Program: Peak Performance for Head Start Leaders: Mediation / Tough Conversations + Succession Planning

Description: Peak Performance for Head Start Leaders is a dynamic webinar series designed to elevate the skills of seasoned directors. Each one-hour session focuses on critical leadership competencies, empowering participants to excel in their roles and drive program success.

• Mediation / Tough Conversations: This interactive and reflective session will allow participants to look inward and ask themselves if they are using their tone to define the setting or are they speaking in a way that is inclusive and inviting to others. Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson will use her expertise in equity and inclusion and challenge participants to think about their approach to others and if they are allowing their tone to set the tone in a negative manner. Come and learn about the power of positive interactions and verbal praise.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar series, participants will be able to:

• 9/19/24: Mediation / Tough Conversations
  • Master techniques for conducting difficult conversations and mediating conflicts, fostering a positive and productive work environment.
• 11/21/24: Succession Planning
  • Strengthen overall leadership performance by applying advanced skills in decision-making, communication, and strategic management.

Price:

• Regular Rate: $200
• NHSA Member Rate: $100

Presenters:

Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson, Children’s author and educator, grew up in Shelby, NC. She is married to Jeff Johnson who retired from the United States Air Force after 22 years of service. She is the author of 22 children’s books. Kimberly received her Doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Leadership from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and also holds a Master’s Degree from Clemson University, in Youth Development and Leadership. Kimberly has an Early Childhood Education Degree and a Communications Degree from UNC – Chapel Hill.

Denyse Cardoza, CEO, Executive Director (ED), and HS/EHS Director, Denyse serves as Executive Director of Placer Community Action Council, Inc. KidZCommunity providing direction and oversight for all programs, and establishes and maintains solid, effective relationships with community partners. She has served KidZCommunity for 41 years in numerous capacities including home visitor, teacher, home-based education manager and the EHS project director in 1997 and assumed her current role 20 years ago. She has presided over seven successful OHS Federal Monitoring Reviews and 18 compliant annual fiscal audits. She maintains high visibility in the community to increase awareness of essential early childhood education services, legislation, and policies. She currently serves as a board member for the National Head Start Association, Region IX Head Start Association, and served 15 years as a board member for Head Start California.

Dr. Deborah Bergeron served as director of the Office of Head Start from 2018-21. From 2019-21 she broadened her leadership as director of the Office of Early Childhood Development in the Administration for Children and Families. Known as “Dr. B” to former students and teachers, she spent three decades in pre-K–12 public education as a classroom teacher and school administrator and currently serves as deputy director for Community Engagement and Innovation at NHSA.

Zuly Vazquez is the senior manager of online professional development at the National Head Start Association. She has worked with Head Start and Early Head Start programs for over a decade, specializing in training, mentoring, coaching, facilitation, curriculum implementation, and management. She worked for several years in the classroom, providing high-quality education to children from different cultures, traditions, and ethnicities. She is a former EHS/HS parent. She has vast experience supporting and providing technical assistance to teachers, family child care providers, education specialists, and families in large EHS/HS programs in Florida and Georgia. Over her career, she designed a supplemental Christian early childhood curriculum, bilingual online lessons, and classroom observation tools and has facilitated early childhood education courses in English and Spanish at the college level. As an active early childhood advocate, she is a board member of her local NAEYC affiliate and Family Child Care Home Alliance of Georgia. She is a senior advisor of Latinas United for the Children of America.