Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday that Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye will be retiring from her role as of Oct. 1.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced at a press conference at Charter Oak International Academy that OEC Commissioner Beth Bye (left) will be retiring from her position, and he has selected Deputy Commissioner Elena Trueworthy (right) to succeed Bye. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye will be retiring from state service this fall, and will pursue her MSW at the Erickson Institute, a graduate school in Chicago focused on preparing students for careers in early childhood development, education, and social work.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday morning in the Family Resource Center at Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford, touting the $300 million Early Childhood Education Endowment, Gov. Ned Lamont made the announcement that effective Oct. 1, Bye plans to step down from the role she has held since his administration began, and he has selected OEC Deputy Commissioner Elena Trueworthy to serve as successor.

Lamont said Bye has taken the lead on early childhood education since the beginning, adding that “retirement is the wrong word. She’s going to stay so actively involved in kids and taking care of kids and kids in need.”

Gov. Ned Lamont speaks at a press conference at Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford on Sept. 4, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Trueworthy also comes from an early childhood background. “I like people who know something about child care … to take the lead on child care. That’s what Beth has been able to do successfully. What an incredible six-and-a-half years,” the governor said, noting the impact the Early Childhood Endowment will have in opening up hundreds of additional preschool slots.

“And Elena comes from the same cloth. She’s been there working hand-in-hand with Beth over these many years,” Lamont said.

Bye was formerly a member of the West Hartford Board of Education and served as a member of the state Senate in the 5th District. She was appointed by Lamont to lead OEC at the start of his first term, in January 2019. Previously, her professional roles have included director of both the Trinity College Community Child Center and the University of Saint Joseph School for Young Children, and as early childhood director at the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC).

Trueworthy, deputy commissioner of OEC since 2023, joined the agency in 2019, initially as director of the Head Start State Collaboration Office. Immediately before joining OEC, she was associate director of early childhood investments with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, co-managing a portfolio of grants that support child health, parent education and leadership, community engagement, family child care, bilingual career pathways, and program capacity building, according to the governor’s announcement. From 2011 to 2016 she served as director of the Hartford Area Child Care Collaborative, leading a 350-member collaborative to improve child care quality and access and previously worked in Head Start programs in New Britain.

“It has been such an honor to be on your team,” Bye said Thursday, thanking the governor for entrusting her with the position and thanking and recognizing others in the room who have supported her and the children and families who have inspired her. Trueworthy is “the ideal leader to carry this vision forward at OEC. Her unwavering focus on children, families, and community building will take the agency and the field to the next level, and I have greatly appreciated her partnership, her hard work, her friendship, and I’m really grateful you’re ready to embrace this challenge,” she said.

Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye will be stepping down from her role on Oct. 1, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Personally, Bye said, her voice cracking with emotion, she is ready for the next chapter. “I’m really excited to work with children and families directly again, this time in healthcare settings.” While her 25 years in elected and appointed office have been rewarding, Bye said she is ready to return to the type of role that originally inspired her. “And I feel really good about our agency team and Commissioner Trueworthy.”

“I’m truly honored and so, so humbled to be here to accept this opportunity to take the helm of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood,” Trueworthy said at Thursday’s press conference, thanking the governor for his trust and Bye for her leadership.

“I’m fully confident in saying that Beth has made the children and families’ experience here in this great state of Connecticut so much better in their early years. She has made early childhood providers understand and really value who they are and what they add and contribute to this society,” Trueworthy said, pledging to listen to partners and advocates, and work closely with legislators and parents.

Gov. Ned Lamont has selected Deputy OEC Commissioner Elena Trueworthy to succeed Beth Bye as head of the agency. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

In a written statement accompanying the announcement of the change in leadership, Lamont said 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. 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.”

In her official statement, Bye said, “Working with Governor Lamont and the team at OEC to make Connecticut the most family friendly state with the expansion of early education and the launch of universal home visiting has been the honor of my career. The achievements Connecticut has made to improve the wages of early educators and make child care more affordable for families happened only because of decades of work by advocates, legislators, philanthropy, and families. This collaborative work is a model for other states and the nation.” Trueworthy has “the vision, leadership, experience and passion to lead OEC into the future. There is nobody better to continue this critical work,” she added.

Trueworthy has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in human services from Springfield College.

She will serve as commissioner of OEC in an interim role until her nomination is submitted to the legislature by the governor for approval at the start of the 2026 legislative session in February.

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