Meet the leadership behind The Alliance.

DIRECTOR

As the Director of the Early Learning Alliance, Bethany guides the mission and strategic plan of ELA in collaboration with the Leadership Team and staff. She represents the Alliance to national, state, and local groups such as the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers, the Texas Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, and the North Texas Early Childhood Wellness Council.

Bethany spent her early career as a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) coordinator for the WestEd Excellence in Early Education (E3) Institute where she executed the Santa Clara County Race to the Top Action Plan with home-based child care providers. She then worked at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California, Berkeley conducting policy research on the preparation and support of the early care and education workforce.

Bethany earned her doctoral degree in education from Southern Methodist University, master’s degree in education policy from Columbia University, and bachelor degree in political science from Texas A&M University (Whoop!). She lives in Arlington with her husband, Ryan; two children, Jayden and Eleanor; and two dogs, Romo and Emmitt.

PROJECT MANAGER

Rebecca manages ELA’s committees and initiatives, collaborates with partner organizations, manages social media and newsletter, and hosts special events to promote early childhood development & education in Tarrant County.

Rebecca currently holds multiple leadership positions in Tarrant County. She sits on the board for the Texas Association for Education of Young Children (TXAEYC)- Fort Worth Chapter, Help Me Grow North Texas (HMGNTX)- Family Engagement Subcommittee, and Hispanic Wellness Coalition. In addition, she is a member of the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas and STEER Fort Worth. Rebecca is a proud alumni of Leadership Fort Worth and Leadership ISD.

Rebecca is a native Tejana with Mexican-American roots. She was the first in her family to obtain a bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. She loves to travel, bake, and mentor young girls.

DATA CONSULTANT

Dr. Ware serves as data consultant for the Early Learning Alliance, supporting the data collection, management, and reporting needs of the Alliance.

She is the owner/manager of AWare Research Solutions, a consulting business focused primarily on research and evaluation related to early child development. She has over 25 years of research and evaluation experience in early childhood through post-secondary environments. She earned a Doctorate in Experimental Psychology, with a focus on child social and cognitive development, in 1993.

Dr. Ware has held leadership positions in the research, evaluation and accountability offices of Fort Worth and Austin Independent School Districts, and with the University of Texas at Dallas Education Research Center. Dr. Ware has expertise managing large scale educational research projects focusing on issues such as early childhood education, teacher effectiveness, college and career readiness, professional development, after school programs, and programs for English language learners.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Emily Rappaport serves as the Administrative Assistant. Emily is currently enrolled at the University of Texas at Arlington to pursue her bachelor’s degree, after graduation she plans to pursue her master’s degree in social work specializing in Community and Administrative Practice. She plans to work in higher education once she’s done with school. 

She is native to Fort Worth. During her free time, Emily travels, reads all the books on her bookshelf, and enjoys being around people.