Press Releases

Committee for Children Welcomes Two New Members to Board of Directors

September 29, 2009

SEATTLE—Committee for Children has named Karen Tvedt, PhD, and Paige Hamack to its board of directors.

Committee for Children is a 30-year-old Seattle-based nonprofit that develops award-winning, research-based social-emotional learning curricula for kids in preschool through eighth grade. Its research-based antiviolence, anti-bullying, and child abuse prevention programs, which include the acclaimed Second Step curriculum, reach more than 10 million children a year in 70 countries.

Tvedt, a leading policy expert and advocate on behalf of young children and families, will add her state and federal policy expertise to the board. Hamack, a technical accounting and reporting expert, brings experience with large, multinational companies to the board.

“Karen brings the passion, experience, and expertise to our board that will serve us well as we continue to develop programs that address the social and emotional learning needs of young children and families,” said Joan Duffell, executive director. “As our programs gain wider acceptance all over the world, Paige will offer invaluable multinational accounting experience and business perspective to the board,” said Duffell. “These two new members will contribute greatly to the combined passion and well-rounded expertise of our board of directors,” she added.

As executive director of the legislatively established Early Learning Council, part of Washington Learns, Tvedt played a major role in crafting the recommendations to the governor and legislature about strategies for improving early childhood learning outcomes for children in Washington state. These efforts led to the creation of the Department of Early Learning and Thrive by Five Washington, a partnership between the state and a diverse group of public and private partners. Tvedt recently served as interim director of the agency at the request of Governor Chris Gregoire.

Tvedt’s most recent work with Washington state was preceded by six years of service in Washington, DC, as policy division director in the Child Care Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). While completing her doctorate at the University of Portland, she also served as expert administrator for the Child Care Policy and Research Consortium, a collaborative sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within the Federal Administration on Children and Families, DHHS.

Before her federal service, Tvedt served as program manager and supervisor, then chief, of the state’s Office of Child Care Policy, where she managed the agency’s oversight of licensing, subsidy policy, quality initiatives, and coordination across childcare and early education programs—two fields in which she has extensive experience. Tvedt has also worked as a preschool teacher, childcare provider, childcare center director, preschool administrator, and child welfare worker.

In her current role as group manager of external reporting for the Microsoft Corporation, a Fortune 500 company with nearly $60 billion in annual revenues, Hamack manages the preparation and review of the company’s periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Prior to working at Microsoft, Hamack was director of technical accounting and SEC reporting for Getty Images, Inc., a multinational digital media company with nearly $1 billion in annual revenues. In this role, Hamack was a member of the chief financial officer’s team, involved in its leadership and strategy, and responsible for technical accounting research and policies. She also managed the financial aspects of the acquisition of the company by a private equity firm.

After relocating to Seattle from Portland, Hamack established accounting policies and managed the largest private placement funding for Vitessa, a technology start-up company. Hamack began her career in Portland as an auditor for Deloitte and Touche, LLC, a “big four” public accounting firm, and worked in the accounting department at Tektronix, Inc., a multinational public company with approximately $2 billion in annual revenues.

Her experience also includes providing technical accounting guidance for more than 50 business combinations and joint ventures, and assisting in the worldwide implementation of new accounting software.