Dora Sanders, Ph.D.

I attribute my success to my faith, perseverance, and the opportunities I've had along the way. Being a product of Head Start myself, coming from a poor African American family, and now having recently graduated with my PhD in organizational leadership means everything to me. I'm super proud to have taken advantage of all the academic opportunities and now be able to give back to the field that gave me so much. My mother was the backbone of my work, my dissertation, and my plans. Before she died two years ago, she said to me something that became the premise for my strength-based leadership approach: if we were busy looking at the good in others, we would be too busy to see the bad. I use that as the foundation for my strength-based leadership training perspective. I've also had incredible mentors like Angel Casiano, who guided me through my Head Start career trajectory and told me I needed to get my PhD because I'm such a researcher and have a lot to offer. He coached me and worked with me as I went through this journey. Joan Lombardi, who is renowned in the early childhood space, has also been a tremendous influence on my path.

The best career advice I ever received came from my mentor Angel Casiano, who told me I needed to get my PhD. He said I was a strong researcher and had a lot to offer, and he coached and worked with me as I went through that journey. But the advice that has shaped my entire leadership philosophy came from my mother before she died. She told me that if we were busy looking at the good in others, we would be too busy to see the bad. That wisdom became the premise for my strength-based perspective in leadership training and the foundation of my Strength Ecological Leadership Framework.

I would tell young women entering early childhood education to hold on, because the times get turbulent, and it's not an easy path in the field. But what we do is so foundational that it is important. You matter because that 0 to 8 space is when children are developing the most, and what we do sets them up for academic, career, and life success. You're making a real impact that will last a lifetime.

I think the biggest challenge in my field right now is funding. With many things happening at the state, community, and federal levels, funding is a major challenge for early childhood programs. But with that challenge comes an opportunity. It's an opportunity for local philanthropists to get in and be supportive in their communities, rather than waiting for someone else to do it. We can do it ourselves. Although funding is a challenge, it is an opportunity for a lot of community work and support to start happening at the local level and for small steps forward. We don't have to wait for large-scale solutions when we can create meaningful change right in our own communities.

The values most important to me center around faith, empowerment, strength-based leadership, and giving back. My entire approach is built on looking for the good in others and helping people recognize their own power and strengths. I believe deeply in the foundational importance of early childhood education and the lasting impact we can have on children's academic, career, and life success. Community support and local action are also core to my values. I believe we don't have to wait for someone else to create change - we can do it ourselves at the local level. Having been a Head Start student myself from a low-income African American family, and now being able to give back to the field with my PhD, represents everything I value about education, opportunity, and service to others.