Virginia Early Childhood Foundation names Susanne Bell president

The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation has appointed Susanne R. Bell as president, effective July 1, 2026, succeeding Kathy Glazer. Bell brings leadership experience from Danville Regional Foundation, where she helped direct millions in education and workforce investments.

Why it matters: - Virginia Early Childhood Foundation is the statewide public-private steward focused on early childhood success in Virginia. - Bell will help shape strategy for young children’s healthy development, school readiness and family support across the Commonwealth. - The leadership change comes as VECF seeks to strengthen Virginia’s early childhood care and education system.

What happened: - Virginia Early Childhood Foundation named Susanne R. Bell president, effective July 1, 2026. - Bell succeeds Kathy Glazer, who retired from the role. - VECF board chair Gary Thomson said Bell stood out for her collaborative approach and her work engaging community stakeholders.

The details: - Bell most recently served as Program Director and Senior Program Officer for Education & Workforce at Danville Regional Foundation in southern Virginia. - At DRF, Bell cultivated and advised $24.6 million in investment commitments. - Bell strengthened the regional out-of-school time field by creating the Out-of-School Time Leadership Lab for afterschool professionals. - Bell later partnered with United Way of Danville & Pittsylvania County to launch the Dan River Region Out-of-School Time Network. - Bell also led development of the first joint grant between DRF and the Davenport Trust after a request from the Center for Early Success to improve access to and coordination of early intervention services. - Her earlier career includes work on Capitol Hill, in higher education and in education policy consulting. - Past roles include work with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, First Book, the National Summer Learning Association, Johns Hopkins University and the Division of Policy and Advocacy for the American College of Surgeons. - Philanthropy Southeast named Bell a Hull Fellow in its 2023-24 class. - Bell earned a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman University and a master’s degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins University. - Bell is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. - VECF said Bell will focus on building a strategic and sustained emphasis on healthy development and school readiness for Virginia’s youngest learners.

Between the lines: - Bell’s background blends philanthropy, education policy and regional collaboration, a mix that fits a foundation trying to influence systems rather than run direct services. - Her work on afterschool networks and early intervention suggests VECF is prioritizing coordination across the early childhood pipeline, not just preschool access. - Thomson’s comments signal the board wanted a leader with both stakeholder-management experience and a mission-driven approach.

What's next: - Bell will begin leading VECF’s next phase of work on early childhood care and education in Virginia. - VECF said Bell will collaborate with staff and the board to support a strong and sustainable early childhood system. - The foundation continues to position itself around partnerships that help young children be healthy and prepared for school, life and workforce success.

The bottom line: - VECF is betting on a leader with deep philanthropy and education-policy experience to push early childhood coordination and school readiness statewide.