2024 SAZAEYC Board of Directors
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Caroline Carson | President
Email President Caroline Carson is a Tucson Regional Education Collaborative Ambassador (TREC) and a Special Events Coordinator for Tucson Childrens Project (TCP). Teaching in NYC Public Schools, Costa Rica and Tucson Unified School District has provided an array of experiences in education. Having taught adults, 8th grade to 1st grade has provided a scope of human development that enriches her decades of work in Early Childhood Education. Serving on the Southern Arizona Education for Young Children is an honor and a privilege. |
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Anthony Davare | Treasurer
Email Treasurer Anthony Davare comes from a culinary background, working as a chef in South Florida and throughout the Midwest. With the support of his wife, he became a stay-at-home dad with the birth of his daughter and then rather quickly doubled his workload with his son. He joined the International School of Tucson Parents’ Association as treasurer and this led to him being recommended for the same role at SAZAEYC. Being a part of the Southern Arizona Education for Young Children is a great learning opportunity and a way to support a great organization. |
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Jessica Howe | Vice President, Membership
She/Her/Hers Jessica Howe is a career educator and is proud to have supported students, parents and teachers across Arizona for the last 17 years with most of her focus in the public schools of Pima County. During those 17 years, she taught full-time in prek-8th grade classrooms, created and implemented stem curriculum throughout the Flowing Wells Unified School District and supported teachers and students throughout the region in developing research and engineering projects that solved real-world problems to compete at the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Fair. She currently works as the Director of My Future AZ where she supports middle and high schools students develop college and career pathways through ECAP exploration and completion. She is a small business owner in Tucson, Az, proud wife and mother to three wonderful children. |
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Andrea Amari Dekker| Vice President, Nominations and Awards
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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Sas Jakeo-Singer | Vice President, Communications and Marketing
She/Her/Hers Sas is currently working under First Things First as the Program Coordination Specialist for Pima North. She was previously the Director of Early Learning for Cognia, an accreditation agency. She had also served as the Early Childhood Education Training and Curriculum Specialist with the United States Air Force at Davis Monthan Air Force Base. She has always called Arizona home because of her military family and visiting her grandparents in the summer did not shy her away from the triple digit heat. Sas has a diverse experience in early childhood that began on Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan 20+ years ago. She started as an assistant teacher at the child development center that was required to be NAEYC accredited on the base and has worked with children from 0-6 years old. She then translated that high quality learning and knowledge to a nonprofit preschool program off the base that served local Japanese children and American children. Upon returning to the states, she continued to work with young children at the early childhood lab school at Georgia Southern University (also NAEYC accredited) where she completed her B.A. Shortly after graduating, she returned to Arizona to begin her Masters in Early Childhood Education. Sas has a passion for learning and educating young children and worked with a for-profit childcare center to learn about the “real world.” Before completing her M.A. degree with Grand Canyon University, she became a Quality First Coach with Southwest Human Development. She was also the Education Specialist at Roosevelt School District prior to joining the Arizona Department of Education. There, she was assigned as the Infant Toddler and the military liaison for the ECE Unit. Sas was also an adjunct faculty at multiple locations of the Maricopa Community College District and now Grand Canyon University, to inspire future early childhood educators. Sas and her husband, Mike have 2 teenage daughters, and a preschool son. Her husband’s military assignment to the Air National Guard has brought them to Tucson. The family traveling and experiencing new adventures. |
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Jessica Crocco | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Jessica Crocco is a second-grade teacher in TUSD. She recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and is finishing her Master's program August 2024 at the University of Phoenix in Curriculum and Instruction. She loves football and exploring Tucson. |
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Kris Daigle | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Kris has eight years of early childhood experience teaching Pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade students. She received her degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arizona in 2016. Kris is passionate about early childhood literacy and learning through play. She is an advocate for equal opportunities for all children and supporting teachers. Kris is a Tucson native and enjoys watching U of A basketball, hanging out with her friends, and walking her rescue dog, Harper. |
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Becka Lopez | Member-at-Large
She/Her/Hers Becka Lopez is an Assistant Professor of Practice and the Director of Early Childhood Education Teacher Preparation Program at the University of Arizona. She has taught in early childhood classrooms in the Sunnyside Unified School District for 8 years. Becka has her BA in Early Childhood Education, her MS in Special Education, and her PhD in Early Childhood Education. She is dedicated to preparing teacher candidates to teach using an anti-bias and anti-racist lens. She is thrilled to serve on the SAZAEYC board! |
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Abdel-Rahim Sakhri | Member-at-Large
He/Him/His Abdel is born and raised in Lyon, FRANCE. He started volunteering at the International School of Tucson in 2012 and became a preschool teacher in 2014. As of the summer 2021, Abdel took on the role of Ealy Childhood Director, his purpose is to support his staff help the children thrive in their environment. He joined the SAZAEYC board looking to serve the Early Childhood Community and advocate for diversity and inclusion In his spare time, Abdel enjoys all things sport related and trying new foods. |
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Joseph Swartz | Member-at-Large
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. |
SAZAEYC team members
Updates coming soon!
2024 SAZAEYC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Caroline Carson
Secretary: Vacant
Treasurer: Anthony Davare
Vice President of Communications: Sas Jakeo-Singer
Vice President of Membership: Jessica Howe
Vice President of Nominations and Awards: Andrea Dekker
Vice Presidents of Public Policy and Advocacy: Vacant
Vice President of Services: Vacant
Student Representative: Vacant
Members-At-Large: Jessica Crocco, Kris Daigle, Becka Lopez, Abdel-Rahim Sakhri, Joseph Swartz
Secretary: Vacant
Treasurer: Anthony Davare
Vice President of Communications: Sas Jakeo-Singer
Vice President of Membership: Jessica Howe
Vice President of Nominations and Awards: Andrea Dekker
Vice Presidents of Public Policy and Advocacy: Vacant
Vice President of Services: Vacant
Student Representative: Vacant
Members-At-Large: Jessica Crocco, Kris Daigle, Becka Lopez, Abdel-Rahim Sakhri, Joseph Swartz
SAZAEYC Staff
Executive Director: Ashley Barbara
Las Familias: Whole Teacher, Whole Child Community of Practice: Sarah Woodworth and Julia Butler
Las Familias: Whole Teacher, Whole Child Community of Practice: Sarah Woodworth and Julia Butler
SAZAEYC Board meetings
SAZAEYC GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS
Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
If you would like to attend an upcoming meeting, please contact [email protected] for more information.
2024 MEETING DATES
Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
If you would like to attend an upcoming meeting, please contact [email protected] for more information.
2024 MEETING DATES
- February 7
- March 6
- April 3
- May 1
- June 5
- August 7
- September 4
- October 2 Annual Membership Meeting
- November 6
INTERESTED IN BOARD SERVICE?
Nominations for the 2025 Board are currently open. Nominations and applications are due on or before Sept 13th.
There is always space for community members to collaborate with the SAZAEYC Board by serving on one of its many committees. Some examples are Conference Planning Committee, Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, Membership Committee, Communications Committee, and Nominations and Awards Committee. Are you looking to get involved through serving on a committee? Email [email protected] for more information!
There is always space for community members to collaborate with the SAZAEYC Board by serving on one of its many committees. Some examples are Conference Planning Committee, Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, Membership Committee, Communications Committee, and Nominations and Awards Committee. Are you looking to get involved through serving on a committee? Email [email protected] for more information!