About me
Kristen Paul has devoted over two decades to various roles serving children and their families; her career has included work as a science teacher, Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at NASA, STEM Coordinator at Salisbury University, and family support for Birth to Five Programs. In addition to her current role as the Director of Early Childhood Programs at The Parents’ Place of Maryland (PPMD) – Maryland’s Parent Training Information and Family-to-Family Health Information Center – Kristen serves as Maryland’s Ambassador for both the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. and DEC’s Recommended Practices programs. Her work at PPMD includes managing early childhood initiatives including the Baby LEADers family training program and the recently-launched Early Childhood Family Partners program.
Kristen serves on numerous statewide committees, working groups, and other collaborative efforts to improve the outcomes of Maryland’s youngest residents and their families. She is the Vice-Chair of the State Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers (SICC) and serves on both the Pyramid Model State Leadership Team’s Family Engagement Subcommittee and newly-formed Suspension and Expulsion Workgroup. She was recently announced as a member of Maryland Early Childhood Leadership Program (MECLP) Cohort V, which develops and supports leaders who are catalyzing change in order to improve school readiness and related outcomes for early learners, particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable children and their families. At the local level, Kristen serves as Chair of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Special Education. She resides in Southern Maryland with her husband and young son, the latter of whom has multiple disabilities and inspires and motivates her in her efforts toward ensuring equitable outcomes for all of Maryland’s children.