Staff Reports
The Children’s Movement of Florida on Tuesday announced Madeleine Thakur as its new president, effective immediately.
“Ensuring all children get off to a strong start is really the most important work for Florida’s future. I’m honored to play a role in pushing for business practices, public policy, and state investments that support families with young children,“ she said.
Thakur is the first woman and first mother to join the organization’s executive ranks. She will continue to work closely with CEO Vance Aloupis and a strong statewide board led by David Lawrence Jr., former publisher of The Miami Herald and The Movement’s founder.
“I could not be more proud of all that Madeleine has accomplished in her three years at The Movement and am thrilled to announce this promotion,” said Aloupis, who is also a state Representative.
“Madeleine has built effective relationships all across our state—with parents, community organizations, business leaders, state agencies, and legislators. She has the skills and the spirit to help lead us toward even more progress for the children of Florida,” Lawrence said.
In her new role, Thakur will spearhead The Movement’s state-level policy efforts aimed at increasing investment in high-quality early learning, health care for children, and parent support — beginning with a 2021 agenda that includes a greater focus on the needs of parents and caregivers of young children.
She will also lead the growing Bosses for Babies initiative, which invites employers of all sizes to get involved in promoting kindergarten readiness — whether through community involvement, family-friendly policies and practices, or advocacy.
In addition to her work with The Children’s Movement, Thakur serves on the steering committee for the Florida Chamber’s Business Alliance for Early Learning, the state advisory board for the Florida Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) impact project, and the leadership table for Orange County’s “Becoming a K-Ready Community” initiative.
She is chair of the Florida Early Learning Consortium, whose members represent parents, small business owners and nonprofit child care operators, early childhood funders, and the early childhood workforce and focus on legislative advocacy.
Before joining The Movement as chief of staff in September 2017, she spent nearly a decade focused on economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean, working closely with senior executives in the legal, tech, consumer goods, and financial sectors.
A Miami native, Thakur was raised trilingual (English, Spanish, French) and is a proud graduate of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She holds an undergraduate degree in International Studies from the University of Chicago and a diploma from Sciences Po in Paris. She lives in Miami with her husband, Mike, and two young sons.
