On Friday, August 20th, the Executive Board of the Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast (ELC-EC) unanimously voted to appoint Dana L. Crupi as the new Chief Executive Officer for the organization.

Prior to her appointment as the CEO, Ms. Crupi held the positions, beginning in August 2020, as the Chief Operations Officer and as an Early Learning Director for the organization. Her duties included oversight of the organizations budget preparations, acting as a liaison with the Florida Division of Early Learning, oversight of internal and external operations and the arrangement of audits, investigations, surveys and studies to improve staffing, programs and business services. “We are excited that Dana applied for and was willing to accept this critical role for the future of the ELC. The last year of her employment at the ELC has functioned as an ongoing interview and the final decision was easy for us to make,” said ELC Chair Beth Brant. “We are anxious to move forward in the positive direction that Dana and her team are headed to provide superior services to our childcare providers and the children and families we serve.”

Her experience also includes serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Amazing Explorers Academy in Orlando, FL, Operations and Program Officer, Program Director and Office Coordinator for the Early Learning Coalition of Osceola County and the Program Assistant Director for La Petite Academy in Kissimmee, FL.

Ms. Crupi holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University Of Central Florida (UCF), national certification in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the UCF and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the National Society of Leadership and Success and the Nonprofit Management Student Association.

About the Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast – https://www.elc-ec.org/

The Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast, a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, was established following the enactment of Florida Statute 411.01 and HB 1A that establishes Florida’s Office of Early Learning and local early learning coalitions. The Florida Legislature recognized that “school readiness programs increase children’s chances of achieving future educational success and becoming productive members of society”. The Legislature intends for the local early learning coalitions to establish programs and policies to prepare Florida’s youngest citizens for success in school. The Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast operates the School Readiness Program and the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program, which provide for the coordination, integration, efficiency and quality of early childhood services in Okaloosa and Walton counties.