Our Leadership

Dr. Kara H. Ahmed serves as the President of the Educare Network, leading a national network of 25 Educare schools, public and private partnerships across the country, and the Educare National office.

Dr. Ahmed began her career as an early childhood teacher, ultimately moving into administration and leadership, working across various areas of education. Prior to joining the Educare Network, Dr. Ahmed spent the last 16 years as a leader for New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school system, as a principal and most recently as the Deputy Chancellor of Early Childhood Education, in which she led a comprehensive birth-to-five mixed-delivery portfolio that has the capacity to serve nearly 140,000 children.

Dr. Ahmed has a distinguished record of partnering with diverse stakeholders, including families, educators, superintendents, researchers, elected officials and higher education, to advance a collective early childhood mission and vision.

Dr. Ahmed has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Education Leadership and a Doctor of Education in Education Policy, both from Teachers College, Columbia University.

As Chief of Program and Impact, Andrea Pearson leads the Educare Network’s vision and implementation for program, practice and research innovations to ensure young children, families and the early childhood workforce are well equipped to reach their full potential. In her role, Andrea leads the development, scaling and sustainability of systems that integrate innovations in program, practice and research priorities to inform the Network’s efforts nationwide. With a focus on continuous quality improvement through data-driven professional learning and coaching, insisting on consistent collaboration with Educare executive leaders, their teams, local and national evaluation partners and most importantly, Educare families, Andrea is a champion for ensuring access to opportunities for families across the country.

Andrea holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Iowa and a Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Illinois University. After many years working as a teacher and principal in public and private schools in Illinois, Brazil and India, she and her husband are now raising three young children in the suburbs of Chicago.

Amy Lusk leads the Educare Network’s efforts to build its strength and sustainability through innovative partnerships at the local, regional and national levels.

For more than 20 years, Amy has served in various leadership positions at the Educare Network and Start Early, providing direction to ensure the success of Start Early’s first endowment campaign, establish the first Educare school in Chicago in 2000, and expand Educare’s national footprint to 15 states, the District of Columbia and on tribal land.

Amy holds a master’s degree in sociology from Northwestern University and lives in Chicago with her two daughters.

Dr. Amanda Stein conducts research focused on policies and practices that support equitable access to quality early learning and care and promote positive outcomes for children, families and early childhood professionals. Guided by the Network’s strategic plan, research agenda and policy agenda, she leads the research, evaluation, research-practice and research-policy partnerships (RPP) infrastructure, activities and strategy of the Educare Network.

Dr. Stein collaborates with Educare school leaders, the Network research community of national and local evaluation partners and others to lead the design, implementation and amplification of practice- and policy-relevant research and evaluation. She is currently the task lead on the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation’s Financing for ECE Quality and Access for All Project, which seeks to better understand Head Start’s participation in and use of braided funding.

Dr. Stein received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University. She is a former Head Start teacher and also previously supported early interventionists and families as a coach, which ignited her passion to work at the intersection of research, policy and practice.

Hanna Kahn advances strategic solutions that engage constituents in the work of the Educare Network, increasing organizational awareness and visibility nationally. In addition to leading strategic development, Hanna also leads fundraising, board governance, policy and advocacy, and marketing and communications for the Network. Across all functions, she forges partnerships and drives encouragement to support fair and equitable access to resources and opportunity.

Prior to joining the Educare Network, Hanna led marketing and engagement for Feeding America’s network of more than 200 food banks. Throughout the course of her 20+ year career, she has been a passionate and effective advocate for brands, missions and communities, with a particular specialty in driving alignment across complex structures.

Hanna holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Miami University. As the mother of two children who both benefitted from Early Intervention services, Hanna knows firsthand the importance and transformative effect of quality early care and education.