Felicia DeHaney, PhD, is Vice President for Program Strategy for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Black Child Development Institute. She has been a member of the ZERO TO THREE Board of Directors since 2020.
Contributions to the Field
Dr. DeHaney is a lifelong advocate for America’s youngest and most vulnerable populations. As vice president for program strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, she supports the foundation’s efforts to promote thriving children, working families, and equitable communities.
Before joining the foundation, Dr. DeHaney served as president and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute in Washington, DC, where she led the organization’s mission to improve and advance the lives of Black children and their families through education and advocacy.
She also served as assistant superintendent of early childhood for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in the District of Columbia. As the principal advisor to the state superintendent of education, she provided leadership and coordination to help ensure that all District children, from birth to kindergarten entry, were well prepared for school.
Dr. DeHaney began her career as an early childhood teacher and has also served as an elementary school teacher and university adjunct professor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Howard University, a master’s degree in educational psychology from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and a PhD in educational psychology from Howard University.
Affiliations
- Past President and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute
- Member, New York State Board of Regents Early Childhood Workgroup’s Blue Ribbon Committee
- Member, Council on Foundations
- Member, Jack and Jill of America
- Member, Advisory Board, Sesame Street Workshop
