Berna has a B.A. in  Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education. She taught children between the ages of two and 16 years old prior to transitioning to her first leadership role in Early Childhood Education in 2006. Berna has a strong passion to support and advocate for diversity and equity in education. She has many years of experience working in the District with a diverse population including family styles, ethnicities, socio-economic and educational backgrounds. Volunteering is a big part of her life which includes providing training for educators, supporting families and taking part in various workgroups such as QIRS and SECDCC Program Quality Committee. In addition, Berna served as VP for Programs on the DCAEYC Board and is actively involved in local early childhood advocacy work. She currently is the Head of School at a preschool in Washington, DC. 

In her nineteenth-year teaching at Brightwood Education Campus, Kalpana Kumar Sharma finds joy and happiness in working to shape the young minds in her classroom. To stay updated with the latest in the field of education she has acquired a Masters in early childhood special education from The George Washington University and has been conferred a fellowship by Leading Educators institution.  In the last five years Ms. Sharma has volunteered to serve DCPS and her school community on various positions such as Teacher Leadership Innovation Early Childhood Coach, Teacher Selection Ambassador, Grade Level Chair, Social Media Ambassador, Member of the School Equity Committee, LIFT Ambassador, Teaching In Action Consulting Teacher, Member of the Chancellor’s Teachers’ Cabinet and Chairperson of Staff Culture and Wellness Committee. For her efforts and contributions Ms. Sharma was recognized with the Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teaching, Wolf Trap Best Teacher Award and Values Award from Leading Educators, though her biggest reward is the great energy, curiosity, and excitement she sees in her students each day. Ms. Sharma believes that teaching gives the power to help a student realize his or her innate potential. 

Rahshita Lowe-Watson is a committed, child-focused early childhood educator for the District of Columbia Public Schools. She has been an educator and advocate for children and their families for over 16 years. Rahshita is dedicated to enthusiastic and progressive education to create and nurture a lifelong love of knowledge in all children. She firmly believes in helping children overcome barriers that impact their learning. She also believes in the power of the educators' voice to revamp education. As a result, she has served as a member of several education committees and participated in initiatives that provided instructional support for teachers. Rahshita is currently serving as Chair for the Washington Teacher's Union and DCAEYC Early Childhood Task Force and the DC Chancellor's Teachers' Cabinet for the school year 2021-22. In addition, she was selected for the inaugural National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) President's Emerging Leaders Circle in March of 2021.

Rahshita holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. She has also earned a Master of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education specializing in Bilingual/ESL from Erikson Institute in Chicago, IL. Rahshita resides in Maryland and enjoys the visual arts, design, and writing.

Kamren Rollins has dedicated his life to servant leadership and creating pathways to ensure
underserved communities have opportunities and access to high-quality education and holistic
support. Kamren attended Morehouse College, where he served as the President of the Student
Government Association, a member of the Board of Trustees of the college, and co-founder and
President of LYTEhouse, a mentoring and community engagement organization.

Since moving back to Washington, DC, Kamren has hosted and planned workshops around
financial literacy, career development, black masculinity, and academic success at local schools
featuring hundreds of students. In July 2019, Kamren began his role as Chief Operating Officer
of Southeast Children’s Fund. He recently became the President of the Black Child Development
Institute – District of Columbia and a co-convener of DC Men in Early Childhood Education. He
is eager to continue to change and impact communities of color through his passion for writing,
education, policy, mentorship, and storytelling. Kamren has a great love for education and
believes that it is the key to Black liberation. In the future, he plans to open additional schools
worldwide and write novels and short stories. He lives by a quote from Maya Angelou, “If one is
lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities,” which reminds Kamren to
accomplish goals while simultaneously changing lives.

Arshad Ali is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in program
management, technical consulting, and community engagement. Holding a Bachelor of
Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from Morehouse College, he has
cultivated a versatile skill set that combines technical expertise with a deep commitment to
social impact. Driven by a passion for improving early childhood education and fostering
positive outcomes for children and families, Ali currently serves as Deputy Operating Officer at
Southeast Children’s Fund. Ali also actively contributes to various organizations that support
child development and education as a member and contributor to the Black Child Development
Institute - District of Columbia (BCDI-DC) and as a founding member of the District of Columbia
Men in Early Childhood Education (DC Men in ECE). Ali is elated to now serve as a board
member and treasurer of the District of Columbia Association for the Education of Young
Children (DCAEYC), championing equity in education and ensuring financial accuracy within
the early childhood education landscape.

Beatriz Barros is the Deputy Chief of Education and Youth Programs at Martha's Table. She has been committed to the Martha’s Table mission for over ten years, beginning her work in the Out-of-School Time program as the Education Group Leader in our original home on 14th Street Northwest. In her director role, Beatriz led the Maycroft Education team in achieving and maintaining a High-Quality designation for the past four years, played an integral role in our community-led strategic planning process, and consistently identified opportunities across the organization to connect with and serve team members, families, and the community. In her current role, she leads the work to build out older youth programming to align with community wants and needs.

Beatriz’s career in education began in 2001 as an AmeriCorps Team Member before working in both DC Public Schools and Charter Schools. She has worked in various non-profits in the District before beginning her work at Martha’s Table. Beatriz holds a Master’s in Elementary Education from Trinity University.

Mau Castro-Trujillo is the current CDA Program Manager at Briya Public Charter School, as well as an adjunct faculty professor in two of the most prestigious community colleges in the region. Mau has been working in the field of early childhood for more than 20 years and in the last ten as a college professor/adult ed. Instructor educating early childhood teachers and staff. In those years, she has worked assisting, organizing, coordinating, and training in different work settings in the education field, including providing technical assistance and visits to Family Childcare Providers and designing college-level courses while working with a diverse student population.

Mau worked for six years developing, designing, and teaching developmental classes for Workforce Development and Continuing Education as part of a certification program at the Montgomery Community College in Maryland.  She has overseen the CDA Program at Briya Public Charter School for the last eight years, teaching English and Spanish. And more recently, Mau started teaching for the unique Bilingual Associate Degree Program at the University of Districtof Columbia.

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Before coming to the US, Mau obtained two bachelor’s degrees in education from the Catholic University, earned in Caracas, Venezuela, and another degree in International Studies once she was already here. Lastly, last year, Mau finished a master’s degree at Trinity Washington University in Curriculum Design and Instruction, with a concentration in Social Justice.

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In her free time, Mau is an avid reader, a passionate yoga and meditation practitioner, and someone who loves music and movement. She is very enthusiastic about education and social justice, as well as children and their beautiful minds.

Alethea Etinoff is a native Washingtonian with a wide range of interests. From a young age, it was evident Alethea had a passion for politics, policy and the justice system. Alethea was the only one of her adolescent friends that daily sat and watched the Iran-Contra Hearings.

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Besides her passion surrounding the justice system, Alethea is an avid traveler. She credits her mother for her love of travel. Her mom took her on her first and many international flights at the ageof 8 years old. Alethea was raised to believe you can’t truly understand and appreciate some one else’s culture if you haven’t experienced it for yourself. Nor can you effect change on matters you have no experience.
In addition to her political and travel pursuits, Alethea enjoys reading. Of course her current reading at this time is, The Fall The End of Fox News. She also enjoys the suspense of James Patterson books.

Alethea’s diverse views on the world make her a well-rounded individual, constantly seeking new ways to share her beliefs and give back to her community.