Social Impact & Non-Profits

Having dedicated much of her life and career to advocating for children, families and communities particularly in the area of early childhood education and school readiness, Carla Thompson Payton seemed like the obvious choice when American Student Assistance sought to fill a Board seat in 2019. The ASA is dedicated to helping students know themselves, their options and make informed decisions that impact their future by providing them and their educators with “digital-first resources.” Currently the Vice President for program strategy for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, she supports its efforts to support “children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.” Previously, she oversaw the $5 billion annual budget of the Child Care Development Fund, providing oversight to 10 regional offices serving states, tribes and territories as deputy director of the Office of Child Care at the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Honored by the Administration for Children and Families, the Children’s Defense Fund and the Temple University Institute on Disabilities for her leadership in early childhood education, Carla authored three publications related to school readiness and advocacy.

Just prior to the workplace disruption caused by the global pandemic, Beacon Communities, a real estate development firm in Boston that works to enhance the supply of affordable housing solutions, named Alessandra de Vaca its first Chief Human Resources Officer. She immediately set out to modernize and automate HR functions, while supporting the organization and managing from the perspective of a dispersed workforce. She is currently spearheading development of an IS system for the HR team, and creating a standardized talent acquisition process.