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President
Brianne "Bri" Naiman
ACDS President
Bri is a passionate educator and early childhood administrator. She holds a BFA in Illustration and Education from California College of the Arts and a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Pacific Oaks College. Bri is currently the Director of Westwood Presbyterian Preschool. Her past experiences include serving as the Director of Early Childhood Education at the Leonard I. Beerman Early Childhood Center at Leo Baeck Temple. She has also worked as a curriculum specialist and a teacher in both secular and religious programs. Her career is dedicated to creating nurturing learning environments where children can thrive. Bri has served as a member of the ACDS Executive Committee since 2018.
Vice President
Neda Popat
ACDS Vice-President
Neda (formerly Nada Ghaneian before getting married earlier this year!) has 20+ years of teaching experience, a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education & Special Ed from NYU and a BA in Child Development from San Diego State. She began teaching at Palos Verdes Hills Nursery School in fall of 2016 and has been the Director since fall of 2021. She has held a variety of positions in the field: teacher, outdoor classroom coordinator, parent coach and college professor. She is a South Bay native and has passion for Mindfulness. Neda’s career goal has been to bring mindfulness practices to as many children, families, and educators as possible. Her mindfulness practice with children started at UCLA Early Care and Education, where she worked with infants, toddlers and preschoolers for 8 years. Neda was invited to sit on the Executive Committee of the Association of Child Development Specialists in 2016. She became President of the Association in January 2020 and currently serves in that role.
Secretary
Karla Lee Kuester
ACDS Secretary
Karla has been working with young children and families since 1977. She has worked as a Certified Montessori Preschool Teacher / Supervising Teacher (1977-1995), a RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) Associate (since 1989), an Infant Specialist / Program Coordinator (in a Reggio Emilia / RIE Program, 2000-2004), as an Early Interventionist, Social Skills and Behavior Interventionist (2000-present). She holds degrees in Early Childhood Education / Developmental Psychology / Fine Art. Karla was the in-house Child Development Specialist at the UCLA Krieger Center (2009-2015). Since 2017, Karla has been a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certified by the BACB (Behavior Analyst Certification Board). In her private Intervention practice, she uses DIR/Floortime methodology. Karla has served on the ACDS Executive Committee since Feb of 2017 and as Secretary since 2020.
Treasurer
Susan Gonzales
ACDS Treasurer
Susan has worked with young children as a teacher, psychotherapist and preschool consultant. She began working with early childhood development and mental health at the Stanford Children’s Council, Stanford University and the Cedars Sinai Hospital Department of Psychiatry. Susan is a long standing member of ACDS and is a member the ACDS Executive Committee. She holds a certificate as an infant and early childhood specialist from Cedars Sinai, a license as clinical social worker, a master’s degree in social work UC Berkeley, and a teaching credential from UC Irvine. Susan is currently a psychotherapist working with children and adults in Los Angeles and Orange County California.
CM-Taj
Tajmaya "Taj" Anders
Committee Member
Taj is a Child Development, B.S., with a minor in Psychology. Taj has 22 years of experience as a child development professional/educator. Following the completion of her undergraduate thesis- “Creative Art Expression in a Preschool Environment,” Taj has continually worked to develop curriculum and learning environments which optimize socialemotional development in young children. In 2019, she participated in a week-long Reggio Emilia Study Tour in Reggio Italy where she gained a deeper understanding of their pedagogy. She is currently an Executive Committee Member of the Association of Child Development Specialists, and teaches at the Growing Place, Santa Monica, where she practices mindfulness with her class.
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