Cynthia Juniper, MA

Cynthia Juniper began work as a Research Associate at the Ray Marshall Center in July 2011. She worked on the Statewide Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment sponsored by the Texas Early Learning Council. This project reviewed the child care capacity in the state of Texas and made future projections for this need. The project also reviewed the various quality indicators that are available in the Early Childhood Education field. Cynthia is currently working on projects relevant to early childhood care and education, social service and work support programs, education and workforce development.

Prior to joining the Center, Cynthia served on the Senior Leadership Team with Community Action of Hays, Caldwell, and Blanco Counties. During her employment with Community Action, she was responsible for the operation and quality of a number of local social service programs including: Head Start, Early Head Start, Rural AIDS Services, Energy Assistance, Homelessness Prevention, and two area Senior Centers. The Head Start and Early Head Start programs were the focus of much of her work with Community Action. The program operated eleven child development centers in three counties, including collaborations with public school Pre-K programs and Parenting Education Programs (PEP). Cynthia served as a trainer and consultant for a number of Head Start programs throughout the region.

Before working at Community Action, Cynthia taught undergraduate sociology at Texas Woman’s University and Texas State University in San Marcos, served as the director of two rape crisis programs, coordinated a family violence shelter and outreach program, worked on a Recovery from Rape research project with the Urban Institute, and a number of Head Start demonstration projects. She is a published poet and the author of Principles of Recovery from Abuse; a recovery guide for sexual assault survivors. Cynthia received her BS in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and her Masters in Sociology from the Texas Woman’s University.