Susan Sarver
Nebraska Early Childhood Strategic Plan: Collaborating Across Communities
Susan Sarver joined the Buffett Institute in 2014 as director of
workforce planning and development. The workforce program takes
on the critical issues that affect the quality and quantity of
early childhood professionals in Nebraska, such as professional
preparation and qualifications, workforce compensation, funding,
and public commitment. As part of this work, the Institute
convened the Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission,
which in 2020 released its report and recommendations. The
workforce program’s focus now is on achieving the goals
co-created with the commission. Sarver’s research has been
devoted to studying rural families living in poverty as well as
continuity between parents and teachers. She is on leave as an
associate professor of child, youth, and family studies at the
University of Nebraska ̶ Lincoln, where she provided leadership
for undergraduate programs in early childhood education. Sarver
received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington &
Lee University in Virginia, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in
child and family development from the University of Georgia.