Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky was appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in November 2019 as the first cabinet secretary of New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department. She has positioned New Mexico at the forefront of early childhood—achieving universal, free, full-day PreK for four-year-olds; leading the implementation of New Mexico’s Universal Child Care program for children ages 0–12; and increasing compensation for early childhood professionals. With nearly three decades of experience at local, state, and national levels, she previously served as Assistant Superintendent for Early Learning at the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education.