by Staff Report CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye is leaving her current role to pursue a new career working with children and families in health care settings.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday that Bye, who has led the department since 2019, is retiring effective Oct. 1.
“Beth Bye is one of the most caring, compassionate, and energetic people that I know, and her passion for the development and wellness of the youngest members of our communities knows no bounds,” Lamont said. “Because of Beth’s advocacy and work in our administration, Connecticut is in the process of adding thousands of new early childhood education slots that will improve lives forever.”
I am so grateful that she has led this agency for these last several years, and I am confident that our early childhood system has made significant improvements because of her work. I am also thankful that Elena Trueworthy has agreed to serve as this agency’s next commissioner. Elena has worked to support early childhood education programs for more than 20 years, and her intimate knowledge and familiarity with Connecticut’s early childhood system will enable her to hit the job running.”
During her tenure leading OEC, Bye helped develop what is on track to become the largest expansion of early childhood access in Connecticut history, Lamont said. The expanded program is intended to enable thousands of additional children to enroll in these services that would have otherwise been unattainable for their families, he said.
Lamont said he and Bye had also worked with the human service commissioners to launch Universal Nurse Home Visiting in Connecticut.
Bye called Connecticut “the most family friendly state” and said working to expand early education and establishing universal home visiting had been “the honor of my career.”
She said the advancements the state had made were the result of decades of work by advocates, legislators, philanthropy and families.
“This collaborative work is a model for other states and the nation,” she said.
To replace Bye, Lamont has named Elena Trueworthy, OEC’s deputy commissioner, to serve as interim commissioner until the 2026 legislative session begins in February. He will then nominate her for the permanent role, he said.
Before accepting her state role, Bye was the director of both the Trinity College Community Child Center and the University of St. Joseph School for Young Children. She has also served as early childhood director at the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC).
Trueworthy has been with OEC since 2019, first as the director of the agency’s Head Start State Collaboration Office, and since 2023 as deputy commissioner. She formerly served as associate director of early childhood investments with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, as the director of the organization’s Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative and with the Human Resources Agency in New Britain.