Carla Garrett, MEd, is the Early Childhood Program Specialist at UNC Greensboro’s SERVE Center where she provides support, technical assistance, and policy guidance across projects. Prior to joining the SERVE team, she served as the Title I Preschool Consultant at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She is most proud of her leadership efforts involving a collaborative effort supporting local coordination of services among early learning partners using the Every Student Succeeds Act as a lever and NC’s Pre-K/Kindergarten Demonstration professional development initiative where she continued to grow with expert preschool and kindergarten teacher leaders as they improved their practices, resulting in better outcomes for children. Prior to becoming a state consultant at the NC Department of Public Instruction, Carla worked as a director and school administrator with Person County Schools. She provided overall leadership of state and federally funded preschool programs serving children in high-quality, comprehensive classrooms. Her focus on relationships and passion for appropriate practice contribute to her mission of providing the best possible experiences for young children and their families.