2023 SAZAEYC Board of Directors
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Erin Aguilar | Co-President
She/Her/Hers Email President Erin Aguilar is the Inclusion Specialist and Educator for the Easter Seals Blake Foundation. She coordinates the Inspire Inclusion Community of Practice, part of the UWSA/FTF Great Expectations Professional Development Grant promoting and supporting inclusive practices in early childhood programs. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and is adjunct faculty at Pima Community College. Erin has worked as a Quality First Coach for ESBF and as a preschool teacher in California where she is from. She is passionate about advocating for children with special needs and supporting teachers in creating classrooms that provide the necessary access, participation and support for full inclusion. Erin and her husband have lived in Tucson for 19 years and have one son. |
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Nicole Scott | Co-President
She/Her/Hers Pima County recently hired Nicole Scott as Program Manager to administer the program as part of the Pima County Community and Workforce Development Department. Ms. Scott has 15 years of early childhood education experience, starting as an educator at a national accredited preschool. |
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Joseph Swartz | Vice President, Communications
He/Him/His Joe worked as a Lead Teacher for a tribal Head Start program, designing and implementing developmentally appropriate lesson plans both in-person and virtual. He has extensive experience implementing teaching strategies in accordance with Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale through the Quality First redesign, social/emotional learning and behavioral strategies through Conscious Discipline, and remote learning strategies. Joe has multicultural experience teaching children as an ESL instructor abroad in both China and Japan. |
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Jessica Howe | Vice President, Membership
She/Her/Hers Jessica Howe is the Manager of In-School Outreach with the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation (SARSEF). In this position, she has the privilege of delivering STEM programming to various schools and districts in PREK-8th grade classrooms statewide. She serves as the Region VI Director for the Arizona Science Teachers Association where she provides vital STEM opportunities for Pima county teachers. Jessica worked as an early childhood educator for sixteen years. She taught in a local NAEYC accredited preschool and as a kindergarten and second grade teacher in the Flowing Wells Unified School District. She is a passionate educator that strives to inspire others to pave their own way in life, whether that be in the classroom or beyond. She is a strong supporter of diverse social justice practices, equity within Arizona classrooms and STEM opportunities for marginalized communities. She is a local business owner and mother of three. She is excited to serve as the VP of Membership and Professional Development with SAZAEYC during her term. |
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Emilie Douglas | Co-Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy
She/Her/Hers Emilie’s purpose while in the classroom is centered around encouraging children to be their most authentic selves while supporting them on their social emotional and learning journey. Her passion is advocating for all children to have access to high quality early learning settings and for educators to receive a worthy wage. She has over 20 years experience of working with children in either their home or a school setting. For the past 6 years Second Street Children’s School has gifted her the space and support to become the very best teacher she can be. With her fantastic co-teacher and amazing administrative team she is able to celebrate the whole child and have FUN! When not in the classroom you will find Emilie hiking on Mount Lemmon or trekking through Sabino Canyon. She lives in Tucson with her two cats. Emilie is excited to be on the SAZAEYC Board and to be Co-VP of Public Policy and Advocacy. |
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Sara Sutterfield | Co-Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy
She/Her/Hers Sara has been working in the early childhood field for 9 years. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology At Grand Valley State University, MI in 2013 and her Master’s in Early Childhood Education in 2018 at the University of Arizona. Her dream was to teach in a fun, play-based, reggio-style school, and that is exactly what she found at Second Street Children’s School where she has taught since May, 2019.She is passionate about advocating for quality care for all children and worthy wages for teachers, as well as making sure every day is her students’ best day ever. She enjoys game nights, goofing off with her co-teachers, and video games. |
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Brandy D. James, PhD | Vice President, Services
She/Her/Hers Dr. Brandy D. James, Ph.D., is the Community Education and Outreach Director for The Sonoran Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at The University of Arizona and an Adjunct Professor in the Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies department at Ball State University. Her focus includes Early Childhood Education, Early Intervention Services with a specific interest in children with special health care needs, family engagement, and underrepresented populations. She holds her Ph.D. in Elementary Education from Ball State University with a cognate in Early Childhood Special Education. She has advanced degrees in Counseling (Chapman University) and Gerontology (the University of Missouri-St. Louis). She holds certifications for Early Childhood Administration (Indiana) and School Guidance Counseling (Arizona). |
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Andrea Amari Dekker| Secretary
She/Her/Hers Andrea hails from Battle Creek, MI, coming from a large musical family of women (dad, mom and six daughters). She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, with a Spanish minor. She studied elementary education during her first two years of college in Michigan and then again at the University of Phoenix in Tucson, earning Instructor Status on the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry. She began her early childhood education career serendipitously as a director at a NAEYC-accredited child care center in Michigan. Once she had her child, she became a licensed home provider, eventually returning to center-based child care. She taught at all levels, from 2-year-olds through grade 3, and left teaching to become a Training Coordinator for Child Care Resource and Referral at Child & Family Resources. She was the first Quality First Coach in Pima County and stayed with Quality First for 12 years. She attended the Program for Infant & Toddler Care in California in 2018. In 2019 she was trained as a trainer in Strengthening Business Practices for Child Care Programs (National Center on Quality Assurance) and was trained in 2019 by NAEYC in Washington D.C. as a trainer of Classroom Based Assessment for Preschoolers workshops. |
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Jessica Crocco | Student Representative
She/Her/Hers Jessica began serving as a student representative on the SAZAEYC Board while completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona. She graduated in May 2023 with her Bachelor of Arts in Education in Early Childhood Education. Jessica will continue to serve as a student representative as she pursues her master's degree. |
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Maggie Christy | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Maggie began her work in Early Childhood Education at the young age of 16. After her ECE studies in college she continued her work with children from birth through age 13. Maggie's passion for this work shines in her quote, "the unifying thread in all those ages is that children are valuable people and need to be respected for being valuable, and for being people. The other side of that coin is that we, their teachers, mentors, caregivers, coaches, etc., need to recognize ourselves and our peers as being valuable as well." Below please see Maggie Christy's goals for Early Childhood Education and her role with SAZAEYC. My goals for the profession of early childhood education include, professional recognition in the community at large, adequate resources to do the job that we know how to do, and the freedom to do that job to the best of our ability. I also believe that part of our job is educating parents about how children learn and the best, research supported ways to help them do so at different times in their lives. While I have been a member of SAZAEYC for years, I had never seriously considered board service until it was brought up by a friend, and upon reflection seemed like a very good way to bring the perspective of the early childhood teacher and the young child to a body in a position to further the goals mentioned above. As a board member, I hope to assist with the board's many projects and help us to always keep in mind, that those projects should be mindfully enhancing the lives and learning of young children. |
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Holly Sotomayor Gutierrez | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Holly, a new Member at Large, has a little over 3 years of experience in early education with ages 0-5, mostly in infant/toddler care. Recently, Holly began pursuing training and licensing to open her own home child care through the Family Child Care program at Davis-Monthan AFB. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at McKendree University, focusing on human and child development, and a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Holly learned her passion of caring for children and educating young minds after having her first child and getting the opportunity to work with her in the infant room at a child care center in Southern Illinois. By joining the SAZAEYC Board, Holly hopes to be a bridge connecting the community of Educators and child care providers at Davis-Monthan AFB with the local community of early childhood educators, as well as support SAZAEYC activities and contribute to the local community. |
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Sas Jakeo-Singer | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Sas has served as early childhood program specialist with the Arizona Department of Education, as well as an instructor at Glendale Community College's Early Childhood Department, Sas hopes to inspire others in working in the field, especially with dual language learners (DLL). Sas has served on our sister affiliate board, AZAEYC and since her move to Southern Arizona has taken on the role of Training and Curriculum Specialist with the Davis Monthan Air Force base child care center. |
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Kris Daigle | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Bio coming soon. |
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Kelly Ann Larkin | Executive Director
She/Her/Hers Email Executive Director Kelly has spent over 30 years working with young children, families and educators. Kelly holds a B.S. in Child Development and Family Relations from the University of Maine, Orono and a MA in Teacher and Teacher Education with Early Childhood Education emphasis from the University of Arizona. Her love of early childhood education led her to San Manuel High School And Central AZ College where she has taught ECE for dually enrolled students. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys walking, cooking, sewing and reading. She is the proud mother of Hannah, and Tim Jr., and has been married to her husband Tim for over 26 years. |
2023 SAZAEYC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Co-Presidents: Erin Aguilar and Nicole Scott
Vice President of Communications: Joseph Swartz
Vice President of Membership: Jessica Howe
Vice President of Nominations and Awards: position currently unfilled
Vice Presidents of Public Policy and Advocacy: Emilie Douglas and Sara Sutterfield
Vice President of Services: Brandy James
Secretary: Andrea Dekker
Treasurer: position currently unfilled
Student Representative: Jessica Crocco
Members-At-Large: Maggie Christy, Kris Daigle, Sas Jakeo-Singer, Holly Sotomayor
Vice President of Communications: Joseph Swartz
Vice President of Membership: Jessica Howe
Vice President of Nominations and Awards: position currently unfilled
Vice Presidents of Public Policy and Advocacy: Emilie Douglas and Sara Sutterfield
Vice President of Services: Brandy James
Secretary: Andrea Dekker
Treasurer: position currently unfilled
Student Representative: Jessica Crocco
Members-At-Large: Maggie Christy, Kris Daigle, Sas Jakeo-Singer, Holly Sotomayor
SAZAEYC Staff
Executive Director: Kelly Ann Larkin
Administrative Assistant: Sydney Lunsford
Las Familias: Whole Teacher, Whole Child Community of Practice: Sarah Woodworth and Julia Butler
Administrative Assistant: Sydney Lunsford
Las Familias: Whole Teacher, Whole Child Community of Practice: Sarah Woodworth and Julia Butler
INTERESTED IN BOARD SERVICE?
Note: All nominees must be or be able to be current members of NAEYC, click HERE to join! The SAZAEYC board meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month. The Executive Committee also meets monthly on the last Wednesday of the month.
Elections for the 2024 Board will open in Fall 2023, but there is always space for community members to serve on our board and its committees. Are you looking to get involved? Email our Executive Director, Kelly Ann Larkin (executivedirector@sazaeyc.org) for more information!
Elections for the 2024 Board will open in Fall 2023, but there is always space for community members to serve on our board and its committees. Are you looking to get involved? Email our Executive Director, Kelly Ann Larkin (executivedirector@sazaeyc.org) for more information!