Early childhood Education assembly board members 

 Liz Murray, EdD has worked in early childhood and elementary fields for over two decades. She is fascinated by the journey young children take to become readers, writers and general explorers of their worlds. Her research explores, translanguaging, arts-rich pedagogies, bilingual education and humanizing family engagement. She is a research partner with the Bay Area Writing Project, Davis Montessori Teacher Education Program, and ViệtSpeak Multilingual Advocacy. She is also working as a substitute teacher in her home town of Melbourne, Australia and being back in the classroom is a joy. 

Dr. Kara M. Taylor is a public intellectual, educator, and researcher dedicated to the liberation and healing of marginalized communities through literacy. A third-generation teacher and former elementary educator in Chicago Public Schools, she now serves as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Urban Teacher Education program at Indiana University Indianapolis, specializing in literacy, equity, and justice.

Her research uses narrative inquiry to explore healing through literate practices in marginalized communities, centering storytelling as a pathway to liberation and justice. Dr. Taylor’s scholarship has been featured in Language Arts, English Teaching: Practice & Critique, and Voices from the Middle.

Beyond her scholarship, she is the wife of a math educator and mother of a rambunctious toddler, carrying forward a legacy of teaching, love, and community across generations.

KYANNA SAMUEL, SECRETARY

Erik J. Sumner is an elementary art educator with 30 years of experience, specializing in culturally sustaining curriculum. He holds Master's degrees in School Administration and Literacy Studies, along with permanent New York State certifications in Administration, Reading, and Art.

A recognized thought leader, Erik has presented at national conferences like AERA and NCTE. He is a published author in the Reading Research Quarterly and has co-curated major art exhibitions at Hofstra University, including "Love Is the Message." His work effectively bridges K-12 art education with higher education and community partnerships. 

Wintre Foxworth Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development (EHD). She completed her Ph.D. in Reading/Writing/Literacy at the University of Pennsylvania. Johnson’s scholarship lies at the nexus of sociocultural literacy studies, critical race scholarship, and critical pedagogies for and with young children. Her research investigates African American children’s literacy practices, racial awareness, and sociopolitical knowledge as well as the nature and impact of centering Black intellectual production and histories in early education. In 2022, she received the NCTE Language Arts Distinguished Article Award. In 2024, she received the Critical Perspectives on Early Childhood Education (CPECE) Special Interest Group (SIG) Emerging Scholar Award within the American Education Research Association (AERA). Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including Reading Research Quarterly, Urban Education, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood and the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy and has been funded by the Spencer Foundation and Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

SABINA MOSSO-TAYLOR, ACTION FOR ANTI-RACISM CHAIR

Ysaaca Axelrod is a former Kindergarten teacher and currently serves as an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she prepares future early childhood and elementary educators. Her research focuses on language and literacy development in emergent bilingual children and the role of play, and she is currently engaged in projects exploring the intersection of climate change, justice, and literacy education.

Wanda Jaggers is an elementary Academic Instructional Coach in Louisville, Kentucky. She partners with teachers, staff, and families to ensure every student has access to high-quality, engaging instruction. She builds equitable, inclusive learning environments and helps educators apply practical, research-based strategies that strengthen classroom instruction and student growth. Wanda is committed to community engagement and partnerships, believing education is most effective when schools and families work together. She values continuous growth and strives to create systems and supports to help teachers do their best work while ensuring all students are given access to diverse/supportive education.