As associate research professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Technology in Education, Dr. Carling leads a team of experts who transform teaching and learning with technology and provide individuals with accessible, meaningful, and engaging learning opportunities both in person and virtually. The scope of her work involves designing and implementing technology-supported professional development for state, district, and school leaders to understand and take action around education data; instructing early childhood teachers and special educators to administer and use data from comprehensive early childhood assessments; and building effective partnerships with teachers and families.

Kristen Thompson is the program director for Business Systems and Technology Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Center for Technology in Education and leads a technical development team responsible for building, maintaining, and continuously improving large-scale data systems for educational use, with a focus on comprehensive early childhood assessments. She works to analyze stakeholders’ complex needs and build innovative and evolutionary solutions to meet them. Kristen then supports the implementation of these systems to help educators better interpret the data generated by the tools.

Shayla Pettigrew is a First Steps 4K Manager specializing in Student and family services. With two decades in early childhood education, she remains a passionate advocate for young children and families. She holds a B.S. in Child and Family Development from Benedict College and an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina. A leader in the field, Shayla was named 2008 South Carolina Head Start Teacher of the Year and received SCAEYC’s Ellie Galbraith Award. As a former SCECA Board Member, she is committed to advancing high-quality early learning experiences across South Carolina.

Kimberly Motte is a former Visual Arts Teacher and Museum Educator. She currently serves as the Arts Learning Director for the South Carolina Arts Commission, working to increase access to the arts for all South Carolinians.

Wolf Trap Teaching Artist Lauren Stewart received her Bachelor’s in Theatre Performance from College of Charleston. She has traveled all over the United States and Canada teaching theatre, and she also has appeared onstage in many regional productions. Working with children is where her heart is, and she is thrilled to share the joy of Theatre.

Dr. Heather Googe is a Research Associate Professor at the Child Development Research Center at USC and is the Principal Investigator for projects related to including children with disabilities in early childhood settings across sectors. She has 25 years of experience in the field.

Stephanie McAvoy

Kerri Wikel

Kenna Hoover is a Language and Literacy Coach at First Steps 4K. With a degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education and a master’s in The Teaching of Reading, she brings 19 years of experience as an early childhood educator. Kenna's passion lies in fostering early literacy skills and love for reading, both in children and in teaching adults the best practices to inspire their children to embrace reading and writing. She prides herself in her passion for always wanting to learn and stay on top of current education trends. Her goal is for students to leave preschool confident in their identities as readers and writers. In her spare time, Kenna enjoys reading, watching her children play sports, and pursuing new learning opportunities.

Amy Smith, Education Associate with an MAT in Early Childhood Education. Experience includes kindergarten teacher, director of a NAEYC accredited child development center, child development specialist and executive director at a care facility for homeless, needy, and children in crisis.

The team's mission is to support high quality early learning and literacy instruction for all students by building the capacity of educators and collaborating with students and families.