Libby Doggett, Ph.D.

Dr. Libby Doggett is leveraging her leadership and management skills honed over 40-plus years through work in schools, Head Start, and child care with children with and without disabilities to build public will and strong, diverse local coalitions in Texas to improve children’s readiness for Kindergarten. Recently, Doggett served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning at the U.S. Department of Education, overseeing both the Early Learning Challenge and the Preschool Development Grant programs. In that role, Doggett provided birth to age eight expertise and policy guidance to the Secretary and served as the Department of Education’s early learning liaison to the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal and state agencies. Prior to returning to the Department of Education, wherein the nineties, Doggett served as executive director of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities and their families, Doggett worked with the Pew Charitable Trusts. There, she directed the Pew home visiting campaign, where she oversaw a robust research agenda and worked with advocates in target states to build political and public understanding and support for data-driven investments that align with federal guidance. Prior to that, Doggett directed Pre-K Now, a 10-year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-K for all three- and four-year-olds in states across the country. Through its successes, Pre-K Now significantly increased the investments and number of children attending state-supported pre-K. Doggett has devoted her career to expanding access to ideal learning opportunities for all children. . She began her career as a bilingual first-grade teacher at Ortega Elementary School in Austin and holds a doctorate from the University of Texas in early childhood special education.