Nationally Recognized Speaker, Author & Expert in Early Childhood Education
"Before anything else, I want you to know you're not alone in this journey. Every child deserves a strong start, and every adult deserves support in giving it."
"With a career spanning over two decades, she's on a mission to help those who care for children rediscover their purpose, build resilience, and lead with joy."
Dr. Nefertiti Poyner is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and expert in early childhood education and educator well-being. With a career spanning over two decades, she's on a mission to help those who care for children rediscover their purpose, build resilience, and lead with joy.
For 24 years, Nefertiti served with distinction at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, where she helped shape national conversations around social-emotional learning, staff retention, and trauma-responsive education. After nearly a quarter-century of service, she followed a divine nudge to launch Mighty Works Education Group in 2025, a consulting and professional development firm devoted to strengthening "the village"—the educators, caregivers, and leaders who nurture young children from birth through third grade.
Known for her calm yet commanding presence, Nefertiti is a sought-after keynote speaker who weaves evidence-informed strategies with soulful storytelling. Whether on stage, in workshops, or behind the scenes as a coach or consultant, she delivers practical tools wrapped in compassion and clarity.
A self-described introvert, Nefertiti recharges by making candles in the quiet of her home studio, earbuds in, playlist humming, honoring stillness as an act of self-preservation. And while she's spent her professional life advocating for children and caregivers, it was becoming a mom later in life that transformed her most.
Being an "advanced-age mama" (as the researchers say) has deepened her empathy, sharpened her purpose, and awakened a fierce desire to leave behind something more meaningful than a legacy, a life lived fully aligned.
Nefertiti is the author of She Knows What She's Doing, co-author of Building Your Bounce: Simple Strategies for a Resilient You (2nd Edition), and Socially Strong, Emotionally Secure. Her work is a reflection of her deepest truth: nurturing joy, resilience, and intention in the earliest years.
"This is the work because every child deserves a strong start, and every adult deserves support in giving it."