Debra McDonald, representing preschool, comes to us with over 20 years of practical experience in the field of early child development. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Akron in Elementary and Vocational Education, a master's degree from Marygrove College in Curriculum and Instruction, and recently earned Ohio's prestigious Master Teacher certification.

Deb is an active member of the early childhood community. At the state level, she has worked with the Ohio Department of Education in an advisory capacity to align Early Childhood Education content standards. At the district level, she serves as the president of the Wayne Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC). At the local level, Deb is beginning her sixteenth year at Wayne County Schools Career Center, in Smithville, Ohio, as an early childhood career-technical instructor and director of the WCSCC Child Development Learning Center.

Deb also supports her local school district as the entry-year coordinator for the resident educator program. She is parliamentarian on the Wayne County JVS Educational Association (WCJVSEA) executive board and is a member of the negotiations committee. She chairs the Employee Performance Evaluation Committee (EPEC) and serves as a member of both the Faculty Advisory Committee and the High Schools That Work (HSTW) curriculum and instruction committee.