The head of the state’s office responsible for overseeing the care of Connecticut’s youngest residents will retire Oct. 1 after more than six years in the position.
Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye will retire from state service next month to pursue a Master of Social Work and a new career working with children and families in health care, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday. She’ll be succeeded by Deputy Commissioner Elena Trueworthy on an interim basis, and Lamont said he plans to recommend Trueworthy for the position permanently.
With Bye’s departure, the Office of Early Childhood will become the third agency that oversees children’s welfare to have an interim leader. The Office of the Child Advocate and the Department of Children and Families both have interim leaders.
Former DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly left the agency on Monday. Lamont named Susan Hamilton, general counsel and a former DCF commissioner, to lead the agency on an interim basis the following day. And Child Advocate Christina Ghio has been leading that office on an interim basis since Sarah Eagan’s departure from the role last September.
Bye started at OEC in 2019, at the start of Lamont’s first term. She has been at the helm at the agency during a time when a lack of early care and education workers has caused a dearth of child care across the state.
She worked with Lamont’s office to develop a plan to create the transformative Early Childhood Education Endowment fund and expand access to child care for thousands of families. Her focus has been on high-quality early care and education, which helps children’s development during an important time for brain growth.
Depending on surplus funds available and how quickly the fund grows, it aims to eventually allow families making less than $100,000 to pay nothing for infant and toddler care and pre-K, while families making more than that would pay no more than 7% of their annual household income. In partnership with Bye, the legislature also passed a measure to increase salaries for child care workers.
“Beth Bye is one of the most caring, compassionate, and energetic people that I know, and her passion for the development and wellness of the youngest members of our communities knows no bounds,” Lamont said in a press release.
In the release, Bye called her work as commissioner “the honor of my career.”
“The achievements Connecticut has made to improve the wages of early educators and make child care more affordable for families happened only because of decades of work by advocates, legislators, philanthropy, and families,” Bye said. “This collaborative work is a model for other states and the nation.”
She also praised Trueworthy in her statement, saying she had been a key leader in the past years.
“She has the vision, leadership, experience and passion to lead OEC into the future. There is nobody better to continue this critical work,” Bye said.
Trueworthy has been with the OEC since 2019. She’s served as the director of the Head Start State Collaboration Office and was appointed deputy commissioner in 2023.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with partners, providers, and families to build upon and implement the collective vision of an early childhood system that supports children and families to thrive,” Trueworthy said.
Lamont said her experience would allow her to “hit the ground running.”
Trueworthy has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in human services from Springfield College. Lamont said he plans to submit her name as the candidate for the next commissioner to the legislature in the upcoming session, which begins early next year.
In issued statements, lawmakers and leaders in early childhood care and education congratulated Bye on her work with the agency.
Garth Harries, president and chief executive officer of The Connecticut Project Action Fund, said Bye had been a “relentless champion of Connecticut’s children and working families during her time in office.”
Children’s Committee co-chair Sen. Ceci Maher, D-Wilton, wished Bye well in her next role.
“Connecticut’s children are losing a great advocate and leader today, one who was always laser-focused on supporting all children in the best possible way,” Maher said. “As a natural leader who helped create the Office of Early Childhood in the legislature, she was the perfect choice to take its reins.”
Bye also served in the legislature from 2007 to 2019 as both a representative and a senator. During her time in the legislature, she was one of the leaders in the effort to establish the OEC in 2013.
“Commissioner Bye is leaving behind an incredible legacy as an advocate for young children, their families and our shared hometown of West Hartford,” said Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford. “As my predecessor in the state senate and then at OEC, Commissioner Bye brought energy, compassion and forward thinking to her public service.”
As commissioner, Bye earned about $207,000 annually.