University of Rochester

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McMillan Ilderton Gaither
Organization: Start Early (formerly known at the Ounce of Prevention)
Title: Program Associate, Content Development, National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement at Start Early
Program Graduation: MM, ALP Certificate 2010
Musical Studies: Trombone
Musical Specialties: Commercial Music, Freelance
Non-Musical Specialties: Human Development, Social Justice
Quote: “The ALP certificate program has had a HUGE impact on my career! The skills and knowledge I gathered through those courses, internships, and projects while at ESM have been central to my job pathways and perspectives over the past decade. My ALP experiences truly have served me time after time as foundational professional reference points for me, during multiple career transitions and as part of my overall growth towards my current successes.”

Bio:

I am currently a social worker focused on creating professional development resources for Head Start and Early Head Start communities across the US. I have been working in local, state, regional, and national early childhood and family services systems for the past five years, after finishing my MSW program at Salem State University. I moved to the Greater Boston area after completing my graduate program at ESM in 2010, and I have been fortunate to enjoy a variety of freelance music performance work since then, ranging from the horn section of a local funk pop band to premiering many wonderful new compositions as part of Sound Icon. My performances have included the following venues: Paine Hall at Harvard University, Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant & Music Club, CFA Concert Hall at Boston University, Midway Cafe, Slosberg Music Center at Brandeis University, Arts at the Armory, ICA Boston, and Somerville PorchFest.