We're so excited to introduce Michael Herschenfeld, our new Chief Impact Officer. Today, I'm giving Mike the chance to say "hi" in his own words.

Hello Maryland Family Network Community!

I'm Mike Herschenfeld, and I'm thrilled to be your new Chief Impact Officer at Maryland Family Network (MFN). I'm passionate about this work because I have a deep understanding of the power education holds to transform lives and communities, especially when our efforts are focused on our youngest learners and their families.

My journey started in the classroom as a high-school social studies teacher, where I learned the importance of creating pathways to opportunity. Since then, I've dedicated my career to guiding large-scale change in education systems. This includes time at the Texas Education Agency, where I developed strategies to support superintendents and their teams through the creation of the System of Great Schools Network. Most recently, I was the Senior Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Continuous Improvement at the Maryland State Department of Education. In this role, I had the honor of leading the department's efforts to implement the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a bold endeavor to enhance our state's P-20 education system into a world-class model. In addition to these incredible experiences, I also founded a consulting company to advise school districts and state education agencies to launch initiatives focused on building stronger school, district, and state level systems.

One experience that particularly prepared me for this role was my time at Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts. There, I directed an innovative preschool expansion program that increased access to high-quality early childhood education for families in the city. This showed me the potential of strategic partnerships and community-driven solutions and remains to this day one of the most tangibly impactful programs I've ever directed.

What drew me to MFN is its profound commitment to young learners, families, and their wellbeing through two-generation strategies. I'm eager to connect with families, state and local partners, and supporters like you. Together, we can build on MFN's great work and create even more positive change.

As Chief Impact Officer, I'll focus on:

• Strategic Thinking and Planning: Helping MFN set clear goals, align our efforts, and measure our progress.
• Community Building: Strengthening bonds with families, state and local partners, elected officials, and supporters statewide.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Using information to assess our impact and make continuous improvements.
• Amplifying Your Voices: Ensuring your stories and perspectives shape everything we do

MFN is already creating a brighter future for Maryland's families. I'm excited to collaborate with all of you as we embark on this next chapter together.

Please don't hesitate to reach out and introduce yourself – I'd love to hear from you. My email is mherschenfeld@marylandfamilynetwork.org.