Dr. Mary Ann Dudko is an internationally recognized expert
in developing age appropriate content for children’s media, including
television, books and product. Most recently she was Vice President
of Content Development, HIT Entertainment. She and her team provided
consultation, support, and research services for Barney &
Friends, Bob
the Builder, Thomas & Friends, and Angelina Ballerina,
as well as all other properties produced by HIT Entertainment. Dr.
Dudko developed the educational philosophy for Barney and wrote the
curriculum for the series. She was responsible for assuring that
projects and products were age appropriate for the intended audience. She
also designed, oversaw and executed qualitative research for current
and developing properties (focus groups, ethnographic studies). Dr.
Dudko authored or co-authored more than 30 books for Barney Publishing. She
is an internationally recognized speaker and festival juror and has
in-depth country experience in South Korea and the UK.
Dr. Dudko earned her doctorate in early childhood education and child
development from Texas Woman’s University. She has taught preschool,
kindergarten, elementary school, and graduate level courses over the
past 35 years. Dr. Dudko is a frequent presenter at local, state,
national and international organizations for early childhood educators
and media professionals. She has served as a juror for international
children’s television festivals in Cairo and Bratislava. She is
the mother of one daughter and two sons, and has two grandsons. She
resides in the Dallas, Texas area.