National Center for Parents as Teachers Taps Two Prominent Business Leaders to Chair 25th Anniversary Campaign
Barrett Toan, former chairman and CEO of Express Scripts, and Don Hall, Jr., president and CEO of Hallmark, will co-chair the 25th anniversary campaign in Missouri.
St. Louis (PRWEB) June 1, 2009
For 25 years, families have counted on support from a program that is committed to helping parents embrace their important role as their child's first and best teacher - Parents as Teachers. In honor of its 25th anniversary this year, the National Center for Parents as Teachers has tapped two notable Missourians to lead an expansion campaign. Barrett Toan, former chairman and CEO of Express Scripts, and Don Hall, Jr., president and CEO of Hallmark, are co-chairs of the 25th anniversary campaign in Missouri that will help expand services to more families, and ultimately, prepare future generations for school success.
"The co-chairs are instrumental in helping us secure additional funding to strengthen the overall capacity of the Parents as Teachers network through additional research, curriculum development and program expansion," said Susan Stepleton, president and CEO of the National Center for Parents as Teachers. "It's an honor to partner with two Missouri leaders who understand the importance of investing in future generations of our workforce and are dedicated to serving Missouri families."
Don Hall, Jr., is president and chief executive officer of Hallmark, a role he stepped into in 2002. He also serves as vice chairman of the board. He joined the company in 1971, working in multiple areas of the business - manufacturing, sales, product development, and creative among them - before being named executive vice president of strategy and development in preparation for taking over the company's top position.
For nearly 15 years, Barrett Toan served as president and CEO of Express Scripts. In 2000, he was elected chairman of the board of directors, and in 2005, he retired as president and CEO. Although he stepped down as chairman of the board in 2006, he continues to serve on the board of directors. Prior to joining Express Scripts, Toan served as executive director and COO at Sanus Corporation Health Systems Inc., later GenCare. From 1981 to 1985, Toan served as Director of the Missouri Department of Social Services and supported the enactment of the legislation that authorized Missouri's statewide Parents as Teachers program.
"The National Center is a recognized leader in the field of early education with newly published research documenting its success in virtually eliminating the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers at kindergarten entry," said Hall, Jr. "I want to challenge Missourians to support this organization, which has proven to strengthen today's families and tomorrow's workforce."
"The economic benefits of early childhood programs make a compelling argument for greater support," said Toan. "In a time when organizations are required to provide more services with fewer resources, it's more important than ever for businesses and individuals to show their support. The National Center for Parents as Teachers is one investment that is truly cost-effective with tremendous future dividends."
In addition, Dee Joyner, senior vice president at Commerce Bank, and June McAllister Fowler, vice president at BJC Health Care, will co-chair a celebration event on Nov. 7, 2009, at The Chase Park Plaza to honor the many founders, supporters and champions of Parents as Teachers.
About the National Center for Parents as Teachers
Based in St. Louis, the National Center for Parents as Teachers is the resource base and backbone of the largest parent education program in the nation. The nonprofit National Center oversees more than 3,000 Parents as Teachers programs nationwide as well as in Australia, Belize, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. For more information about Parents as Teachers, visit http://www. parentsasteachers. org (http://www. parentsasteachers. org).
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