News Release 4/27/2009
VINCI TO SERVE AS NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
WASHINGTON, D.C.///April 27, 2009///The National Head Start Association (NHSA) announced today that Yasmina Vinci is the new executive director of the membership organization representing more than one million children, 200,000 staff and 2,600 Head Start programs in the United States.
Vinci will assume the new office immediately. She succeeds Michael McGrady, who has served as interim executive director of NHSA for the last 17 months.
Previously, Vinci was the executive director of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) where she served for 11 years. Most recently, Vinci has been a founding director at EDGE Consulting Partners and over the years has held key positions in the State of New Jersey Department of Human Services, and in child care centers. She has also served in leadership positions on the Boards of a number of local, state and national organizations, including the Council for Professional Recognition.
NHSA Board Chairperson Ron Herndon, who also is the director of the Albina Head Start program in Portland, Oregon, said: "We are delighted to have someone of Yasmina Vinci's outstanding caliber to serve as our new executive director. The NHSA Board of Directors searched for a top-notch candidate with outstanding leadership skills to take us into the new era we are entering into with the United States reaffirming the mission of Head Start. I know that the Board and staff of NHSA look forward to working alongside Yasmina Vinci as we strive to take Head Start to the next level."
Commenting on her new position, Vinci said: "Success in early childhood education is synonymous with Head Start. As I look at this important and challenging new job, I start with a commitment to making life better for the one million children - and their parents - now benefiting from Head Start. I intend to bring to bear every bit of creativity, energy and collaboration I have to advance the Head Start program and those who devote their lives to it."
NHSA Board Chair Herndon added: "We want to also express our thanks today to Michael McGrady, who stepped in to the interim executive director position to guide us through an important period in the history of this organization. Mike deserves all of our thanks and appreciation for his hard work and dedication over the past year and a half."
Vinci received her Master of Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where she was a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow, a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, and an additional Master's Degree from the University of Michigan. She currently resides in Boston Massachusetts with her husband Bob Manning.
ABOUT NHSA
The National Head Start Association (http://www.nhsa.org) is a private not-for-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families. It represents more than one million children, 200,000 staff and 2,600 Head Start programs in the United States. The Association provides support for the entire Head Start community by advocating for policies that strengthen services to Head Start children and their families; by providing extensive training and professional development to Head Start staff; and by developing and disseminating research, information, and resources that enrich Head Start program delivery.
CONTACT: Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or landerson@hastingsgroup.com.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A digital photo is available here.
