Todd A. Battiste, President
Todd A. Battiste is the Vice President for Children & Families with United Way for the Greater New Orleans. Todd coordinates and manages staff and programs that contribute to the United Way mission and provides leadership and support to United Way Community Impact Initiatives.
Todd graduated from Southern University at New Orleans with a bachelor in Psychology, Xavier University at New Orleans with a Masters in Counseling, and University of New Orleans with a Masters in Public Administration. He has spent most of his career in the not for profit and education arena where he held positions with Volunteers of America, New Orleans Public Schools, andTotal Community Action - Head Start/Family Center.
Battiste was recently nominated and elected to Chair the Child Care Block Grant Advisory Council. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee on Licensing of Childcare Facilities and Child Placing Agencies, Louisiana’s Quality Rating System for Early Childhood Programs Steering Committee Delgado Early Childhood Education Advisory Board, and Extension of Life.
Battiste is married to Deidre Battiste and is the proud father of two sons, Todd II and Dillon.
Cheri Gioe, President-Elect
Cheri Gioe is an Instructor at the LSU Ag Center. She received both a B.S. and M.Ed.
from Louisiana State University. Her academic interests are child development and child care management as well as public policy as it relates to young children. Currently, Ms. Gioe is the project manager for several childcare grants for the LSU AgCenter.
She is very active in the early childhood arena and serves as a current board member and president-elect of the Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children. She was invited and served on the steering committee to develop Louisiana’s Quality Start Program and the revision of the Class A Child Day Care Regulations. She also sits on the Louisiana Committee for Class A Child Care and Child Placing Agencies.
In her community, Ceri works closely with her local youth swim club, Boys Hope/Girls Hope Bowl for Hope team, and United Way sponsored summer programs, Girl Scouts-Audubon Council.
Dr. Mark Irabor, Treasurer
Dr. Mark Irabor is a businessman and an educator. He is the President & CEO of Happy Kids Enterprises, Inc., the operator of child care facilities in Louisiana and Texas; MDM Group, LLC a real estate holding company and GlobalOne Educational Consulting, LLC, an educational consulting firm.
Dr. Irabor graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business administration, a Masters degree in Business Administration with concentration in Finance from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and a Doctor of Education degree with concentration in Child & Youth Studies from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dr. Irabor has been an advocate for children and quality child care for over twenty years. He is a Louisiana Pathways registered trainer and a member of United Way’s Success by Six. In his spare time, he is a volunteer soccer coach for children with the YMCA. He is married and proud father of three boys.
Dr. Elizabeth E. Lavergne Pinkett, Program Chair
Dr. Elizabeth E. Lavergne Pinkett is a professor and Coordinator of the Early Childhood Education degree program in the Department of Curriculum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her research interests are social competence, resilience, and early literacy in children of poverty. She is an active member of the National Association for the Education for Young Children, the American Educational Research Association, and the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr. Pinkett taught school for twelve years in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.
Dr. Pinkett earned a Ph.D. in Child Development and Research Methodology from Georgia State University and a B.S. and M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Towson University, Towson, Maryland. Before joining the faculty at UL Lafayette, Dr. Pinkett was a faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction-Early Childhood Education Division at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Pinkett created and established the Southwest Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children (SLAEYC), a local chapter of LAEYC. She established the Student Association for the Education of Young Children (SAEYC) at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her UL Lafayette Early Childhood Education majors were involved in LAEYC’s contributions to child care programs affected by Hurricane Rita. Students continue to make varied community contributions through SAEYC.
Kate Baudouin, Public Policy Co-Chair
Katie Baudouin is the Public Policy Co-Chair for the Louisiana AEYC. Baudouin has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Loyola University New Orleans and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus in Public Policy at Louisiana State University.
She is co-editor of 2008-2012 Louisiana Legislature, A Grass-Roots Guide published by Louisiana Governmental Studies, Inc. A native of Lafayette, Baudouin currently splits her time between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Steven T. Atkins, Co-Owner & Director of Operations
Steven T. Atkins is the co-owner and Director of Operations at Neighborhood Day Care and Learning Center. Steven’s role is to ensure that quality child care services are provided to every patron that enters any of the three locations, that are located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Steven is impassioned in that it is his duty to introduce children to favorable behavior with expectation they will become habituated to it.
Steven graduated from Southern University at Baton Rouge with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Upon graduation Steven worked with the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus for the State of Louisiana. Sixteen years ago he was presented with the opportunity to enter into a partnership of operating a small chain of child care centers. For Steven, all those years of experience has led to a reverence of education for all young children. Steven has also served as a Project Director for two years for a Children’s Defense Fund “Freedom School”. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee on Licensing of Childcare Facilities and Child Placing Agencies.
Mr. Atkins is married to Stacey Atkins and is the father of three daughters, Raven, Macey and Allyson.
Janna Kershaw, Member-At-Large
Janna Miller Kershaw received her degree from Louisiana State University in Early Childhood Education in Spring 2007. In the fall of 2007, she began her first year of teaching second grate at Cohn Elementary in West Baton Rouge Parish. In addition to her board role with Louisiana AEYC, Janna also serves as president of the Baton Rouge AEYC.
Janna spent seven years as a paraprofessional in PreK and Kindergarten in West Baton Rouge parish which in part, inspired her continue her education. Janna’s professional interests are to continue teaching and pursue a Master’s degree. She is active in her community, serving as secretary in the Brusly Lions Club and as lector and catechism teacher in her church parish.
Janna and her husband have three children, Brantly, Lauren and Bryant, now ages 27, 24 and 19.
Patrick Anderson, Member-At-Large
Patrick Anderson is the Program Director / Childcare Specialist of the Home Base Childcare Business Development Program at GoodWork NetWork, Chief Consultant of Ty-Kay Educational Consultants, Trainer and Presenter of Adult and Early Childcare Education for Agenda for Children and Educare Training Institute.
He has served as Head Teacher and Assistant Director in a Childcare Center, taught pre-school and elementary classes in the New Orleans Public School System. He holds
membership in Childcare Association of Louisiana, Delgado Education Association, Families and Friends of Louisiana Incarcerated Children, Each One Save One Mentoring Program, NAEYC, LAEYC, and is presently President of Greater New Orleans AEYC.
Dianna T. Constant, BA, CCHC, Member at large - Thibodeaux
Dianna Constant has been a Region IV Agenda for Children/Child Care Resources Coordinator for 16 years, and has worked as a consultant to the Louisiana Department of Social Services, Office of Public Health, University of Montana Rural Institute, and Utah State University Ski High Institute for several years. She has owned and operated Building Blocks Developmental Child Care Center for 20 years. She holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree In Sociology and Youth and Family Services.
Throughout her career, she has provided training presentations to numerous groups on issues surrounding, child care director professionalism, child care staff professionalism, managing skills, handling and positioning children for optimum play experiences, including children with disabilities, and communicating with children and families.
