Michelle Seligson, the founder and former Executive Director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College, is a researcher, consultant, author, and nationally recognized leader in child care policy and practice.

From 1979 to 1999, Ms. Seligson led NIOST, the nation’s premier research, training, and policy institute focused on the importance of out-of-school time. During that time Ms. Seligson has also been a keynote speaker and featured presenter at many national conferences on child care, and work and family issues for institutions and organizations throughout the country. In October 1997, she addressed the White House Conference on Child Care, where she joined President and Mrs. Clinton in emphasizing the importance of children’s out-of-school time.

Ms. Seligson has been interviewed on the Today Show and on the National Public Radio program All Things Considered. In addition to numerous articles, Ms. Seligson has written several publications including School-Age Child Care: An Action Manual for the 90s and Beyond and Early Childhood Programs and the Public Schools: Between Promise and Practice.

Ms. Seligson holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Simmons College and a Masters of Education in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She continues her work at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College as the Director of Bringing Yourself to Work.

Patricia Jahoda Stahl is an accomplished program developer for girls and adolescent programs with almost 20 years experience in training, consulting, and developing innovative educational initiatives. She holds a Masters of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education where she specialized in risk and prevention.

In addition to her work at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College, Ms. Stahl founded Strategic Philanthropy, a consulting practice in which she assists organizations and foundations identify and plan their philanthropic programs.

Most recently, Ms. Stahl was the technical and program consultant for the Girls Action Initiative, a project with the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation that funded 12 Massachusetts girls programs for three years. She also served as the Director of Adolescent Programs at the Boston Children’s Museum, during which time she created a vocational development program that created interactive work opportunities for adolescents in a museum setting.

Ms. Stahl’s most recent publications include Learning From Girls Action: Building Strengths and Saving Self-Esteem in Early Adolescence and Growing Together: A Mutual Exchange Between Adolescents and Museums. At the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College, Ms. Stahl is the Associate Director of Bringing Yourself to Work.