26 August, 2020

Jo Kirchner, CEO of Primrose Schools, begins the discussion by sharing her perspective on the death of George Floyd and her hope that this moment acts as a catalyst for public reflection, awareness and ultimately positive change in America. 

In an interview with Dr. Lori Esposito Murray, President of the Committee for Economic Development at The Conference Board, Kirchner focuses on the critical role that early education plays in shaping an individual’s future and emphasizes the need to transform the country’s early childhood education delivery framework.

“Early brain research shows that quality early education in the first five years of a child’s life is essential to a child’s long-term development,” says Kirchner. “According to the Harvard Center for the Developing Child, more than one million neural connections are formed every second in the first few years [of a child’s life]. [These] cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills affect not only what they know but who they become.”

The CEO Forum series features CEOs from across American industry who focus on actionable insights to address underlying challenges of economic opportunity, childhood education, health care, workforce skills development, workplace equality and corporate go

Speakers

Dr. Lori Esposito Murray President Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board Dr. Lori Esposito Murray is President of The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED), and an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to joining CFR, she held the distinguished national security chair at the U.S. Naval Academy sponsored by the Clas...Full Bio

Jo Kirchner Jo Kirchner has devoted the majority of her career to pioneering breakthrough strategies for delivering high-quality early education and care. As CEO of Primrose Schools® since 1999, she has led strategic growth of the company from four locations in Georgia to a national brand recognized as a...Full Bio