TRI's Serra Acar, Ph.D. has been elected by her peers to serve as Member-at-Large on the Division for Early Childhood Executive Board.

Colleague and longtime DEC member Patricia Blasco says, "I think Serra brings youth and expertise in social equity as well as early childhood education to her role on the board. She participated in the revision of the DEC Recommended Practices and demonstrated her leadership by involving many TRI colleagues in submitting proposals at DEC last year."

"Serra is a hard worker," Dr. Blasco continues. "She is a team player and always willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done. She is enthusiastic about her work and makes those around her excited and happy to be involved as a team."

"I am thrilled and honored to have been elected to the DEC Executive Board," says Serra Acar. "DEC has been my professional home for resources, policy, collaboration and professional development, and I'm looking forward to being able to give back."

What Acar hopes to accomplish

Dr. Acar has three main goals for the Member-at-Large position. She would like to advance evidence-based practices that support families and enhance development of young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities. She is committed to professional development and would like to build opportunities for ongoing collaboration among members within and across disciplines. And she would like to expand implementation and dissemination of DEC Recommended Practices.

The Division for Early Childhood

The Division for Early Childhood was started in 1973 by a group of volunteers who cared deeply about the development of young children with special needs. DEC is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the largest professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.