Michelle Kang

Michelle serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a global association dedicated to high quality early learning for all children. Prior to becoming CEO, Michelle served as NAEYC’s inaugural Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer where she oversaw the strategy and daily operations for Membership, Early Learning Program Accreditation, Publications, Conference, Market Solutions and Global Engagement. She has guided the substantial system adjustments necessary to
support child care and preschools attaining and maintaining accreditation through the pandemic and shepherded the development and launch of the fourth edition of NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice book. Prior to joining NAEYC, she served in leadership roles at Bright Horizons, an international provider of early education and most recently as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Strategy. Drawing on her experiences as the daughter of Korean immigrants, Michelle is committed to creating belonging within organizations, and developing inclusive leadership and mentoring opportunities. Also an ardent supporter of higher education student development, Michelle has served as a Resident Tutor and Scholar at Harvard University and as a member of the Student Engagement and Leadership Advisory Board for The College of William & Mary. Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, a Masters of Education in Leadership and Policy from the University of Virginia, and a Masters of Science in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford (UK). She and her husband live in Maryland with their three children.