Dr. Keena
MEET
BELIEVER - WIFE - EDUCATOR - LEADER - ENTREPRENEUR
When I was in college, I remember saying to my mom that I wanted life to be better for her. As you can imagine she didn’t like hearing that from her kid...but now I realize that statement was spoken out of who I am. By design, I am someone who just wants things to be better for everyone and so knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or subconsciously that’s what my life has been about and just about everything that I do somehow makes life better for someone else.
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At this point in my life, I’ve come to realize that some dreams don’t ever really die - what happens is they get silenced because they aren’t given enough voice to compete with all the noise of life. At least that’s what happened to me and it wasn’t until I became a woman of a certain age that my dreams started to resurface. Today, all of the varied experiences and things that I was exposed to make sense (in ways they never did before).
Since 1991, I have worked with children and families in early childhood education. I’ve done that in a number of different roles, but my favorite job was probably that of Kindergarten teacher. After 11 years, I transitioned from working in the classroom with children to serving leaders. This work looks like many different things, but at the core of everything I do is the little girl that encountered her purpose in her grandparents' garage.
I have become a respected leader and award-winning educator that has worked with early childhood programs throughout the United States. My love for children has evolved into a desire to pour into non-profit leaders and early childhood programs that serve the community. After working grueling hours and learning countless lessons, I realized that it was (yet again) time for another God-ordained shift. Part of this reality came during a family emergency.
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Like many other people, I grew up with lots of dysfunction around me. Part of that included me taking on adult responsibilities so that my sister and I could have some consistency and normalcy in life. It wasn't easy and definitely wasn't much fun for me, but by the grace of God we turned out ok. We’re both successful, we both have loving families and we are both as reasonably sensible as one can imagine!
I grew up with a grandfather who had a very sharp business mind and who always seemed to know exactly what to do with money, but yet my grandfather (who was born in the south in 1916) couldn’t read. It was in his garage that I first realized that I wanted to be a teacher – my imaginary students learned how to be great readers with my childhood books! Between that time and actually having my own classroom a lot of life happened to me.
Gratefully we came out victorious, but during this time I was reminded of how precious life is and the importance of caring for ourselves so we can serve others. It was also during this period that I remembered my dream of wanting to manage my own time and traveling the world with my husband - but in order for that to happen some things needed to change and thankfully they did. Now I spend my days living my dream and supporting your goals. My dream is to help you experience "better."
Education
Career
Credentials
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Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership & Early Childhood Education
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M.A. in Organizational Leadership
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B.S. in Early Childhood Education
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Non-Profit & Early Education Coach | Consultant | Speaker
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Los Angeles County Head Start Program Consultant & Monitor
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School Readiness Program Administrator - $2.6 million budget; 5 locations
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Birth to 5 ECE Program Deputy Director/COO - 16 locations; $100 million budget; 250+ employees
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College-Level Instructor & University Fieldwork Supervisor
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California Child Development Program Director Permit
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California Administrative Services Credential
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Council for Professional Recognition – Professional Development Specialist
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Certified Life Coach
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Certificate of Ethnic Church Ministry
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DiSC Certified Trainer
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace