Rising Leader and 2025 Scholarship Recipient Shadeen Holmes attends Leadership Connections for the First Time

Paula Jorde Bloom's legacy brought Shadeen Holmes to Leadership Connections: Shadeen received the 2025 Paula Jorde Bloom scholarship for aspiring and emerging leaders in early childhood education and care.

Shadeen Holmes

Senior Early Learning Specialist at First Up 

Founder of HolmesSchool

Philadelphia, PA

Holmes said she had a great experience at Leadership Connections 2025; she appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the McCormick Institute's work supporting the leadership development of early childhood professionals and to connect with a diverse group of attendees.

This was Holmes's first time attending Leadership Connections, and her first experience at a large conference. Winning the scholarship felt like a meaningful milestone and an important mark of achievement in Shadeen's professional development and leadership growth.

"The 2025 conference was my first time attending, and it was a meaningful experience,” she said. “If this year's conference did not fall on my birthday, I would have definitely planned to attend again."

Leadership Connections 2025 featured nationally-recognized speakers, including Michelle Kang, the chief executive officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), whose story stood out to Shadeen. Shadeen said she is always inspired by hearing the journeys of influential leaders and the insights they share.

The activities were a highlight of the event for her: henna tattoos and bouquet-making. "The creative experiences felt refreshing," she said. "It provided low-pressure ways for people to start conversations and build community."

Since this was Shadeen's first large conference, what stood out to her was the intentional balance between professional learning and opportunities for connection. Holmes said the conference thoughtfully designed activities to encourage attendees to build rapport and share ideas. "It created an environment where early childhood professionals could not only learn from the sessions and keynote speakers, but also learn from one another," she said.

Shadeen believes that being a leader in the early childhood field means using her knowledge to empower children, families, and fellow early childhood professionals. Also, being committed to her own professional development, staying up to date on new research, and adapting to the evolving practices and changing needs of the communities Holmes serves.

"As a leader in the field, I see myself as both a representative and an advocate for high-quality early learning experiences, especially for Black children and families," she said.

Shadeen demonstrates leadership both as a Senior Early Learning Specialist at First Up and as the founder of HolmesSchool, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the literacy achievement gap. Although the two, as Holmes states, "continually inform one another," leadership looks different in her work with First Up and HolmesSchool. 

In her role at First Up, leadership shows through collaboration, thoughtful feedback, strategic organization, and support for advancing current initiatives and developing new ones that impact early learning systems, the professionals within them, and the families they serve.

"As the founder of HolmesSchool, leadership involves building the organization's infrastructure, cultivating meaningful relationships, and connecting with like-minded professionals who can help advance the mission, values, and visibility of the emerging nonprofit," she said.