Emily has nearly 15 years of experience leading programs that serve vulnerable communities in the US and abroad. She is deeply driven to increase equity and has specialized in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of child-centered programs by developing resources and offering continuous professional development for implementers. Emily is a teacher by training with experience teaching the early grades in the US and internationally in Africa. Building on her classroom experience, she spent 8 years working for international nongovernmental organizations in Rwanda and Kenya, managing early literacy and community development programs. During that time, she focused on early childhood initiatives at both the national and community level. Emily also brings experience managing domestic social programs that offer education and health services utilizing volunteers. Prior to joining ECDAN in 2023, she worked for a national refugee resettlement agency and led the launch of community sponsorship programs, which involve community members in welcoming and supporting refugee families, at local sites across the agency’s US network. Emily holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of the Pacific in California.

As ECDAN’s Senior Program Officer, she coordinates and quality assures the Secretariat’s work to enhance achievement of its strategic objectives.