Leadership Connections™ "Onward"

Dr. Elizabeth “Lizzy” Pérez is a nationally recognized leadership coach, former principal, and Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator (trained by Dr. Brené Brown) with more than three decades of experience in education, equity, and organizational change. Rooted in her South Texas upbringing and grounded by a PhD in Leadership Studies, Lizzy blends research, emotional intelligence, and lived experience to strengthen leaders from early childhood through higher education.

A former teacher, athletic coach, and school leader, Dr. Pérez spent her entire K–12 career in large comprehensive schools, advocating for environments where adults feel supported, seen, and equipped to lead with clarity and compassion. Known for her warm, story-driven approach and signature “chingona magic,” she helps leaders move past fear and perfectionism to embrace authentic, courageous leadership.

Title of Keynote Presentation

A Call to Courage: Moving Onward Together

Keynote Presentation Description

The Call to Courage keynote explores what it means to lead with clarity, vulnerability, and integrity as early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals move onward into a season that calls for deeper alignment, steadier purpose, and braver leadership. Dr. Lizzy Pérez weaves research, stories, and grounded tools to help leaders quiet their internal critics, navigate uncertainty with emotional intelligence, and choose values-aligned action that strengthens the people and systems they guide.

Shauna Ejeh is Senior Vice President of Programs at Illinois Action for Children (IAFC), leading the team on the provision of quality services for children, families and early care and education providers. Previously, as the Executive Director of Baby TALK, Inc., an early childhood organization in Decatur, Illinois, she directed state and federally funded services for children and families. Ejeh has also served as Associate Director of the Illinois Head Start State Collaboration Office working with Head Start programs and state-level advocates to effect systems-level change for children and families. She represents IAFC on the Early Learning, Child Care, and Professional Development Advisory Councils where she advocates for children and families and elevates the needs of the early childhood and care workforce. Ejeh has worked in nonprofit management leading in several capacities for over 35 years. She received her M.A. and B.A. in Public Communication with a minor in Psychology from The American University in Washington, DC. She is honored to be receiving the Hometown Hero Award.

About the Hometown Hero Award

The Hometown Hero Award honors an Illinoisan who has shown exceptional commitment to the field of Early Childhood Education and Care. This individual recognizes the critical importance of the first five years of life and has dedicated their professional career to elevating the value of early childhood for Illinois’ youngest citizens. Through tireless efforts on behalf of children, families, and the profession, the Hometown Hero helps make Illinois a better place to live, work, and thrive for all.

Martina Rocha is the owner of Best Friends Daycare and the president and founder of the Together for Childhood Network Organization, better known as Juntos por la niñez. She is a social worker and child care provider with more than 21 years of experience and a wife and mother of three daughters. She is a CDA Professional Development Specialist for Family Child Care; a Home Visitor, Infant and Toddler, and Preschool settings; a Certified Professional Food Manager; a Food Safety Proctor; and a CPR, First Aid, and AED Instructor. She started Juntos por la niñez in 2007 as a support group for 17 people. Today, Juntos por la niñez has grown into a group of more than 400 child care providers and is a registered non-profit organization.

About the Inspirational Family Child Care Leader Award

This award honors a family child care professional who demonstrates exceptional dedication to supporting and uplifting fellow providers. The Inspirational Family Child Care Leader serves as a mentor, guide, advocate, and partner—tirelessly championing colleagues and elevating the vital role of family child care within the field and the community. They are considered inspirational because they lead with passion, generosity, and vision, motivating others to grow, persevere, and recognize their own impact.

Teri N. Talan, Ed.D., J.D., is currently Professor Emerita of Early Childhood Education at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University (NLU). Dr. Talan previously served as Professor of Early Childhood Education as well as Policy Liaison, Director of Research and Policy, Interim Executive Director, and the Endowed Chair of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership at NLU. Throughout her career at NLU, she has promoted action by state and national policymakers to invest in the early childhood workforce, leadership development, and program quality evaluation. She holds a law degree from Northwestern University as well as an Ed.D. in Adult and Continuing Education and an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from National Louis University.

About the Visionary Leader Award

Each year, the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood honors a visionary leader in Early Childhood Education and Care with the Visionary Award. A visionary leader is someone who sees beyond the present, imagines what is possible, and inspires others to work collectively toward bold and transformative change. The award recipient shares their leadership journey as the featured speaker at the Paula Jorde Bloom Leadership Colloquium. This unique and intimate event offers participants a rare opportunity to hear the often “untold” story of a leader whose insights are both provocative and inspirational.

Elliot Haspel, Expert, Commentator, and Author

Elliot Haspel is a nationally-recognized family policy expert and commentator, with a specialty in child care issues. He is the author of Crawling Behind: America’s Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It and Raising a Nation: 10 Reasons Every American Has a Stake in Child Care For All, in addition to many policy reports, and the Substack The Family Frontier.

Elliot has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, appeared on television as an analyst, and his writings have appeared in a wide variety of top publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. He is regularly sought out by journalists, and has been quoted in such mediums as NPR, The Guardian, and TIME Magazine. He lives in Denver with his spouse and two children.

Anne Hedgepeth, Senior Vice President of Policy & Research, Child Care Aware of America 

Anne is a seasoned strategist in government relations and grassroots advocacy, dedicated to driving policy change across all levels of government. As the Senior Vice President of Policy & Research at Child Care Aware of America, she leads the organization’s public policy initiatives and bolsters the advocacy efforts of child care resource and referral agencies, along with other early learning stakeholders nationwide. Notably, Anne played a pivotal role in securing over $50 billion in COVID-19 relief funding for child care and early learning, while also providing essential technical assistance to various state initiatives aimed at creating a high-quality, affordable, and accessible child care system. 

Anne’s expertise has garnered attention in major media outlets, including CNN, NPR, NBC News, The Hill, Business Insider, and MarketWatch, where she shares insights on child care policy and advocacy. 

Prior to her current role, Anne contributed her expertise at the American Association of University Women (AAUW), where she was instrumental in the passage of significant legislation, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. She also worked on updating and implementing Title IX regulations in schools across the country. 

Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and gender studies from Davidson College and a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University, where she was honored for outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in public affairs and administration as a member of Pi Alpha Alpha.

Yesenia Robles-Brown, Chief of Staff, National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

Yesy Robles-Brown is a bilingual, equity-driven leader with over a decade of experience transforming vision into execution across education, early care, and national nonprofit systems. She is deeply committed to ensuring all children—regardless of race, geography, or income—have access to high-quality learning environments, and that the educators who care for them have family-sustaining wages, meaningful career pathways, and a powerful voice in policy.

As Chief of Staff at the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), Yesy serves as a strategic partner to executive leadership, overseeing organizational strategy, operations, governance, and growth for a national association serving thousands of home-based child care educators. Her leadership has strengthened NAFCC’s policy, data, and advocacy infrastructure, expanded its national influence, and guided the organization through periods of transition with clarity, fiscal discipline, and values-aligned change.

Rooted in deep partnership with communities, Yesy previously held senior leadership roles at All Our Kin and co-founded the Bronx’s first structurally anti-racist, student-centered district high school—an equity-centered model that garnered national attention and informed school system redesign efforts beyond New York City.

Across her career, Yesy has collaborated closely with educators, families, funders, and government agencies to amplify frontline expertise in legislation, organizational design, and public systems change. She brings a rare blend of strategic operations, policy fluency, and movement-building experience, grounded in lived experience and a deep belief in education as a lever for collective liberation.

Dora Sanders, Senior Manager of Fellowships, Stanford Center on Early Childhood

Dora Sanders is a dedicated leader, educator, and early childhood expert with over two decades of experience advancing equity and quality in early learning. Her expertise includes multi-site management, community engagement, curriculum, and leadership development. As Senior Manager of Fellowships at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, she leads the Zaentz Fellowship Programs, connecting research, policy, and practice. Her research focuses on strengths-based early childhood leadership in local and global contexts.

Dr. Ola J. Friday, Executive Director, The Early Educator Investment Collaborative

Dr. Ola J. Friday is the inaugural Executive Director of The Early Educator Investment Collaborative, a national pooled fund focused on transforming the early childhood education workforce through systems change. She leads the Collaborative’s efforts to ensure early educators can reach their full potential as professionals, and that all children, especially those historically underserved, benefit from high-quality early learning experiences.

As the daughter of immigrant educators, Dr. Friday developed a deep appreciation for the power of education to change lives. She began her career in the classroom, but quickly recognized that the most pressing barriers educators face are structural. This insight led her to pursue leadership roles focused on early childhood policy and implementation.

Previously in her career, she led the statewide implementation of New York’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), and facilitated a career pathways systems redesign process for the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) in Pennsylvania. Most recently, she oversaw professional development and higher education access for more than 65,000 early educators in Massachusetts.



Dr. Friday holds a doctorate in Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tufts University. She is a proud alumna of the NYC Urban Fellows Program and the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship. When not working, she loves traveling, practicing Spanish, eating good food and spending time with her nephews ages 5, 16, and 22.

Family Child Care Professionals / National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Reception 

Thursday, May 28, 2026, 7:00 - 9:00 pm 

Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, Schaumburg, IL

Join the McCormick Institute and NAFCC for the Thursday evening reception! The event will bring together family child care professionals from across the country. The McCormick Institute will honor its Family Child Care Leadership Academy participants, and NAFCC will highlight their important work supporting family child care and share a preview of the upcoming national conference, which will take place in July in Chicago. All are invited to celebrate family child care and enjoy evening desserts!

Martina Rocha



Martina Rocha is the owner of Best Friends Daycare and the president and founder of the Together for Childhood Network Organization, better known as Juntos por la niñez. She is a social worker and child care provider with more than 21 years of experience and a wife and mother of three daughters. She is a CDA Professional Development Specialist for Family Child Care; a Home Visitor, Infant and Toddler, and Preschool settings; a Certified Professional Food Manager; a Food Safety Proctor; and a CPR, First Aid, and AED Instructor. She started Juntos por la niñez in 2007 as a support group for 17 people. Today, Juntos por la niñez has grown into a group of more than 400 child care providers and is a registered non-profit organization.