Perry joins cohort building intergenerational family prosperity and well-being
ARLINGTON, VA, October 10, 2023 – The Aspen Institute has selected Child Care Aware® of America Chief Executive Officer Susan Gale Perry for its 2023 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship. Perry will join a cohort of 19 other leaders from across the United States dedicated to transforming systems so all children and families can thrive.
“It is my honor to join this class of fellows,” shared Perry. “I am eager to participate in this 18-month journey of reflection, inspiration and action, and appreciate the Aspen Institute for choosing me for this opportunity. In my project, I will be building a vision and roadmap for financing child care to achieve an affordable, equitable child care system that works for all families and values and compensates the child care workforce.”
Perry is a nationally recognized early childhood and human services leader; most of her career has been in early childhood. She holds a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University in St. Paul and a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from Hamilton College.
She previously served as Chief Deputy Secretary, Opportunity & Well-being, for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, Perry oversaw the Department’s Human Services portfolio, which included Early Care and Education as well as Public Policy, Communications, Government Affairs and Data Strategy. Serving as CEO marked a return to CCAoA for Perry, who served as Deputy Executive Director from 2002-2010, when the organization was known as the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
The Ascend Fellowship invests in diverse leaders who are well-connected, well-prepared and powerfully positioned to build political will, change systems and drive the policy agenda needed for the prosperity and well-being of all children and families.
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Child Care Aware® of America is a national membership organization that works with state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies and other community partners to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care. CCAoA leads innovative projects that increase the quality and availability of child care, and advance the early childhood education profession. CCAoA also conducts research and advocates for child care policies that foster equity and improve the lives of children and families. To learn more, visit our website. Follow CCAoA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Ascend at the Aspen Institute is a catalyst and convener for diverse leaders working across systems and sectors to build intergenerational family prosperity and well-being by intentionally focusing on children and the adults in their lives together. We believe in the power of co-creation. We are a community of leaders — well-connected, well-prepared and well-positioned — building political will that transforms hearts, minds, policies, and practices.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.
