Jody Merrick comes to the Council as a representative of Terra Centre for Teen Parents, where she is currently the Manager, Early Childhood Development. She has been supporting children and families in various roles within Terra’s Child and Family Support Centre since 2013. She has also been a Facilitator for MacEwan’s Flight Course – Exploring Early Childhood Curriculum – since 2016. Additionally, Jody has engaged alongside ECEs as a Pedagogical Partner with Alberta Resource Centre for Quality Enhancement (ARCQE) where she continues to support the ELCC sector through various programming and curriculum support services. Jody brings 25+ years as an experienced educator, critical friend, leader and mentor with a passion to see the image of children lifted in our communities!

Philip Ney supports individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families to effect social change in his role with Inclusion Alberta as Director of Community Engagement and Public Affairs.

Elaine is Manager of Youth Services at the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) where she provides system-wide leadership in programs and services to children from birth to age 18. She also leads strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives related to children, including plans to establish an early learning and care centre at the Stanley A. Milner Library. Elaine established the epl2go Literacy Vans service which she managed along with the Shelley Milner Children's Library for many years.

Amber Mack is the new CEO of Kids Included (formerly the GRIT program) and is passionate about building accessible environments for all children, most notably in her Communication Access work. Having a career spanning across health and education sectors, public and private, Amber understands the need to work toward a continuum of supports and a skilled workforce in early learning and care.

Jane (she/her) is an entrepreneurial, cross-sector nonprofit leader with a track record of social impact. She currently provides fractional support to foundations and start-up nonprofits for short-term, strategic initiatives as an independent consultant, and volunteers her time as board member and soccer coach.

Zoe has worked in the Early Childhood Education field for over 25 years. Throughout these years she has had the opportunity to work in many different early learning environments, roles and Provinces. As a child advocate, she recognized very early in her career that she was drawn to work with the vulnerable sector. She has been the Program Manager at e4c Head Start and Early Learning Services for the past 8 years, working with children and families. Zoe believes when educators empower families, building their capacity and advocacy skills, we enrich the lives of children.

Nicki is Vice-Chair of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta. She serves as Executive Director for Child Development Dayhomes, Edmonton and Fort McMurray, and is a member of the Alberta Early Learning and Care Leaders Caucus. Nicki is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, focusing on early learning and child care policy. She serves on both the Workforce and the Policy and Regulations working groups at the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care.

Gloria is a member of the Steering Committee of the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families, as well as a board member for Boyle Street Community Services and co-chair of an early childhood community coalition. Gloria is a retired Director of Programs at Edmonton Public Schools, where her responsibilities included early childhood, Indigenous and multicultural education, as well as alternative programs and community collaboration.

Sandra Hassan Farah is the Program Coordinator for Early Childhood Education at the Centre Collégial de l'Alberta (Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta).

She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Sciences, a State Diploma in Specialized Education, and a Level 3 Early Childhood Supervisor certification. She has also been a trainer for the Brain Story Certification with AECEA and ARCQE since April 2023. Additionally, she has been an instructor for the French-language course of the Envol (Flight) pedagogical framework since 2019.

She has extensive experience in the field of early childhood education, having worked as a teacher, course lecturer, course designer, subject matter expert, support officer, and director of early childhood education centers.

Jeff is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta, where the main focus of his research has been on cognitive development in children. Jeff is co-chair of the Steering Committee for the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families; is a member of EndPovertyEdmonton’s Stewardship Round Table and Indigenous Circle, and serves on the board of the Muttart Foundation.

As Executive Director of Jasper Place Child and Family Resource Society, Adine… (more to come soon!)