LaWanda Wesley served as Oakland Unified School District’s Director of Quality Enhancement and Professional Development of Early Education from June 2018 to January 2022. She supported a cadre of over 200 dynamic educators and a dedicated early learning leadership team. As of January 2022, she transitioned to the Child Care Resource Center as Director of Government Relations of Early Learning. Dr. Wesley also co-directed a statewide leadership fellowship, the California Consortium for Equity in Early Childhood Education Fellowship. Dr. Wesley is the co-author of two books in a series about trauma-informed care: Culturally Responsive Self-Care for Early Childhood Educators and Creating and Sustaining Trauma-Informed and Healing Engaged Early Childhood Organizations and Systems. She is also a contributor to the California Department of Education document, Responsive Early Education for Young Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness. Dr. Wesley was selected by the National Black Child Development Institute as one of 14 policy fellows across the country for the 2021-2023 cohort. She is audaciously dedicated to changing the lives of all children, especially those from communities of color, poverty, and furthest reach from opportunity, yet most at promise.
