Cendie Stanford is a “Triple Eagle” scholar, becoming a first-generation college graduate to earn two Master's Degrees, one BA Degree, and a business certificate from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. A Texas native & former public school educator, she is extremely passionate about Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) education and trauma awareness. Cendie’s Stanford has lived experiences with childhood adversities, most of which were experienced in zip code 79403. Unaware that her childhood adversities played a role in how she responded to stressors in her career as an educator, relationships, and even parenting, she sought the why.

With two decades of experience working in the public education sector, Cendie traded in her classroom keys to secure a business license to spread the message of ACEs in corners of the world that needed to hear it most. Living with the consequences of childhood wounds for over four decades, Cendie took a leap of faith to start ACEs Matter as a not-for-profit organization because she believed everyone deserved access to this science. Cendie says, “Seeing adults who are struggling due to the templates from their childhood and seeing children being reared in similar environments motivate her to work harder at this vision for ACEs Matter.”

Since 2021, Cendie has made several public appearances discussing the impacts of ACEs as a lived experience survivor in underserved and professional communities. Her long-term goals include empowering Title 1 schools and communities with research-backed practices that aid in nurturing the neurons of students, parents, and educators affected by adverse childhood experiences. Cendie serves as a mentor for youth and rising education entrepreneurs. She has also conducted over 10,000 hours of professional development training and over 150 hours of online interviews.