CECMP Director: Neva Bandelow’s career in early care and education has spanned over 30 years as an educator and administrator. She is a fierce advocate for young children and their families, teachers, and educational systems change. Neva served as adjunct faculty at local community colleges where she taught early education students on topics focused on social justice, anti-bias analysis of curriculum, educational standards and assessment, and teaching practice.
Neva is passionate in raising equity issues and is honored to be a graduate from Build’s Equity Leaders Action Network, a national fellowship. She holds degrees in liberal studies, early childhood education, and human and community services, and a Master of Arts degree in 21st Century Leadership.
CECMP Assistant Director: Vanessa Dilks has been in the Early Childhood Education field for over 15 years. Beginning her career as a preschool teacher, Vanessa found her passion in working with young children and their families. Vanessa continued her work in the ECE field at an Alameda County Resource and Referral Agency in providing professional development opportunities for child care providers, partnering with families to help them find and pay for quality child care, and to most recently working as a Program Director providing innovative programs to families, child care providers and the community.
Vanessa has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology with an Applied Psychology Minor from the University of Santa Barbara and most recently served on the Leadership Pleasanton Steering Committee and Las Positas Early Care and Education Advisory Board.
CECMP Senior Administrative Assistant: Jo has a Bachelor of Laws degree; and is at heart a human rights advocate. Jo is passionate about human rights and sustainable development. He has worked in the international human rights sphere with the UN Human Rights Pacific Office focusing specifically on access to justice, providing support, technical assistance and capacity-building to civil society actors and human rights networks across the Pacific. He is very excited to have joined the CECMP Team and working in the early childhood education and development space across California.