About Us
Family Forward NC® is an innovative initiative to improve the health and well-being of children and their parents and keep North Carolina’s businesses and workplaces competitive. It is employer-led change to increase access to research-based, family-friendly practices—big and small—that improve workplace productivity, recruitment and retention; grow a strong economy; and support children’s healthy development.
Our Mission and Vision
The mission of Family Forward NC® is to engage, support, and promote employers of all sizes and in all sectors in adopting family-friendly policies that improve child and family health and well-being and provide direct business benefits to employers.
Our vision is a North Carolina where:
- Workplaces are family-friendly.
- Children’s healthy development is supported, especially children who face the greatest challenges in their early years.
- NC businesses are competitive.
- Our next-generation workforce is successful.
About the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF):
NCECF's mission is to marshal North Carolina’s great people, ideas, and achievements to ensure equitable access to opportunity and success for every child.
NCECF is driven by a bold - and achievable - vision: Each North Carolina child has a strong foundation for life-long health, education, and well-being, supported by a comprehensive and equitable care and education system, from prenatal through third grade.
We believe change happens through coordinated action across communities, and we help improve the health, education, and well-being of North Carolina’s children from birth-to-age-eight and their families by: promoting understanding, spearheading collaboration, and advancing policies.
North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation Staff
Lisa Finaldi
Theresa Stacker
Kaylan Sloane
Rosa Sorto Brown
Dr. Micere Keels
Crystal Avila
Advisory Council
The Family Forward NC® Advisory Council was formed in 2018 to provide review and support of the Guide and Family Forward NC®. We are grateful to the prominent North Carolina business and community representatives and health experts who provided their time and expertise to this cause.
Lisa Alston
Joyce Bannerman
Kathryn Brant
Kelly Calabria
Kathy Colville
Kit Cramer
Safiyah Jackson
Velva Jenkins
Julia Malinowski
Suzanne Katzenstein
Dr. Nina Smith
Lizzy Tahsuda
James Wolfe
Steve Wuench
Previous Advisors
- Andrew Herdman, Former Vice President of Group Human Resources, Mayne Pharma
- Briles Johnson, Former Executive Director, Women's Business Center of North Carolina
- Jessica Lowery Clark, Executive Director, Robeson County Partnership for Children
- Fara Palumbo, Former Chief People Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
- Luis Pastor, Former President and CEO, Cooperative Latino Credit Union
- Alison Steube, Associate Professor, UNC School of Medicine; Distinguished Scholar in Infant and Young Child Feeding, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Sheilah Sutton, Former Community Engagement Officer, Coastal Credit Union
- Gregor Teusch, Global Head of People Reward and Operations, Nikola Motor Company
- Betsy Tilson, Former State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer, NC Department of Health and Human Services