Our Team

Her extensive work with children and families from various backgrounds and settings, especially those coming from underserved communities both in the U.S. and internationally continues to influence her outlook on how to address the compounding challenges children and families face due to inequitable opportunities.

Dr. Negussie offers expertise in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Special Education, Infant Mental Health, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Indigenous Education Systems, International Research, Program Development, and Administration. She has demonstrated knowledge in transformational leadership, statewide program/project oversight, organizational management, teacher training, and assessment/outcome including ECE curriculum and instructional design.  She has provided strategic and operational leadership in the implementation of effective early learning program standards at the state and international levels.

Dr. Negussie holds a B.S., in Child Development, a Minor in Psychology, M.A., in Early Childhood Education, Certificate in Infant Mental Health, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis on PK-12 learning environments. Currently, she is the Chair and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Massachusetts Global. 

Before attending Harvard, Dr. Ifekwunigwe taught elementary school for 14 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a National Board Certified Teacher (twice renewed) and was the co-director of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Project at UCLA for five years. Dr. Ifekwunigwe is an ASCD Faculty Member, has been a scholar at the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and has worked in the United States Senate as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow.

In addition to her doctoral degree, Dr. Ifekwunigwe holds a bachelor’s in human development from the University of California, Riverside; a master’s in education from UCLA; a master’s in administration from Pepperdine University; a master’s in education policy and management from Harvard University; an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT; and an endorsement in Gifted Education from the University of Virginia. Dr. Ifekwunigwe is the 2019-2020 fellow for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Her research explores multicultural and international education, childhood in South Asia, Impact of COVID-19 on early childhood education programs in the U.S., and India, father/male involvement in young children’s lives, parental involvement, quality of schooling (private and government) for low-income children, education of girls, preschool girls’ participation in STEAM, and children’s issues in developing countries. Dr. Pattnaik has served as a guest speaker at various international conferences. She has served as a PI/Co-PI for grants submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, USAID, and National Science Foundation. She has also served as a reviewer of international grants.  

Dr. Pattnaik has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books. She has edited/co-edited 4 books: Childhood in South Asia (Information Age Publishing), Greenwood Encyclopedia of Children’s Issues Worldwide: Asia and Oceania (Greenwood publisher); Father/Male Involvement in Young Children’s lives (Springer), The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care: International Perspectives, Challenges, and Responses (Springer). She has also served as the guest editor of special focus issues of peer-reviewed journals: Education of Indigenous Children Around The World; Father/Male Involvement in Children’s Lives; The Early Childhood Education and Care in the Time of COVID-19. She has presented research papers at over 40 national and international conferences. Her current research explores the impact of COVID-19 school closure on young children and their families, and early childhood teachers; and the effects of post-school closure interventions on recovering the ‘learning loss’ caused by the pandemic in government schools in India.   

Dr. Gonzalez’s experience includes strategic planning, program design and management, budget planning and management, and leveraging resources to optimize service delivery. She has a successful track record of developing management systems,  grant writing, expanding and developing programs, and facilitating school readiness services with measurable outcomes. An area of specialization includes child development, early intervention, and special education services. Sandra’s early part of her career included working with Regional Center’s as a Counselor for Early Start and as a Disabilities Specialist with the Los Angeles County Office of Education. As a current school district administrator, Dr. Gonzalez facilitates services for over 500 disadvantaged students and families. 

Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, Minor in Education, Master of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis on human behavior and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

In addition, Endale has worked for over 9 years in the education sector. He has served as a dedicated teacher, principled, caring, and known to be a great planner. Endale has worked as a unit leader, a teachers’ development vice-Director and Director in public and private charity schools (Preschool, Primary, and Elementary) where he contributed for the schools to become centers of children’s development, utilizing their intellectual powers and transform them to be reliable citizens. 

Endale holds M.A., with a specialization in Social Psychology, Bachelor of Education Degree in Chemistry and a B.A Degree in Psychology.

She collaborates closely with a wide group of advocates and health professionals to create community-driven health solutions that are intentional and support community leadership. Ms. Negussie earned her B.A from UCLA and her MPH from Boston University.

After a few years with Anna’s Linens, Tsehay ventured into becoming an entrepreneur and started a home-based online retail store focused on personalized/promotional gifts and awards. This entrepreneurship opportunity gave Tsehay the flexibility to spend quality time with her two children during their early childhood years. Aside from her career, Tsehay has done several volunteering activities in the Ethiopian Church Community, One Voice LA and LA Regional Food Bank.  Among many current issues we are facing today’s world, Tsehay is most passionate about child hunger and early childhood education.

Currently, she works at JPMorgan Chase as Relationship Banker/Small Business Specialist/Registered Representative. Tsehay holds a B.S., in Business Administration and Management. 

Prior to joining Bright Horizons, Tiara worked as a Field Director for Young Champions that provided enrichment programs to youth in the community. She has held an internship position as a Public Relations Assistant for the Magic Johnson Foundation which works to develop programs and support community-based organizations that address the educational, health and social needs of ethnically diverse, urban communities. Tiara is a graduate of UCLA,  where she earned a B.A., in Anthropology/Language and Communication. 

He worked as a project architect on the Gullele Botanical Garden- Agora 2 project which was a first prize winner in an international contest design. Grand Palace New Guest House (Prime Minister Residence) for The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE). Currently he is a managing partner and architect at Bigar Builders and Developers PLC which he co-founded with three other partners in 2012 in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. FikreYesus holds a Bachelors of Architecture from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

She stayed in practice as an assistant judge at Federal First Instance Court and later was appointed Judge at Civil Court. Fetlework served as a judge for many years at the High Court and currently, she is in private practice and engaged in business ventures. She brings to us a wide range of leadership experiences, knowledge of the legal system, and a level of astuteness valuable to any organization. We are excited to have Fetlework as the board chair of our branch office in Ethiopia and look forward to our work together.

Eyerusalem has extensive experience in mentoring, coaching, and inspiring employees towards achieving goals and providing superior customer service. Eyerusalem often volunteers her time and is involved in promoting schools and students that come from underserved communities throughout Ethiopia. Eyerusalem joins Early Childhood Education Ethiopia as a Board Member who will oversee project acquisition, implementation, and sustainable country-wide presence throughout Ethiopia.

He has provided different capacity-building pieces of training for government officials, field experts, civil society organizations, and community facilitators. He is a well-organized, collaborative, excellent communicator, and team player with advanced presentation skills. Currently, he is a Program  Officer for UN Women Ethiopia.

One example is a self-sustaining elementary school in Machakel, Gojjam, which she and her teammates designed as part of the 2019-2020 Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture & EiABC exchange program. Furthermore, Her designs emphasize maximum utilization of space considering the social fabric of the places and accessibility for all. Betelhem demonstrates a keen eye for detail and flexibility, designing her buildings allowing them to adapt to a wide range of changing needs.

Some of the educational institution designs he participated in are large-scale architectural designs for Holeta polytechnic college and Adama science and technology college landscape. He did his bachelor’s thesis on Transit Socialization which is based on socializing. As a participant of the 2018-2019 Paris–Malaquais School of Architecture & EiABC exchange program, Yonatan, with his teammates, has done the research and conceptual proposal on “product-based cities” which was nominated for Africa 2020 program by the French Government. Yonatan is a detail-oriented architect who focuses on intricacy and functionality to create architectural spaces that will enhance visual experiences as well as living conditions.

Currently, he is a lecturer and researcher at Debre Tabor University. He previously worked as a project manager and construction management consultant. Gashaw is passionate about green, environmentally friendly, and sustainable building material selection. His research on Bamboo use in building and construction was published in the Advances in Civil Engineering journal. Gashaw Abebaw is a registered and licensed construction management professional in Ethiopia. 

He conducts research in educational administration in Latin America and served as visiting professor at the University of Barcelona in 2013 and the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2019. He taught in the doctoral program at la Universidad del Valle de Mexico for five years and has collaborated with colleagues to publish comparative studies of Costa Rica, Mexico, and Spain as part of the International Study of Leadership Development Network (ISLDN).

Currently, Amy Fougy is the Program Director at Mattel Child Development Center, located at Mattel Inc., headquarters in Southern California. Amy holds a B.A., in Early Childhood Education. 

Laila has experience presenting at conferences, in student training, and program development. Highlights include collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to increase awareness of children’s grief and supporting families during stressful times. Laila has been an integral member of the palliative team; focusing on the quality of life and resources available to families. A more recent focus has included self-care and resources for medical staff experiencing stress and burnout.