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Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development News Release
Monday, March 22, 2004
Governor
Jim Doyle
Secretary
Roberta Gassman		 News Media Contact
Rose Lynch
  608/266-6753
e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us
fax: 608/266-1784

DWD Announces New Head Start Collaboration Project Director

Madison – Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman announced today the hiring of Linda Leonhart as the state Director of the Head Start Collaboration Project. Leonhart is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2004.

Head Start is a comprehensive child development program that serves children from birth to age 5, pregnant women, and their families and is designed to foster healthy development in low-income children. Head Start is child-focused program has the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. DWD receives a federal grant to collaborate with Head Start and other early learning partners.

Said DWD Secretary Roberta Gassman, "We are delighted to have Linda on board. Her experiences and talents will help us create a seamless system of quality services for Wisconsin families and children so those families can achieve self-sufficiency."

As director, Leonhart will work with multiple child care organizations and advisory committees; the Birth to Three program; the Department of Public Instruction; the Department of Health and Family Services; Wisconsin Works (W-2) agencies; county human and social services departments, and Head Start agencies.

Leonhart currently is employed by the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Wisconsin Early Childhood Professional Development Facilitator and previously served as interim director of the Wisconsin Head Start State Collaboration Project for the Portage Project, CESA 5. She earned her B. A. in Sociology and Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, her M. S. in Communicative Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed doctoral work in Educational Administration at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Content Contact: Rose Lynch