After 22 years of leadership and service to the Children’s Forum, Dr. Phyllis Kalifeh has stepped back from her role as CEO. Her legacy of expanding professional development opportunities for early educators and bringing awareness to the need for better compensation of the early learning workforce will never be forgotten.

I have big shoes to fill and I am truly humbled to be chosen as the Forum’s next President and CEO. In my new role, I wanted to let you know a few things about me and what I hope to accomplish:

• My family means the world to me. I have been married to my husband Will for 14 years, and we have two beautiful children, Ellis and Bennett.
• As a University of Georgia graduate, I am an avid Bulldog fan. In addition, I am a soccer, basketball, volleyball, football, and baseball mom. You can find me at some sort of ball field most days of the week! I am also a leader in the women’s ministry of my church. Spending time with these ladies is one of the most fulfilling parts of my life.
• As a former preschool teacher and early learning program director, I became convinced that children should have every chance to succeed, regardless of where they’re born or what obstacles they face.
• I previously served as Executive Director of the Association of Early Learning Coalitions and in leadership positions at the Florida Department of Education-Division of Early Learning. In these capacities, I spearheaded multimillion-dollar projects aimed at integrating early childhood systems, oversaw Florida’s School Readiness, and VPK programs, streamlined best practices for the state’s 30 early learning coalitions, and helped develop policies for early care and education.
• I plan to expand services at the Children’s Forum from a statewide platform to a national level. We’re now in a place where we can offer expertise to any state that is working to expand or enhance their early learning system. I’m especially concerned with recruitment, retention, and credentialing, all the things we need to make our early childhood workforce even better.
• I plan to work with as many stakeholders as possible to help them see early learning as a critical piece of our educational system. I also hope that together we can prioritize this field so a lot of positive changes in early learning systems come sooner rather than later. Through all of our efforts, we will see the day all children reap the benefits of high-quality early learning experiences so they can achieve anything they want.
• I inherited a powerhouse team at the Children’s Forum who make my job incredibly rewarding. Like me, many of them have previous careers as early educators. Their commitment to our program recipients, young children, and families is truly inspiring. They are improving the landscape for early learning in Florida and beyond.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of meeting wonderful people who are committed to helping early educators and young children succeed. To the Forum’s partners, board of directors, employees, members, and friends: thank you for believing in the work we do and for being tireless advocates for young children and those who care for them. Together, let’s write the next chapter in the Forum’s story.

Erin Smeltzer
President and CEO