Greetings from the DEC Executive Board! 

It is an incredibly exciting and prosperous time for DEC right now. We have a new website and a new logo and we hope you have checked it out! We also are in the midst of planning an engaging and energizing conference. Perhaps most importantly, we just wrapped up our search for an Executive Director and are thrilled to announce that Peggy Kemp will be our new ED starting July 1, 2016! We had several excellent final candidates and want to extend our sincerest appreciation to the search committee for their hard work during this process. Peggy Kemp brings extensive experience in early childhood and has been an active DEC member for many years. Her unique and highly qualified set of knowledge and skills positions DEC particularly well for a thriving future. She has already started working closely with Ben and the rest of the EO and the EB to ensure the transition is smooth and supportive.

Dear DEC Members,  

Hello! I am so excited to join the DEC team as your Executive Director! DEC has been my professional home for over 20 years and accepting the position of Executive Director of DEC is an honor and a privilege. I feel extremely fortunate to join a network of professionals who work tirelessly with or on behalf of young children with disabilities and their families. I look forward to taking this journey with you and expanding our work.  

My vision for the role of DEC Executive Director is to serve you, the membership. I value diverse opinions and believe that we are all leaders coming together to support families and enhance the development of young children. I value relationships. Connections are critical. Strong, bi-directional communication is essential. I encourage you to contact me at any time with your ideas, questions, or concerns. I want to hear from you, our membership. I want to personally invite you to be involved in DEC! 

I join DEC at an exciting time. The DEC Board and DEC Executive office have been hard at work! I am so excited about the new DEC website and logo! I want to thank Ben Rogers, DEC Associate Director for taking the lead on the creation of the new website. I also want to thank Brittany Clark, DEC Operations Coordinator, for her work on this initiative. I feel fortunate to begin work with this talented team. 

We have such opportunity in the next few years as we work together to ensure that all professionals understand and use the updated DEC Recommended Practices. There are many initiatives underway to help the DEC Recommended Practices become a guiding force for all early intervention/early childhood professionals who provide services to young children. DEC members who have incredible expertise and passion for the work support these initiatives.  

I am thrilled about new opportunities for partnerships with our early childhood partners such as DEC's newest partnership with other national organizations in the Power to the Profession initiative. This opportunity to blend professional voices across early childhood settings is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration and partnership building. 

Finally, I feel most fortunate to be more involved in the advocacy efforts of DEC. These efforts are critical at any time but the next few years will be especially critical in shaping the future of programs that serve families of young children. I invite each of you to join us in some way in this effort at the local, state or national level. 

I want to thank the DEC Executive Board for putting their trust in me. I want to thank each of you for the work you are doing and the work we will do together over the coming years. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I want to know what DEC can do to help you see DEC as your professional home. I look forward to working with you in my new role. 

Sincerely, 

Peggy Kemp

DEC Executive Director