Scalise Cultural Diversity: Fanny Crawford Membership: Vickie Kaneko Play Symposium: Dr. Joyce Gerber Prof Development: Tina Diaduk Public Policy: Flora Gee
Want to get involved? If you are interested in becoming more active in MDAEYC, MDAEYC, in collaboration with NAEYC, are in the process of reorganizing chapters in each region. These local chapters advocate for early childhood in their communities. Some activities may include helping to set-up “Week of the Young Child” activities in your area, becoming actively involved in public policy, assisting centers trying to become NAEYC accredited, recruiting new members, helping with professional development opportunities. If you are interested in becoming a MDAEYC leader, please email us at marylandaeyc@gmail.com!

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MDAEYC Board Member Profiles:

President
TRACY MERRIMAN JOST
Tracy has been actively involved with MDAEYC about four years. She was President for the Southern Maryland AEYC and also Co-Chair for the MDAEYC Public Policy Committee. She has found it to be a pleasure to serve alongside many dedicated individuals to the field of early childhood. She owns an early learning center in Calvert County, MD providing care to approximately 150 children, has a Master's degree in Education, and will soon complete a Certificate of Advanced Study in Education Public Policy. She is married, with three children ages 16, 13, and 9 years old.

MDAEYC Vice President
NICOLE QUEEN
Nicole Queen is the Center Director of the Watch Me Grow Child Development Center. She holds an A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education from Montgomery College and has her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Washington Adventist University. She has 21 years of experience in the early childhood education field. Nicole serves as an advisor for child care providers who are seeking certification through the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program. She is also a licensed trainer through the Maryland State Department of Education. Nicole currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board for the Montgomery County Child Care Resource and Referral Center, and is a Vice President of the Maryland Association for the Education of Young Children. She is also a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Organization of Child Care Directors.

Nicole grew up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and her large extended family includes 11 brothers and sisters. Nicole has lived in the Germantown area for the past 12 years. In her free time she enjoys working out, swimming, traveling, reading and volunteering.

Secretary
JENNIFER SCALISE
Jennifer earned her B.A. in Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is working toward her M.A. in Education from Ashford University with a specialization in Teacher Leadership. She has worked with Kid’s Campus in several capacities since they opened in 2006, currently as director. She presently is involved in the Maryland Association for the Education of Young Children and the Maryland Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. She has three boys, a dog, a cat, and a slew of fish.

Treasurer
HEATHER MOSER
Heather is the acting Treasurer for Maryland AEYC. She has served MDAEYC as secretary for the past two years. Heather has had many roles in the early childhood field including Family Support Worker for Healthy Families Washington County, MD, Family Service Worker and Homebase Teacher for Head Start of Washington County, MD and Program Director for Citi Family Center in Hagerstown, MD. Heather received her BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Frostburg State University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Early Childhood Education. She has recently accepted a new position as Director of the Suitland Federal Child Development Center in Suitland, MD. She lives with her husband and nine year old daughter in Chesapeake Beach, MD.

Member-at-Large
VICKIE KANEKO
Vickie Kaneko is an adjunct faculty member who has taught the 90 clock hours course at the Community College of Baltimore County –Catonsville. She taught three and four year olds as a child care teacher in a model state-run program for nearly a decade. Vickie currently serves as Treasurer of Central Maryland AEYC; she was one of the first officers when the affiliate began. She is also a Past President of MDAEYC, and Mid-Atlantic AEYC. She helped to start both of these affiliates. Vickie is a representative on the Affiliate Council of NAEYC; a past Validator for programs seeking NAEYC accreditation; and she worked on the re-affiliation process for NAEYC for local and state affiliates which included goals, objectives, and strategic planning.

Vickie received a BA and MA in Early Childhood Education from Towson University. She lives in the Baltimore area.

Member-at-Large
TINA DIADUK
Tina Diaduk, originally from Massachusetts, is the Training Director at The Promise Resource Center. Tina holds a BA degree in Psychology from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She has been teaching in the early childhood field for twenty-four years. Tina started one large child care center, Sunshine Center in Leonardtown, MD, as well as two small private preschools, Little Sonbeams and Rays of Light Christian Preschool, both located in Lexington Park, MD. She was director of all three entities as well as the head teacher for the preschools. Prior to this, Tina taught in an alternative junior high school in Massachusetts. She is a certified validator for MSDE accreditation, and a certified observer for NAFCC accreditation. Tina also holds credentials to teach Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) to public school and Head Start staff. In addition, she is certified to teach MMSR Domain training as well.

Tina wants to share her love of children and her knowledge of teaching strategies that are successful to all who deal with children. She resides in Lexington Park with her husband.

Member-at-Large
BARBARA GARRETT
Barbara Garrett is a fulltime faculty member at Anne Arundel Community College. She has served as MDAEYC Membership Chairperson for 3 years. Barbara has more than 30 years experience in teaching children and working with families. She has been a Pre-K through Grade 1 teacher; director of a child care center; State of Maryland approved trainer for childcare courses; and has developed and taught numerous workshops to providers and parents. Barbara has presented at education conferences and seminars and was involved in the NAEYC pilot program for accreditation of Early Childhood college degrees.

Barbara received a BA in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland and a MA in Supervision and Human Relations from George Washington University. She and her husband live in Severn. It is her goal to promote this organization to all professionals who work with young children.

Member-at-Large
LEA ANN CHRISTENSON
Currently, Lea Ann Christenson PhD is a Reading/English Language Arts Specialist at MSDE. The emphasis of her work is at the PK-2nd grade level. Dr. Christenson worked for 18 years in the California Public School System as a Kindergarten-second grade teacher, English as a Second Language teacher, Title VII (ESOL) Project Manager and Assistant Principal prior to moving to Maryland. Before joining the RELA team at MSDE Dr. Christenson was a lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park where she was the Professional Development Coordinator for the Early Childhood program, taught Reading Methods Courses and was the K-12 Outreach Coordinator for the Office of International Initiatives. Her volunteer activities extend into the world of Early Childhood as well. She is the President of the Board of a private preschool of which she helped to start. Dr. Christenson lives in Columbia with her husband and has 3 children; Lauren (23) a communication specialist for the Disney Corporation in Orlando, Emma (20) an elementary education major at the University of Maryland and Sean (17) a rising senior in High School.