ARLINGTON, VA, December 11, 2023 – Child Care Aware of America is pleased to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors. These new leaders will assume their positions in January 2024.
The following leaders will begin their terms as CCAoA board members on January 1, 2024:
- Rodney Adams is the former director of the Mecklenburg County Department of Community Resources, where he led the County’s Health and Human Services integration effort to integrate segments of public health, child support, veterans and social services. In June 2018, Adams pioneered the launch of the first of six place-based Health and Human Services Community Resource Centers, strategically located throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Through collaboration with community leaders, nonprofit, faith and other civic leaders, the Community Resource Center focuses on delivering integrated health and human service programs utilizing a social determinant lens to strengthen individuals and families, promote health and wellness and build communities.
- Jerry Croan, MCP, is an independent consultant and senior fellow with Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc., where he has played a key role in numerous social impact projects in early childhood, mental health and employment opportunity. These included several projects in North Carolina aimed at strengthening the case for child care and Pre-K funding and innovation for Mecklenburg County and NCDHHS. Croan has served on several advisory and governing boards for nonprofits, including Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, Rising Act Films, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and Altarum Institute.
- Carolyn S. Stevens, MPA, is the former director for the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, serving from June 2017 to April 2021. As director, she was responsible for programs and policies that promote military families’ well-being, readiness and quality of life. In this capacity, she had oversight for Department of Defense (DoD) child development and youth programs, which served 700,000 children annually at more than 300 locations worldwide. Stevens has more than 36 years of experience working with children, youth and families in nonprofit, for-profit and federal child care systems. Her work within the federal system included direct care and management experience in home-based and center-based child development programs at the installation level.
- Kristin Thorn, JD, is a managing director in Accenture’s Health and Public Service practice and leads Accenture’s Public Health Industry for North America. She works with public sector agencies to transform to outcomes-focused, value-driven organizations leveraging program design and technology solutions to maximize performance while improving the beneficiary experience. Thorn advises on public health administration, program implementation, operational readiness and business integration strategies. Before joining Accenture, Thorn was Medicaid Director for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where she drove innovations across several key initiatives to transform delivery system models, advance payment reform, improve data and analytic capabilities, and increase program oversight. While with the Commonwealth, she also served as Director of Operations for Governor Deval Patrick.
CCAoA is deeply grateful to those leaders transitioning from the Board: Junlei Li, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Taran Schneider, Executive Director of Healthy Child Care Colorado; Laurie Tarpey, Executive Coach and Consultant; and Barbara Thompson, Former Director of the Office of Family Readiness Policy within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy.
“We are so lucky to have such a distinguished group of experts and leaders joining our Board,” shared Susan Gale Perry, CEO of CCAoA. “Rodney, Jerry, Carolyn and Kristen are all deeply committed to building the equitable, accessible and affordable child care system our country so sorely needs and will bring a wealth of knowledge to our already esteemed Board. I would also like to thank Junlei, Taran, Laurie and Barbara for their years of service and leadership on the Board.”
“It has been my honor to serve with such a dedicated, committed group of professionals,” shared Taran Schneider. “The current and new board members are among the brightest, most dedicated leaders I know. They are creating and will continue to work toward real change and transformation for the child care system, which is a public good for all children and families.”
