Sheresa Blanchard

Sheresa B. Blanchard, PhD, is a Division for Early Childhood equity consultant and a senior education researcher and technical assistance specialist at SRI with over 24 years of experience in education, early childhood, and early intervention. She is currently on leave as an Associate Professor at East Carolina University in the department of Human Development and Family Science. She has extensive experience in the early childhood sector, including serving as a birth through kindergarten educator preparation faculty member, early childhood community college adjunct faculty, and childcare commissioner for the state of North Carolina. She is a board member for Child Care Services Association that administers T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship and National Center. She served on the North Carolina Early Learning and Development Standards Advisory Team, the state’s early learning standards for children birth through five years and received the Merle B. Karnes Award for Service to the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) in 2018. Additionally, until 2022 she served as co-chair of the DEC Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice Committee for over five years.