Leadership

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Dr. Papero has more than 30 years working in the field of Early Education. She has served as a public-school teacher, a tenured professor training teachers at the university level, and, for the last decade, an early childhood administrator. The first five years of life are her deepest, professional passion and she gets great joy out of building meaningful relationships with young children and their parents. It is her honor to work alongside the teachers at CDCB ensuring that we are providing high quality care and curriculum for the children in our care. In her free time, Dr. Papero enjoys spending time with her own family, hiking, gardening, traveling to beautiful places, and baking.

B.A. Grinnell College, Biology and Elementary Education

Ph.D. Virginia Tech, Child Development

Nikki Sexton has over 20 years of experience in early childhood. She has been employed in various positions at the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass. She has been a preschool teacher, Education Director and currently the Assistant Director and Enrollment Coordinator. Nikki enjoys getting to meet new families who are interested in enrollment at CDCB, working with teachers, and perhaps most of all, building connections with children. In her free time, Nikki enjoys spending time with her Aussiedoodle, Oakley, and reading. 

Danielle Dennis is a native of Lexington who received her bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Butler University and her master’s degree in Public Health, Professional Health Education at Indiana University. She has over 10 years of development, event planning and community engagement experience including program management at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and UK Healthcare. Danielle enjoys collaborating with our staff, families, community, and Board to create memorable events and initiatives to ensure CDCB continues to be a place where children and families thrive.

Brad has been CDCB's Finance Director since 2013.  He is responsible for CDCB's accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, general ledger management, and employee benefits.   Brad holds a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has worked in the finance/accounting field throughout his career. 

Angie Folczyk is a practicing occupational therapist who has a long relationship with CDCB having completed her clinical rotation here in 1999. She was onboarded as a staff OT at CDCB after completing her graduate degree and worked here for 5 years before leaving to practice independently while her children were young.  Angie returned to CDCB as an OT after the birth of her third child and moved into a leadership role for UK Pediatric Therapies in 2015. All three of Angie’s children attended CDCB at the original location on Springhill Drive and she continues to believe in CDCB’s mission to provide holistic services which support both the child and the family.

Sandra has over 15 years of administrative and management experience. She formerly worked with Berea College as their Office and Facilities Coordinator. She graduated with honors from the National Business College with a  degree in Computer Science and a minor in Accounting. Sandra is a wife, mother and  grandmother who loves gardening, traveling and spending time with family and friends.