Cindy Shields
President
Cindy Shields serves as a Senior Policy Analyst for Early Childhood at Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ), a role she has held since the summer of 2024. In this capacity, she advances statewide policies that strengthen early care and education, with a focus on access, affordability, and quality for children and families.
Prior to joining ACNJ, Cindy dedicated 30 years to serving the children and families of Middlesex County through the YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge, and South Amboy. She began her career as a teacher after earning her Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1993, and went on to gain extensive experience teaching infants and toddlers, supporting parents and families, and directing child care programs across all ages and settings.
Her professional strengths include building partnerships with school districts and community organizations, collaborating with state officials and legislators, and navigating systems within Abbott and Preschool Expansion districts. Cindy has also led the YMCA Peer Network for Early Childhood Educators in New Jersey and currently serves on the Middlesex County Human Services Advisory Committee (MCHSAC), where she chairs the Child Care Committee.
Cindy is deeply passionate about advocating for early care and education as both a state and national priority, and about uplifting early childhood educators as teachers and professionals on par with their K–12 counterparts. She believes that by advancing these ideals, the field of early childhood education will gain the recognition it deserves as the foundation of all future learning for New Jersey’s youngest citizens.
Meghan Tavormina, M.A.
Past President
Entering the field of Early Education at a young age, Meghan worked in the classroom while obtaining her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Rutgers University in Political Science. Once completing her degrees, Meghan created and opened a small, high quality full day Preschool. Through her work in early childhood education, Meghan has become an active ECE advocate. Meghan joined the Executive Board of NJAEYC as a co-vice president of public policy. Through this work she has attended several public policy forum trips to advocate for federal change in education. She has also worked with partners and funders to bring advocacy tools to NJ’s early childhood professionals. A few of these tools include, “5 Bullet-point Friday” publications, ACT Team (Advocacy Changes Things), Voter Voice, NJAEYC’s first Advocacy day and our Leadership Conference. Meghan is passionate about advocating for young children and takes opportunities to testify and speak with elected officials around important issues. Meghan is an active participant on the NIEER Infant Toddler Center Advisory Committee, Child Care Advisory Board, Pritzger Leadership Team, and is a co chair of the Think Babies Child Care Committee and serves on several focus groups around early childhood education.
Liteove Rodriguez-Tighe
Vice President, Governance
Liteove Rodriguez-Tighe is currently the Director of Early Childhood Education in the city of Passaic, NJ. In her role as director, she supports and collaborates with the school leaders of in-district classrooms as well as private providers and Head Start sites to ensure that the preschool programs are providing experiences that are both nurturing and developmentally appropriate for preschool age students. Ms. Tighe started her career as a preschool teacher in a provider site and for the last 17 years has had the privilege of serving as a vice principal and principal at early childhood centers prior to her current role. Her dedication is based on her strong beliefs that high quality learning experiences have significant long-lasting impact on a child’s future academic success and social emotional development.
Evelyn Ayum
Co-Vice President, Advocacy & Public Policy
Evelyn Ayum is a dedicated educator with a passion for teaching that spans over 34 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bernard Baruch College and a Master’s degree from Bank Street College. Throughout her career, Evelyn has been committed to professional development and holds certifications as a Learning Disability Teacher Consultant and Teacher of the Handicapped license.
Evelyn’s expertise in education led her to become a respected figure in the field. She is currently serving as the President of the Newark Teachers’ Association of NJEA, where she advocates for teachers and students alike. Her contributions extend beyond the classroom as she has also worked in the Office of Early Childhood and served as an Early Childhood fellow.
In addition to her work in education, Evelyn is actively involved in organizations such as the NJ Orators, where she serves as a Board member, and the NJ Association of Learning Consultants, where she is a recent committee member. Her dedication to improving education and supporting her colleagues is evident in her involvement in these organizations. Evelyn recently retired on January 1st , 2024, after 34 years however, continues as Newark Teachers’ Association president until 2025 when her term ends.
Outside of her professional life, Evelyn is a devoted mother to a daughter who is completing medical school in 2024 and a loving wife for 41 years. Her family values and commitment to education have shaped her career and made her a respected leader in the education community.
Susan Dannemiller
Co-Vice President, Advocacy & Public Policy
Equally passionate about early childhood education, mental health/wellness, and nonprofit management, Sue has combined these areas of interest into a rewarding professional career serving young children and families over the 25+ years. As a nonprofit administrator, she has focused on creating a healing-centered preschool environment where all children and adults can develop healthy social-emotional skills and strengthen their resilience. Recently, Sue has become more actively involved in advocating for, and educating others, on the basic needs of NJ’s child care and education industry: affordable, quality early childhood programs and a well-supported workforce.
Sue currently works at Children’s Day Preschool and Family Center in Passaic, NJ. For the past 22 years, she has been a part of CDP’s incredible team- serving first as the program’s art therapist, then the social service coordinator, and for the last 18 years, has been honored to serve as the agency’s executive director. She has a Master’s degree in Expressive Therapy/Art Therapy, and is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the State of NJ. She worked for 1.5 years as an Adjunct Professor at Caldwell University. Sue is also an active community member in her hometown, and in her free time, enjoys art journaling and spending time with friends and family.
Tirusha Dave
Co-Vice President, Membership & Social Media
Tirusha Dave is a professional leader in early childhood education and childcare, and the Founder of Ellie’s Academy. As an early education advocate, Tirusha has appeared on MSNBC, USA Today, News12 NJ, and NJ.com, talking about the benefits of early childhood education, especially during the public health emergency.
She has earned her B.A. degree at Rider University and is currently pursuing her MBA, at William Paterson University.Tirusha has always believed that children learn best when the learning environment is designed to meet the developmental needs of each child, and one which fosters exploration, creativity and independence. She is committed to creating a strong, educational program, and high community-engagement within her community.
Dena-Ann Febus
Co-Vice President, Membership & Social Media
With over 25 years in early childhood education, Dena-Ann Febus continues to develop a career dedicated to advancing the field and supporting educators.
She holds Master’s Degrees in Education from St. John’s University and Educational Leadership from William Paterson University.
She has worked in Franklin Township, Somerset for the majority of her career and is currently the district’s Supervisor of Early Childhood Education.
She has presented at various early childhood conferences and has participated in the Fred Rogers Educators’ Neighborhood Cohort, contributing to the advancement of early childhood education standards and practices.
Saloni Mathur
Secretary
Saloni’s mission to strengthen every effort that empowers children is guided by the vision of Dr. Maria
Montessori and this quote by RBG; “Fight for the things you care about but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” ― U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Saloni is President of the New Jersey Montessori Association Corporation, NJMAC. She has served
children and families in her community as a Curriculum Coordinator and Early Childhood Guide. She
represented Private Preschool providers on the Long Hill Township School District’s Preschool Advisory
Committee. Saloni currently serves on The American Montessori Society, AMS Regional Action
Commission and on the Montessori Public Policy Initiative, MPPI, New Jersey advocacy team to
strengthen the role of Early Childhood institutions in our state. Saloni enjoys sharing her passion for her
work and has authored National Association of Independent Schools, NAIS, and Montessori Life
publication articles. She has presented workshops at AMS and University conferences. Her Action
Research paper, Montessori and Beyond: Successful Transition to a Traditional Public School in First
Grade was published in the AMS Journal for Montessori Research.
Saloni completed the 2020-21 AMS Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program. She holds an Early
Childhood Education Credential by the American Montessori Society. She has a B.S. in Child and
Adolescent Development from Union Institute and University, Ohio and B.S. in Life Sciences from Delhi
University, Delhi, India.
Prashanth Gorantala
Treasurer
Prashanth works as a Business Analyst within NBC Universal, where his work allows him to focus on the financial aspects of the business. He has over 20 years of professional experience, and his entire career has been within the IT profession. In recent years, Prashanth has established a keen footing in the field of Early Childhood Education, as he & his wife are the co-owner of Ellie’s Academy. Prashanth has been sought out for his expertise within finance. He has attained his Master’s degree and his hobbies include traveling & photography.
Valerie Frost-Lewis, MS Ed.
Chapter Representative, Ocean County
Coming to the field of Early Education in 2006 from a career in corporate marketing and management, Valerie attained her Master of Science Degree in Education, with a Specialization in Early Childhood Education upon making this career switch. Valerie is the Owner/Director of The Peppermint Tree Child Development Center, a state licensed center with a four-star rating in Grow New Jersey Kids, the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Her center has also been selected by the state of New Jersey to implement the Pyramid Model, to support social emotional development of young children. As an advocate for inclusion of special needs children in general early care and education settings, she is a consultant for the New Jersey Inclusive Child Care Project, (which is a NJ state organization through SPAN). In 2014, she was awarded the Annasuk Award from the New Jersey Department of Education’s MAP Team for Inclusive Child Care for excellence in inclusion practice. Enjoying the opportunity to mentor aspiring early educators, Valerie is a Professional Development Specialist for the Council for Professional Recognition. In this capacity, she performs the verification visit and mentoring session as one of the final steps for an educator to achieve their CDA Credential. She is a regular speaker at Early Childhood conferences and workshops throughout New Jersey, including for NJAEYC, and she has spoken a number of times at NAEYC national conferences. She also provides professional development for her early education staff at the Peppermint Tree on a monthly basis.