Kara Waddell

Kara Waddell President and CEO - Child Care Associates * Early Childhood * Nonprofit Executive * Educational Leadership Dallas/Fort Worth Area Connect Connect with Kara Waddell Child Care Associates Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Harvard University Kennedy School of Government See contact info 500+ connections SKILLS & EXPERIENCE: * Executive Management and Administration * Community Engagement and Collective Impact * Adaptive Change Management * Performance Management * Corporate Social Responsibility and Public-Private Partnerships SECTOR AREA EXPERIENCE * Early Childhood Education * Nonprofit management * Public Sector management * Philanthropy STANDARDS & ASPIRATIONS: * Agile leadership that honors people and drives achievement * Hard work and smart work * Genuine collaboration towards needle-moving impact * Team-approach to learning and management Show less Show less of Kara’s summary Activity 1,796 followers No alt text provided for this image This guy is my favorite. Ever. Thank goodness for engineers and a sense of humor. Kara shared this 6 Likes 2 Comments No alt text provided for this image It’s time for change in TX - to ensure working families have the support they need and children are ready for success in school. Kara shared this 7 Likes No alt text provided for this image Thanks for the broadcast, Amber Scanlan! An important time in #Texas for #earlyeducation and #childcare ! Kara shared this 14 Likes 1 Comment See all Experience Child Care Associates President and CEO Company NameChild Care Associates Dates EmployedMay 2014 – Present Employment Duration4 yrs 9 mos LocationFort Worth, TX Child Care Associates is a $72m nonprofit organization in Fort Worth with 500+ employees supporting family successes in Tarrant County through high quality early learning and family services. CCA has a 49-yr. history responding to community need and in providing high quality early learning services. Core services towards achieving child and family outcomes include: * Head Start programs in at-risk neighborhoods and in 75 partnership classrooms with eight school districts and a charter school serving over 2,000 preschoolers.... See more Early Learning Hub, Inc. Executive Director Company NameEarly Learning Hub, Inc. Dates EmployedJun 2013 – May 2014 Employment Duration1 yr LocationMid-Willamette Valley, OR - LEADERSHIP. Drive a cross-sector, Collective Impact collaborative that moves the needle on outcomes for young children. Convene chief executives and practitioners across health, education, human services, business, and philanthropy to drives strategies towards shared goals. Advance data-driven, smart approaches to change and impact.... See more Oregon State Government State Executive - Oregon Employment Department - Early Learning & Child Care Company NameOregon State Government Dates EmployedMay 2010 – Jul 2013 Employment Duration3 yrs 3 mos LocationSalem, Oregon - LEADERSHIP. Oversaw Division of 75 employees and direct $130m+ in funding. Oversaw development and implementation of policy framework for child care as early childhood education. Manage diverse leadership team and statewide stakeholders. Convened, facilitated, and directed work of cross-system workgroups, research, and policy ... See more Harvard's Hauser Center for Nonprofits Fellow of Philanthropy Company NameHarvard's Hauser Center for Nonprofits Dates EmployedSep 2009 – May 2010 Employment Duration9 mos LocationCambridge, Mass Fellow of Philanthropy at Harvard's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. * Moderated campus-wide events and featured speakers related to philanthropy, collective impact, and social investment. * Developed case studies related to international governance of international NG... See more Operation Blessing Relief & Development Company NameOperation Blessing Relief & Development Total Duration6 yrs 10 mos TitleChina Chief Liaison Officer Dates EmployedJun 2008 – Sep 2009 Employment Duration1 yr 4 mos Consulting with Operation Blessing in the areas of government relations, corporate partnerships, legal and regulatory issues, registration, and general strategy in China. TitleChina Director Dates EmployedDec 2002 – May 2008 Employment Duration5 yrs 6 mos LocationBeijing, China Based in Beijing with programs across most provinces, provided executive management of the nonprofit in China. OB China served families and communities in need via community development, clean water programs, health clinics, educational assistance to rural poor, work with migrant schools, and surgical assistance programs. Responsibilities include... See more CNN Yaojin CNN Yaojin China Quake Project - The Women of Yaojin China Quake Project - The Women of Yaojin Education Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Degree NameMPA Field Of StudyPublic Administration Dates attended or expected graduation 2009 – 2010 Activities and Societies: Fellow in Philanthropy at Harvard's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations Additional coursework at Harvard Business School in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, and governance and management of top-performing nonprofit organizations. Duke University Duke University Degree NameBA Field Of StudyDevelopmental and Child Psychology Gradecum laude Dates attended or expected graduation 1989 – 1993 Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Cambridge Fellowship