Early Childhood Education Center Executive Director Retirement

After more than two decades of service to the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Centers (ECEC), Executive Director Kathryn Owen has announced her retirement, effective January 4th, 2021.

In 2000, Kathryn joined the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Center as a Lead Teacher and in 2003 was promoted to Director of Early Childhood Education Center. During her tenure with ECEC Kathryn was recognized as a world-renowned leader in early childhood education for her work at UC San Diego, and named an “Exceptional Master Leader in Education” by the Childcare Exchange. She is one of only 49 childcare professionals worldwide to have been chosen for this exceptional category. Under her leadership, UC San Diego opened a second child development center, Mesa Child Development Center, expanding on campus childcare to over 200 children. Kathryn has mentored hundreds of teachers and has provided exceptional early education for thousands of families. She was instrumental in investigating the interaction between children and social robots, titled the RUBI project, a multinational study which has shown significant improvement in a child’s vocabulary skills. Kathryn has received many accolades over her tenure and has published and has been the subject of many articles in her field.

Kathryn has made a lasting and meaningful impact that will continue to shape the success of the Early Childhood Education Centers and UC San Diego for many years to come. We have been truly lucky to have Kathryn as part of our university team. Her dedication, extensive knowledge and caring leadership will be deeply missed. Congratulations to Kathryn on her phenomenal leadership, accomplishments and best wishes on her next phase in retirement!

For information regarding ECEC during this transition period please contact Tracey Baumann, ECEC Admin Officer, at tmantilla@ucsd.edu or Thomas Bonetati, Auxiliary Services Director, at tbonetati@ucsd.edu. You may also view the Early Care and Education website at child.ucsd.edu.

Gary C. Matthews
Vice Chancellor
Resource Management & Planning