Announcing a Transition in Leadership at SRCD

SRCD announces the resignation of Executive Director, Dr. Laura Namy, effective on July 15, 2020. We are grateful to Laura for her service to the Society during her tenure. In addition to running the business operations of the organization, Laura oversaw the transition of SRCD’s offices from Ann Arbor, MI to Washington DC, and built a new staff along the way. Laura overhauled elements of the Society’s infrastructure and implemented initiatives to advance aspects of SRCD’s strategic plan, including pipeline and professional development programs. Laura oversaw the integration of the Caucuses into the working of the organization. She strengthened dissemination of our science through webinars and other means and supported SRCD’s publications. In linking research, policy, and practice, Laura led efforts to establish a Rapid Response Process to guide the organization in developing timely, evidence-based responses to pressing contemporary issues facing children and families. We wish her success in her future endeavors.

Dr. Marty Zaslow will become SRCD’s Interim Executive Director on July 16, 2020. Marty is well known to SRCD members as the Director for Policy prior to her retirement a year ago. For nearly a decade, she benefitted from and built on the work of her predecessor, Dr. Mary Ann McCabe, in bridging between research and policy. She led SRCD’s efforts to disseminate research to decision-makers, brought updates about policy developments to SRCD members, and worked to continue to strengthen SRCD’s outstanding Policy Fellows Program. She has mentored, but also considers herself to be mentored by, multiple cohorts of Policy Fellows who work to bring developmental science to bear on policy issues, including SRCD’s current Director for Policy, Kelly Fisher. Marty brings her deep dedication to SRCD as an association and to using research both to understand and to strengthen children’s development, particularly to strengthen the development of children from diverse backgrounds.

The Governing Council will undertake a search to identify SRCD’s next Executive Director. Please direct all inquiries to the Executive Committee of the Governing Council.