{"id":41880,"date":"2022-03-21T18:02:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T18:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/?post_type=press-releases&p=41880"},"modified":"2022-03-21T18:02:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T18:02:41","slug":"gulick-eager-to-lead-arizonas-early-childhood-agency","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/press-releases\/gulick-eager-to-lead-arizonas-early-childhood-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"Gulick eager to lead Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX<\/strong> \u2013 (March <\/span>21<\/span>, 2022<\/span>) <\/span>F<\/span>irst Things First <\/span>has <\/span>welcomed <\/span>seasoned <\/span>business leader<\/span> and education advocate <\/span>Melinda Morrison <\/span>Gulick<\/span> as the organization\u2019s <\/span>ne<\/span>w<\/span> <\/span>CEO,<\/span> overseeing statewide<\/span> efforts to<\/span> <\/span>improve<\/span> school readiness for children birth to<\/span> age<\/span> 5. <\/span><\/p>\n

FTF Chief Financial Officer Josh Allen ha<\/span>d<\/span> been serving in the role on an interim basis since <\/span>August<\/span>, when <\/span>Marilee Dal <\/span>Pra<\/span> retired. <\/span><\/p>\n

First Things First was created <\/span>by Arizona voters <\/span>in 2006 <\/span>to <\/span>expand early childhood programs that help children arrive at kindergarten <\/span>healthy and <\/span>prepared to succeed. <\/span>T<\/span>hrough its volunte<\/span>e<\/span>r regional councils statewide<\/span>, FTF has <\/span>invested in strategies that have <\/span>strengthened families<\/span>; <\/span>improved the quality of early learning<\/span>;<\/span> and expanded acc<\/span>ess to preventive health screenings for thousands of babies, toddlers and preschoolers statewide. <\/span><\/p>\n

Leading<\/span> Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency brings <\/span>Gulick\u2019s<\/span> career full circle; she started out <\/span>spearheading<\/span> <\/span>community relations <\/span>and fundraising for one of the state\u2019s largest child-serving non-profits, Southwest Human Development. <\/span>Since then, many of her personal and professional efforts have focused on supporting educational investments<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe more I worked i<\/span>n education, the more <\/span>I <\/span>realized the importance of <\/span>a strong start in putting <\/span>every child <\/span>o<\/span>n a trajectory to<\/span>ward<\/span> <\/span>school<\/span> success<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>Gulick<\/span> said. <\/span>\u201cIt also reinforced that the work of strengthening families and supporting young kids needs to engage everyone \u2013 parents, extended families, communities, philanthropy, business and policymakers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

FTF Board Chair Geral<\/span>d<\/span> <\/span>Szostak<\/span> said <\/span>Gulick\u2019s<\/span> diverse background \u2013 including her experience with community engagement and volunteer-led organizations \u2013 made her the ideal candidate for the job. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst Things First does an incredible job with the resources we have, but the needs of young children<\/span> far outweigh the <\/span>capacity of any one organization,\u201d <\/span>Szostak<\/span> said. \u201cIf every child is<\/span> going to be<\/span> ready to succeed in kindergarten and beyond, we need a leader who can engage<\/span> decision-makers across various fields and get them working together toward a common vision. CEO <\/span>Gulick<\/span> has a proven track record of doing just that<\/span>,<\/span> and we are confident that <\/span>she will add to those successes at First Things First<\/span>.\u201d<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Gulick\u2019s<\/span> most recent work was as an independent management consultant for a variety of organizations, primarily non-profits. Among <\/span>her notable accomplishments was<\/span> <\/span>facilitating <\/span>a public-private partnership to guarantee graduates of Coronado High School two years of community college or technical school<\/span>. Now, she is setting her s<\/span>ights on creating the same type<\/span> of <\/span>innovations<\/span> at the <\/span>beginning<\/span> of the educational continuum.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ginger Ward, CEO of Southwest Human Development, said the early childhood system will benefit from a leader both passionate about early childhood and savvy about <\/span>the inner workings of <\/span>philanthropy, business and public policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMelinda<\/span> understands that relationships are central to bringing out the best in people, systems and organizations. Her experience establishing, nurturing and leveraging relationships will be instrumental to moving forward the work of First Things First,\u201d Ward said. \u201cAs a working parent of two young sons, she appreciates and understands the supports needed to help a family with young children grow and thrive. That is part of what makes her such an enthusiastic and passionate advocate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gulick<\/span> said she is honored to join First Things First and eager to get to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cResearch has proven time and again that early childhood programs are one of the smartest investments we can make,\u201d <\/span>Gulick<\/span> said. \u201c<\/span>It\u2019s time to help more decision-makers understand the link between investing in young kids and getting the outcomes they want \u2013 healthy kids, successful students, vibrant communities and a thriving economy. I look forward to leading that charge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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About First Things First<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 First Things First is a voter-created, statewide organization that funds early education and health programs to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. Decisions about how those funds are spent are made by local councils staffed by community volunteers. To learn more, please visit FirstThingsFirst.org<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First Things First has welcomed seasoned business leader and education advocate Melinda Morrison Gulick as the organization\u2019s new CEO.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":41841,"template":"","class_list":["post-41880","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGulick eager to lead Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency - First Things First<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"First Things First has welcomed seasoned business leader and education advocate Melinda Morrison Gulick as the organization\u2019s new CEO.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/press-releases\/gulick-eager-to-lead-arizonas-early-childhood-agency\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gulick eager to lead Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First Things First has welcomed seasoned business leader and education advocate Melinda Morrison Gulick as the organization\u2019s new CEO.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/press-releases\/gulick-eager-to-lead-arizonas-early-childhood-agency\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"First Things First\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AZFirstThingsFirst\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Melinda-Gulick.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"393\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AZFTF\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/press-releases\/gulick-eager-to-lead-arizonas-early-childhood-agency\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/press-releases\/gulick-eager-to-lead-arizonas-early-childhood-agency\/\",\"name\":\"Gulick eager to lead Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency - 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