Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County names new CEO

The Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County, which oversees early care and education across Sarasota County, has named a new CEO. Alison Fraga will join the ELC of Sarasota County on Sept. 29.

Fraga, according to a statement, will be the second leader of the organization in its 23-year history, following the retirement of founding CEO Janet Kahn. A transition and search committee that recommended Fraga for the job included board members as well as community stakeholders Michelle Kapreilian, CEO of Forty Carrots Family Center; Denise Marzullo, CEO of All-Star Children’s Foundation; and Kelly Romanoff, senior vice president for strategy and evaluation at the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.

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Currently, Fraga is the chief development officer for the ELC of Hillsborough County, which is among the largest ELCs in Florida, according to the statement. In that role, she has secured more than $2 million in annual grant funding and led initiatives to support kindergarten readiness and early childhood programs. Before working for the ELC of Hillsborough County, Fraga was the chief advancement officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay.

“As a proven ‘families-first’ leader, she masterfully blends the right mix of passion, compassion and creativity needed to transform service delivery to and from our providers in Sarasota County,” the ELC’s gubernatorial-appointed board chair Kevin Cooper says in the statement.

Fraga and her husband have a son who currently attends the United States Merchant Marine Academy, according to the statement, which says they will relocate to the area in the coming months.

“Sarasota County is well known and regarded for many things, but its commitment to early childhood education and family support stands at or above the rest,” Fraga says in the statement. 

The ELC of Sarasota County supports more than 4,000 children ages 0 to 5 and approximately 155 child care providers annually. It administers and oversees the local, integrated system of early education for preschool-age children in Sarasota County.