Omaha, Neb. — The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska has named a program administrator for the Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan. Cris Lopez Anderson comes to the Buffett Institute from Lawrence (Kansas) Public Schools, where she has been a teacher, district early childhood administrator, and school principal for 28 years.

As program administrator, she will work with the program development leadership team to guide implementation of the School as Hub for Birth – Grade 3 approach under the Superintendents’ Plan in the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties. The School as Hub approach includes home visiting for birth – 3-year-olds, high-quality preschool, and aligned Kindergarten – Grade 3. Comprehensive family partnerships are emphasized throughout all phases of the approach.

“I am honored to be joining the Buffett Early Childhood Institute,” Lopez Anderson said. “To join a team that has a strong commitment to creating educational systems to support young children, birth through Grade 3, is exciting and speaks to my lifelong passion of being an early childhood educator and instructional leader.”

Lopez Anderson will complete the 2016 – 2017 academic year with Lawrence Public Schools before joining the Buffett Institute full-time in July.

“Cris brings with her expertise, experience, and social justice commitments that will be remarkable assets for the Buffett Institute’s work,” said Chris Maxwell, director of program development at the Institute. “Cris’s knowledge of birth  ̶  Grade 3 practices and policies at both the school and systems levels, coupled with her leadership for building staff capacity and for promoting equity, are unmatched.”

Lopez Anderson taught for 11 years in Michigan and Illinois before coming to Lawrence Public Schools.

She earned a master of education with an early childhood education endorsement from Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Mich.), where she also earned a bachelor’s degree with an elementary education certificate. She also has an English as a Second Language Endorsement from Kansas State University and an elementary building administrative license from Washburn University.