Libby Doggett

Libby Doggett Experienced Advocate & Strategic Change Leader for Early Learning | Local, State, and National Levels Washington D.C. Metro Area Connect Connect with Libby Doggett Libby Doggett Consulting The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin See contact info 500+ connections What happens in the first five years of life can impact a person forever. That is why I have devoted 40 plus years of my life to improving early learning programs—in schools, Head Start and child care. That is why I have fought for more effective supports for young parents who want to do their best by their children. I am proud of my work at the federal level ; we have made a small dent—but we have a long, long way to go. I am now ready to move closer to children and families. Over the next decade I want to use my skills as a creative thinker, experienced initiator, and energetic motivator to reduce conflict, build synergy among competing interests, and communicate a positive vision. I want to leverage my leadership and management skills honed through years of public service and nonprofit management to help build public will and strong diverse coalitions both inside and outside government to double the percentage of 3 and 4-year-old children who have access to high-quality preschool in 50 targeted communities across the country. Specialties: Early Education, Collaboration, Strategic Thinker, Fundraising, Research, Special Education +2 Show less Show less of Libby’s summary Articles 2,941 followers Saudi Arabia: Women and Children Libby’s profile photo Libby Doggett Published on LinkedIn This week I watched with particular interest as Saudi women have finally been able to exercise their right to drive. My interest is driven by a visit I made to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for an international conference on early learning in mid-April. This was the 6th year of their national education conference; the theme this year was early childhood education. For three days, government officials, administrators, professors, and early childhood educators from Saudi Arabia (90%) and around the world (10%) shared their expertise related to the importance of the early years in children’s lives and the challenges of creating quality programs with highly trained teachers. Because of what I learned from my visit, I was not surprised to read of the positive reaction men had to Saudi women finally getting the right to drive. The women I met in Riyadh were strong, smart, friendly and ambitious. Most women wore burkas which covered them from head to toe in black, however behind their modest dress were women eager to connect, learn and tell me what they are doing in their country to improve education for all children. The many men at the conference, who were outnumbered two to one by women, showed great deference to the female presenters, even though it is unlikely that many of them had ever had a woman teacher. Despite multiple languages, presenters and participants showed deep respect for each other’s expertise and asked questions that indicated an intense willingness to learn. The trip and the conference contained many highlights. First and foremost were the women leaders. Jenan M. Alahmed was instrumental in putting together the conference. She and many professors from around Saudi Arabia were totally focused on how the country can build the best early learning system for the country’s young children. Unlike the US where we are now focused on children birth to age five, Saudi Arabia is starting with five year olds. Despite the “authoritarian” sense we have of this country, the Saudi early education leaders are considering using the Reggio Emilia Approach, a pedagogy I love, but associate more with freedom and individual rights than despotism. Part of the conference was a large exhibit hall and many families with young children merely came to see the exhibits. Many women working in the exhibit hall asked where I was from and eagerly asked me to check out their booths—and take a selfie. My favorite was a booth where children (and I) were able to pretend we were checking in and boarding an airplane. Conference organizers, aware of visiting foreigner’s interest in seeing something other than the beautiful five star hotel and huge conference center (but without wifi), took us to the wonderful local market (great goods and prices but not Istanbul) and the National Museum which is more impressive than I expected but not up the Smithsonian standards—we are spoiled! My keynote was entitled The Government's Role in Early Education: Lessons from the United States”. I described growth of early learning the United States at the federal state, and local levels; factors that have promoted and impeded success; and the many challenges that lie ahead. I concluded with specific recommendations for Saudi Arabia and other countries, as well. Email me at libby.doggett@gmail.com if you want a copy of the slides. I will be watching with intense interest to see how women driving and early education evolve in Saudi Arabia during the next few years. I know that over the past 50 years, the Saudi education system has focused on increasing the rate of literacy — and now it is among the highest in the world. Another phase revolved around building of schools, colleges and universities to accommodate the Saudi population that increased from an estimated five million people in 1970 to more than 32 million today. So perhaps in the next five years we might see a stellar early learning system emerge in this county. While I deplore what is happening in Yemen and the bloody history of this male dominated country, I am hoping that their commitment to their youngest children will help build a more democratic country that allows women to drive and children to flourish. 1 Comment Like Comment Share See all Experience Libby Doggett Consulting Early Learning Expert and Consultant Company NameLibby Doggett Consulting Dates EmployedJan 2017 – Present Employment Duration2 yrs 1 mo LocationAustin Texas Area and Nationally I have moved back to Austin with the goal of focusing on local (city, county and school districts) efforts to expand, improve and better integrate prenatal to third grade programs and services. Through targeted and straight-forward technical assistant, I will help localities develop collective action, stakeholder leadership, strategic communications, and effective use of data in order to implement best practices and improve the lives of our youngest children. While I believe that preschool is critically important, I also intend to focus on improving kindergarten to third grade programs and implementing innovative and sustainable programs for infants and toddlers and their families.... See more National Speaker Keynote | Speaker Company NameNational Speaker Dates Employed1995 – Present Employment Duration24 yrs Libby Doggett is a national speaker sharing insights and thoughts on early education, policy and more. +2 The US Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy and Early Learning Company NameThe US Department of Education Dates EmployedAug 2013 – Jan 2017 Employment Duration3 yrs 6 mos LocationWashington DC I head up the Office of Early Learning within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), which jointly administers the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) program with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I also work closely with the White House on promoting President Obama’s plan to make high... See more Pew Center on the States Deputy Director | Director Pew Home Visiting Campaign Company NamePew Center on the States Dates EmployedJan 2009 – Aug 2013 Employment Duration4 yrs 8 mos LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area The Pew Home Visiting Campaign promotes and advances smart state and federal policies and investments in high-quality, home-based programs for new and expectant families. Our primary focus areas include: ... See more Pre-K Now Executive Director Company NamePre-K Now Dates EmployedJan 2005 – Dec 2009 Employment Duration5 yrs LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Pew Charitable Trusts and other foundations, worked to secure high quality pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds across the country. Between 2002 and 2008, state-funded pre-kindergarten enrollment rose more th... See more National Head Start Association Project Manager Company NameNational Head Start Association Dates EmployedDec 1999 – Jun 2002 Employment Duration2 yrs 7 mos LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area Key Accomplishments: • Managed the largest (at the time), early childhood classroom in the nation, HeadsUp! Reading, a 44-hour college course on early literacy delivered over satellite television • Led a national team of experts at three nonprofits from idea development to full... See more U.S. Department of Education Special Assistant to the Director of Special Education and Executive Director of the FICC Company NameU.S. Department of Education Dates EmployedApr 1996 – Dec 1999 Employment Duration3 yrs 9 mos LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area • Developed and implemented a strategic plan to revitalize the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC): increased federal agency participation by 50%, initiated the first transfer of funds to the FICC, developed a new interagency agreement which highlighted the role of parents and state and local partners, adopted a set of Benchmarks for Ch... See more The Arc of Texas Executive Director Company NameThe Arc of Texas Dates EmployedFeb 1990 – Dec 1994 Employment Duration4 yrs 11 mos LocationAustin, Texas Area The Arc of Texas is the oldest and largest nonprofit, volunteer organization in the state committed to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be included in their communities and to make the choices which affect their lives in a positive manner. The Arc supports families, advances public policies, provides tr... See more Show fewer experiences Education The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin Degree NamePh.D. Field Of StudyEarly-Childhood Special Education Dates attended or expected graduation 1973 – 1981 The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin Degree NamePh.D. Field Of StudySpecial Education Dates attended or expected graduation 1968 – 1971 The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin Degree NameBachelor of Arts Field Of StudySpanish Dates attended or expected graduation 1964 – 1968