Myra Jones-Taylor, PhD

Myra Jones-Taylor is the Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE, the national leader on infant-toddler policy and program development. There, she leads the development and implementation of the organization’s policy agenda, priorities and strategies; oversees the Policy Center, which includes federal and state policy and advocacy; and serves as the principal spokesperson for the organization on public policy matters with policymakers, the media, funders and partner organizations.

Prior to this role, Myra served as Connecticut’s founding Commissioner of Early Childhood, leading the cabinet-level state agency responsible for early care and education, home visiting, early intervention and child care licensing in the state, serving all children from birth through age five.

Myra received her doctorate in American studies and anthropology from Yale University. She has the honor of being both an Ascend Fellow and a Pahara Fellow at the Aspen Institute. In 2020, she was named to the inaugural Care 100, honoring the 100 most influential people working to re-imagine and re-humanize the care system. She writes and speaks about race, racial identity and social inequality. You can find her writing and speaking about these issues in The Atlanticoffsite link and on the podcast The Longest Shortest Timeoffsite link. She is also an active board member of national organizations committed to equity and supporting the needs of young children and families, including All Our Kin and the Irving Harris Foundation. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children