Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is pleased to announce that Jill Beckwith has been named Deputy Director. Jill has been a member of our staff for nine years, most recently serving in the position of Senior Policy Analyst where she was responsible for advocacy and policy analysis focused on a broad range of children's health issues, including health insurance coverage and access to oral health and behavioral health services for children enrolled in RIte Care. Previously, she was the Director of Prevention at AIDS Project Rhode Island, Assistant Director at the Massachusetts Prevention Center in Cambridge, MA, and Associate Director of the Measurable Enhancement of the Status of Health (MESH) Initiative at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, PA. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As Deputy Director, Jill will provide leadership for Rhode Island KIDS COUNT programs, children's policy issues, and strategic planning. She succeeds Catherine Walsh who served as Deputy Director from 1998 to 2012.

Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT said, "Anyone who has worked with Jill knows that she is an extremely talented, effective and deeply committed advocate for children. She has a true passion for child advocacy and I know she will do a tremendous job as Deputy Director."