Building a strong organization capable of catalyzing support for early childhood takes committed leadership. It’s my pleasure to let you know the following people were recently elected to the Best Beginnings Board of Directors:
- Gara Bridwell, a professor of early childhood education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Lorie Morris, chief executive officer at Alaska Baptist Family Services
- Kim Reitmeier, executive director of ANCSA Regional Association
- Holly Willman, a project manager at BP Exploration
They join these individuals, who had been members of the Early Learning Council, the advisory group to Best Beginnings:
- Sue Hull (chair), longtime advocate for early childhood and president of Association of Alaska School Boards
- Margaret Bauer (vice chair), director, Work Life Services, Providence Health & Services Alaska
- Susan Anderson, president and CEO, The CIRI Foundation
- Debi Baldwin, director, Child Development Division, RurAL CAP
- Carl Rose, executive director, Association of Alaska School Boards
- David Wight, president & CEO, retired, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
Our board is dedicated, energetic, and eager to help Alaska’s children realize their full potential; we are fortunate they have chosen this arena for their time and attention. The board reconfirmed the Best Beginnings mission: to mobilize people and resources to ensure all Alaska children begin school ready to succeed.
The establishment of a formal board of directors is one of the steps we’ve taken over the last year or so as we move to become an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are grateful to United Way of Anchorage for hosting our organization thus far, but the time was overdue for independence. The work is important and the outcomes far-reaching so there are many opportunities for more people to become involved, too.
Would you like to step up your own participation with Best Beginnings and the work we do across Alaska? Think about it … and please contact us.
