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Kristin Bernhard

Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Advocacy

Primrose Schools

Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow Alumni 2018 Cohort 4

Atlanta, Georgia

Kristin Bernhard is the executive director of corporate social responsibility and public advocacy at Primrose Schools. In this new role, she is responsible for the Primrose Corporate Social Responsibility program, Primrose Promise, and leading the Primrose Schools Children’s Foundation, the charitable arm of Primrose Schools that exists to provide a brighter future for children who are underserved or in crisis.

Prior to her current role, Kristin was the Chief Policy and Research Officer at Start Early. Kristin previously served as the Deputy Commissioner for System Reform at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, where she led the implementation of the state’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant, Quality Rating & Improvement System, Early Head Start Child Care Partnership Grant, Early Childhood Integrated Data System, and other initiatives to strengthen the state’s early learning system.  Her career has also included serving as the Education Policy Advisor to Governor Nathan Deal and time in the policy office of Governor Sonny Perdue. She is a member of the inaugural class of the Governor Zell Miller Foundation Leadership Institute and the University of Georgia’s 40 under 40 class of 2018. Kristin is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University’s College of Law.

Stories Featuring Kristin Bernhard
April 10, 2023
New Report: Reimagining Child Welfare
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December 9, 2020
Investing in Futures Means Investing in Families: Announcing the Two-Generation Prenatal to Three Learning and Action Community
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July 22, 2020
Transforming Child and Family Mental Health in Washington, DC
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June 29, 2020
Undo A System of White Supremacy: The Call for a New Social Contract
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June 19, 2019
2018 Ascend Fellow Action Plans
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September 6, 2018
Prestigious Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship Announces 2018 Class of Leaders
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Ascend Fellows are a community of values-driven leaders who share an unwavering commitment to our shared goal of intergenerational family prosperity and well-being.