• The SECA Board is a representative body of 17 members.
• One (1) of those members, the President, is elected by a vote of the membership.
• One (1) member, the President, serves as President-Elect and Immediate Past-President, before and after their term as President.
• Thirteen (13) of the members are elected by their state associations to serve as State Affiliate Representatives on the Board. They represent the interests of their state affiliates during Board meetings.
• Two (2) of the members are elected by the Board of Directors and serve as Members-at-Large. Nominations for these positions may be submitted by the membership.
All members except the President serve 3 year terms. The President serves one year as President-Elect, two years as President and one year as Immediate Past-President. The Board members represent a wide diversity of professionals from the early childhood field and are charged with ensuring the continued success of the Association in meeting the needs of its members and the children and families of the South.
The Board of Directors meets twice a year, in the spring at the annual conference and in the fall. Other meetings may be called as necessary. Minutes of the meetings are available to members upon request to the SECA office.
Janie is a retired professor of Family and Child Studies, School of Human Ecology and coordinator of Early Childhood/Child Development Programs at Louisiana Tech University.
Georgia is an Early Care and Education Instructor at Francis Tuttle Technology Center, a position she has held since 1988.
Alabama (2006-2009)
Dee Ard
Decatur, Alabama
Community Action Partnership of North Alabama dard@capna.org
Dee is an Education Resource Specialist in the Head Start program at the Community Action Partnership of North Alabama. She works with the agency Family Literacy program and training.
Joanna is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Teacher Education, Arkansas State University. She works closely with the Arkansas Professional Development System and the National Registry Alliance.
Florida (2009-2011)
Sister Roberta Bailey
Member of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida (St. Leo, FL)
Principal, San Antonio, FL sasadmin@tampabay.rr.com
In 1959 Sister Roberta began her career as a classroom teacher for age groups ranging from infant all the way to college student. She founded two Montessori programs and has been involved in educational leadership since 1970. Sister is an elected Councilor and archivist for the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, a member of the advisory council for the Office of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and a board member -sitting on the Quality and Finance/Audit committees- for the Pasco-Hernando Early Learning Coalition. Sister was a governor's appointee on Florida's Universal Pre-K commission. Her association with SECA dates back to her college days in Louisville, KY. She is a frequent lecturer on a variety of topics such as parent education, early childhood development, play, Montessori education, stress management, and humor. Sister is the past editor of the ECA of Florida journal Children Our Concern and a former member of the Tampa Oratorio Society and St. Leo Chorus; she currently plays a tenor recorder with her community's ensemble. Sister is an avid reader and enjoys cross-stitchery.
With more than 30 years experience in the field of early care and education, Terrie Buckner is an accomplished educator and strategist whose vision and expertise have driven notable professional development and operations enhancements in the field ultimately leading to quality improvement programs at the state and national levels. Leading statewide professional development efforts, Terrie has overseen the development and implementation of a number of landmark programs in Georgia, including the Incentives and Scholarships programs which assist and reward early care and education professionals for increasing their level of knowledge through formal education. Terrie has advanced center administrator growth nationwide through her co-authorship of the National Administrator Credential (NAC) training program. Terrie has a BS in Management through Shorter College, where she served as an instructor for seven years, and an MEd in Adult Education and HROD from The University of Georgia. Most recently she is a PhD candidate in Educational Leadership at Mercer University in Atlanta. Currently Terrie works with Legacy Academy Inc. as the Quality Assurance Associate, providing technical assistance and training.
Katie Shaughnessy-Williams has been in the field of early childhood since 2001. She has worked with preschool age children as well as infants and toddlers in a classroom setting. Mrs. Williams supports quality early care and education experiences for all young children in Kentucky and across the South.
Cindy is an Education Consultant in the Elementary Standards Section of the Louisiana Department of Education. She served as President of the Louisiana Early Childhood Association in 2005 and 2006 and coordinated the committees that developed the Louisiana Pre-kindergarten Program Guidelines and Content Standards.
Beverly is a Past President of the Mississippi Early Childhood Association and the Jackson Association on Children Under Six. She has served as Director of the Crossgates Methodist Children’s Center in Jackson, Mississippi for 15 years.
Susan is a faculty professor at East Central University and an adjunct professor at Murray State College. She is an andvisor to the Smart Start Oklahoma Program, Keeping Families Together, Success by Six, SMART (Single Mothers/Males Acedemic Resource Team), and to both Seminole and Murray State Colleges.
South Carolina (2009-2011)
Crystal Campbell School District 5 Lexington/Richland Counties
Irmo, South Carolina ccampbell@lex5.k12.sc.us
Crystal is the Early Childhood Coordinator for the school district and an Adjunct Professor at Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC. She is a former President of the South Carolina Early Childhood Association.
Lisa Maddox-Vinson has more than 20 years of experience working with children. For 15 years she was the Children's Library Director for the LaVergne Public Library, which is ranked 5th in the nation for its children's programs. She currently teaches Early Childhood Education at Austin Peay State University. In addition, she is a children's storyteller and entertainer, and conducts in-service training for teachers and librarians who work with children and literacy.
Mary Jamsek has been an educator for 25 years, 23 in the field of early childhood. She has worked in full and half day, public and private programs and is currently a Master Teacher at the Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin where she is also lecturer in Human Development and Family Studies. She currently serves as the Student Chair for the Texas AEYC. She trains at the local, state and national level on the topics of anti bias education, play and power, early literacy, accreditation, and positive guidance.
Joyce is currently serving as the Past-President of the Virginia Association of Early Childhood Education. She is the Alternative/Adult Education Coordinator for the Hopewell City Public Schools and a John Tyler Community College Adjunct Instructor. Joyce is the wife of retired Lieutenant Colonel Marshall J. Jones and has two adult daughters, Markesha and Jennifer. Her family has live in and/or travel to eighteen countries to include Korea, Panama, and Bahrain. Although Joyce is from a small Georgia town (Lumpkin) she has also lived in or visited twenty six states, including Washington, D.C.
Melanie is the Program Manager of the Quality Initiatives with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources/Division of Early Care & Education.
Herman is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Child Development and Research Center at the University of South Carolina. He is currently a consultant for the university-based child care center and is engaged in research exploring the use of computer technology to enhance assessment practices and family communication among early care and education providers.
Carol is the Director of the Quality Counts Career Center in Miami, Florida. The Career Center is an integral part of the Quality Counts initiative for improving the quality of programs serving children 0 to 5 in Miami-Dade County. She serves as President of the local affiliate, South Florida Association for Young Children, and is currently the Southeast Representative for the state affiliate, Early Childhood Association of Florida.
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