Mark Shriver, President

Mark K. Shriver is President of Save the Children Action Network, where he leads an effort to mobilize Americans to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths globally and to ensure that every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early childhood education. He is also Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs & Advocacy at Save the Children. Shriver’s career fighting for social justice in advocacy and service organizations, as well as elected office, has focused on advancing the right of every child to a safe and vibrant childhood.

Shriver joined Save the Children in 2003, serving as Senior Vice President for U.S. Programs until 2013. In that capacity, he created and oversaw the agency’s early childhood education, literacy, health, and emergency preparedness and response programs in the United States.

Shriver was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2002. In 1988, he founded the innovative Choice Program, which serves delinquent and at-risk youth through intensive, community-based counseling.

Shriver received his B.A. from The College of the Holy Cross in 1986 and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1993. He resides in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and their three children.

Shriver’s latest book, Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis, was published in 2016 by Random House. His New York Times and Washington Post best-selling memoir, A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver, was published in June 2012 by Henry Holt.

You can follow Mark on Twitter (@Mark_Shriver) or on Facebook (@MarkKennedyShriver).

Paul Ciaramitaro, Senior Director, Political

Prior to joining SCAN, Paul Ciaramitaro worked in federal electoral politics for a decade. Serving as a field staffer on President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, he then went on to the National Republican Congressional Committee, followed by the 2008 Mitt Romney for President Campaign, where he specialized in research and communications.

After serving as a campaign manager on several congressional campaigns across the country from 2009-2011, Paul joined the strategic consulting firm Black Rock Group where he worked for an array of political and corporate clients. Paul joined SCAN in April 2014.

Judith Jerald, Senior Advisor, Early Childhood Education

Judith Jerald is the Senior Early Childhood Advisor for the Save the Children Action Network (SCAN). Before joining SCAN in January 2016, Judie served as the Early Childhood Senior Director for U.S. Programs at Save the Children. In this role she had oversight of early childhood initiatives and was the Executive Director of the six Early Head Start and Head Start programs which Save the Children administers, serving 3000 children. In 2006, when she joined Save the Children, she designed and directed the home-based Early Steps to School Success, a signature program of Save the Children which operates in 14 states.

Before joining Save the Children she served as the National Director of the Early Head Start Program at the Office of Head Start (OHS) from 1999 -2006. In her work at OHS she was charged with early childhood policy planning and implementation, managing national training, research and technical assistance contracts, initiating special program initiatives, and supporting the Administration for Children and Families’ federal regional offices in their work with Early Head Start grantees.

Previous to her Head Start appointment Judie was the founder and director of Early Education Services, an umbrella agency that provides comprehensive services to young children and their families throughout Windham County, Vermont. She administered a variety of early childhood and family support programs, including Early Head Start, preschool Head Start, Even Start, state welfare reform and child care contracts, and school district preschool programs.

Brendan Daly, Senior Director, Communications

Brendan Daly, a veteran communications strategist with more than 20 years of public and private sector experience, leads SCAN’s key communications strategy and messaging initiatives. He previously served as Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy and spent nine years as Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s Communications Director.

As then-Speaker Pelosi’s chief spokesman, he headed a 12-member communications department with responsibility for messaging for House Democratic leaders and for translating the priorities of House Democrats into a unified message that members took home to voters. He was a close adviser and strategist for the Speaker, involved in all aspects of policy and messaging.

A former daily newspaper reporter, Brendan also has held senior communications positions with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Peace Corps. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University.

Sheila Murphy, Senior Director, Government Relations

Sheila Murphy joined Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) in April 2016 as Senior Director of Government Relations after more than 25 years working on Capitol Hill and eight years working for the top lobbying firm, Peck Madigan Jones on early childhood education and foreign aid, among many other issues. Prior to joining Peck Madigan Jones in 2008, she held senior leadership roles for Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), now Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and, most recently, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Sheila is an expert in developing and executing legislative strategies, including coalition building and grassroots/grasstops engagement. Her extensive foreign policy experience, combined with her work with LA UP (Los Angeles Universal Preschool), made her well-suited to lead the government relations strategies for SCAN’s MNCS and ECE campaigns. Sheila holds a Bachelor’s in history from Dartmouth College and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. She has taught at the University of Massachusetts, Georgetown University, and American University.

Kimberly Robson, Senior Director, Mobilization

Kimberly Robson brings more than 20 years of political, policy, fundraising and field organizing to Save the Children Action Network. Before joining SCAN, she served for eight years as the Director of Affiliate and National Programs at NARAL Pro-Choice America where she was responsible for designing, overseeing and implementing all aspects of the organization’s organizing plan to build a politically active constituency across the country. In addition, she was responsible for implementing programs to build capacity in the state affiliate network.

From 2002-2006, Kimberly served as National Field Director for People for the American Way where she served as co-chair of the National Grassroots taskforce on the federal judiciary and managed People For’s Political Action Committee. Kimberly also served for five years as Director of Policy and Programs for Women’s Action for New Directions, representing the organization on Capitol Hill, and she also worked for two years as Finance Director for Citizen Action’s Campaign for a Responsible Congress.

Kimberly grew up in Utah, but has made Washington, D.C. her home for the last 21 years.