BRIGHT HORIZONS FAMILY SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Treasurer
Elizabeth Boland, CFO, is responsible for the financial management of the company. In addition to finance and business strategy, short and long-term planning, and shareholder relations, Elizabeth oversees the implementation of financial policies and procedures and the development of a flexible infrastructure to support our quality and growth throughout the organization.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Elizabeth has been with Bright Horizons for more than 20 years, having previously held roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Olsten Corporation and The Visionaries. Elizabeth also serves on the boards of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children in both the US and the UK and is a member of the Bright Horizons Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President of Back - Up Care Delivery and Network
Kara Conley serves as Vice President of Back-Up Care Delivery and Network for Bright Horizons. She brings more than 15 years of employer-sponsored benefits experience to the role, including leadership positions in the absence management and work/life balance sectors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Ms. Kondracke founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of CorporateFamily Solutions, Inc. from 1987 to 1998 when it merged with the Company. She served as a director of the Company in 1998, Chief Executive Officer of the Company for one year, as co-Chair of the Board of the Company from 1999 until 2001, and as a director until 2003. From 2003 to 2004, she served as Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. Ms. Kondracke returned to the Company's Board in 2004, and from 2004 until May 2012, also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of America's Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded by Colin Powell that advocates for the strength and well-being of America's children and youth. Ms. Kondracke served on the board and was chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of LifePoint Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: LPNT) from 2012 to 2018, when the company was sold. Ms. Kondracke also served as a member of the board of directors of Saks, Inc. (NYSE: SKS) from 1997 to 2013 and Rosetta Stone (NYSE: RST) from 2011 to 2015.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Operations Officer, North America Center Operations
Mary Lou Burke Afonso is a 20-year veteran of Bright Horizons, having served in a variety of leadership roles in nearly every aspect of the organization, including operation, finance and client relations. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing the operational leadership and management of all North America-based child care centers and schools. She also oversees all center relations with current clients. Mary Lou is a graduate of Boston College School of Management. Her two daughters are graduates of Bright Horizons early education and preschool.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President of Education and Development
Rachel Robertson has been in the education field for over twenty years. She holds a B.S. in Family Social Science and an M.A. in Human Development with an emphasis in learning across the lifespan. She is currently the Vice President of Education and Development for Bright Horizons Family Solutions. In her role, with an Education & Development department of over 40 members, she supervises the education and curriculum programs for 700 early care and education centers and the professional development for the over 18,000 educators and learning leaders. She is also an author of numerous articles and books including a deployment series for military families (Elva Resa); Healthy Children, Healthy Lives (Redleaf Press); and children's books (Redleaf Lane).
She has been identified by Early Childhood Exchange as a leader in the field, she is a member of the Exchange Research to Practice committee, and the HeadStarter Network. The department has won numerous training awards under Rachel's supervision, including recognition as a Top 125 Training by Training magazine organization in 2016 and 2017.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Stephen has devoted his career to supporting the educational promise of all, from the youngest children to high school students and adult learners -- working to realize his vision and belief that everyone at every age deserves a great education. Stephen was named CEO of Bright Horizons in January 2018, and over the last decade he has held leadership positions throughout the organization including President, Chief Development Officer, and Managing Director, Europe, based in London. He joined Bright Horizons in 2006 through the acquisition of College Coach®, a company he co-founded and led. Previously, Stephen held roles at Fidelity Ventures and Arthur D. Little.
In addition to the Bright Horizons Board of Directors, Stephen serves on the boards of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children in both the U.S. and the UK and co-chairs the Bright Horizons Diversity and Inclusion Council.
A Massachusetts native, Stephen is a graduate of Babson College and Harvard Business School.
He and his wife, Jill, are enjoying raising two elementary school age children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President