Jeana Ross is a lifelong educator and, like the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation™, believes that early childhood education is a key component of a strong economy and successful society at the state and national levels. From 2012-2020, Ms. Ross was Secretary of Alabama’s Department of Early Childhood Education. Alabama’s state Pre-K and early education program continues to be a valuable guide for local and regional leaders as they look to build high-quality programs in their own states. Jeana has a deep passion for building systems that have long-term success. She has always worked to find funding gaps for children and families and subsequently fill those gaps with increased state funding, believing that once you get a good program in place for early learning, you need to work to keep it. With a career that began at the grass-roots level, working with local neighborhoods and communities, Jeana set a new standard in Alabama, one that she now aims to take nationwide through the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation™.