Essential to the work of the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center is the new National Advisory Council (NAC).
Before a single NAC member came on board, we knew we had to be very thoughtful about its membership to ensure the advisory group reflected diversity not only in expertise but in perspective and experience as well.
Director Dr. Cynthia Osborne reached out to each potential member, one by one, sharing the unique opportunity to prioritize and bridge the science of brain development during the earliest years to a clear policy roadmap, grounded on the strongest evidence, for state leaders aiming to strengthen outcomes and equity for all infants and toddlers. She was met with acknowledgement of the many challenges ahead and also great enthusiasm at what could and will be accomplished together.
The result of these honest conversations is an impressive National Advisory Council comprised of the nation’s top scholars, practitioners, state leaders, advocates, and funders representing multiple sectors. Their collective perspectives will undoubtedly strengthen both the process and conclusions of the Prenatal-to-Three Policy Impact Center, and we’re humbled by their support and commitment.
The inaugural Impact Center National Advisory Council includes:
- Christina Altmayer – Vice President of Programs, First 5 LA
- Joia Adele Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG –Founder/President, National Birth Equity Collaborative
- Libby Doggett, PhD – former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning, U.S. Department of Education
- Greg Duncan, PhD – Distinguished Professor, School of Education and Departments of Economics and Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California at Irvine; Chair, National Academies of Sciences Committee on Building an Agenda to Reduce the Number of Children in Poverty by Half in 10 Years
- Janet Froetscher – President, J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation; former CEO of Special Olympics International
- Janis Gonzales, MD, MPH, FAAP – Bureau Chief and Medical Director for the Family Health Bureau, New Mexico Department of Health; Title V Director, New Mexico
- A.J. Griffin – Director of Government and Community Affairs, Paycom; former Senator and Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services, Oklahoma State Senate
- Thomas Hedrick – Director of Dillon Joyce Ltd; former CEO, AVANCE Inc.; former Fellow, Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative; former Sr. Partner, McKinsey and Co.
- Iheoma Iruka, PhD – Chief Research Innovation Officer and Director of the Center for Early Education Evaluation, HighScope Educational Research Foundation
- Brenda Jones Harden, PhD – Alison Richman Professor of Children and Families at the University of Maryland School of Social Work
- Ruth Kagi – former Representative and Chair of the Early Learning and Human Services Committee, Washington State House of Representatives
- John B. King, JD, PhD – President and CEO, The Education Trust; former Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education
- David Lakey, MD – Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, The University of Texas System; former Commissioner, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Joan Lombardi, PhD – Director, Early Opportunities LLC; former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Michael Lu, MD, MS, MPH – Dean, UC Berkeley School of Public Health; former Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Tammy Mann, PhD – President and CEO, The Campagna Center; former President of Governing Board, National Association for the Education of Young Children
- Ron Mincy, PhD – Director, Center for Research on Fathers, Children, and Family Well-Being; Professor of Social Policy and Social Work Practice, Columbia University
- Geoff Nagle, PhD, MSW, MPH – President and CEO, Erikson Institute; Founding Director, Tulane University Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
- Jessie Rasmussen – President, Buffett Early Childhood Fund; former Senator, Nebraska Senate, and Director of both Nebraska and Iowa Departments of Health and Human Services
- Jack Shonkoff, MD – Founding Director, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital
- Margaret Spellings – President and CEO, Texas 2036; former Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education
- Jim Spurlino – President and Owner, Spurlino Materials
- David Willis, MD – Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Social Policy; former Director, Home Visiting and Early Childhood Services, Maternal Child Health Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Learn more about each NAC member here.
