Honoring a Legacy. Embracing the Future.

MLICCI Prepares for Leadership Transition

The Board of Directors of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative (MLICCI) is pleased to announce an important leadership transition that reflects both continuity and growth in our mission to strengthen Mississippi’s child care system and advocate for children, families, and providers across our state.

After decades of visionary leadership, advocacy, and service, MLICCI Founder and Executive Director Carol Burnett will transition to the role of Director Emeritus, effective September 1, 2026. In this new role, Carol will continue to serve as a trusted advisor to the organization, supporting strategic initiatives, mentoring leadership, and helping preserve the vision and values that have shaped MLICCI’s work for more than three decades.

Carol founded MLICCI to ensure that low-income working families had access to safe, affordable, and quality child care while advocating for policies that strengthen economic opportunity for parents and providers alike. Under her leadership, MLICCI became one of Mississippi’s leading voices on child care policy and systems reform, helping improve access to child care assistance, advancing provider support, and elevating the needs of working families in state and national conversations. Her leadership also helped drive major policy reforms to Mississippi’s child care assistance program, opening opportunities for thousands of families and strengthening support systems for providers statewide. Most notably under Carol’s leadership, the Mississippi Department of Human Services removed the child support requirement for child care assistance and recently announced utilizing $5 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds toward the Child Care Payment Program. In addition, the Employment Equity for Single Moms program has served as a model for helping mothers achieve economic security through education advancement and workforce development with a unique case management system that also provides child care access.

Carol’s more than three decades of nonprofit leadership and policy expertise has included service in community development, early childhood systems, workforce development, and public policy advocacy. She has represented Mississippi in national and international forums, participated in the White House Summit on Working Families, and served as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

At the same time, the Board is proud to announce that Matt Williams, MLICCI’s current Research Director, will become Executive Director effective September 1, 2026. Matt has played a critical role in advancing MLICCI’s advocacy, policy strategy, coalition-building, and statewide engagement efforts during one of the most consequential periods for child care in Mississippi. His leadership has helped strengthen MLICCI’s policy presence, deepen partnerships, and position the organization to respond to both immediate challenges and long-term opportunities for Mississippi families and providers.

“This transition reflects strength, continuity, and confidence in the future of MLICCI,” said Nsombi Lambright-Haynes, Board Chair. “Carol's leadership has transformed child care advocacy in Mississippi and changed the lives of countless children, families, and providers. We are deeply grateful for her legacy and excited about Matt’s leadership as we continue to build on that foundation.”

Carol Burnett shared: “MLICCI has always been about fighting for children, families, and child care providers and making sure working parents have the support they need to thrive. Thank you to our funders, partners, and provider network for your trust, collaboration, and continued partnership. I am proud of what we have built together and confident that the organization is in strong hands. I look forward to the next chapter of MLICCI’s work under Matt Williams’ leadership.”

Matt Williams added: “It is an incredible honor to build upon the foundation Carol Burnett created. MLICCI has earned the trust of providers, families, advocates, and partners across Mississippi, and I look forward to continuing our work to strengthen child care access, support providers, and advocate for policies that help Mississippi families succeed.”

This transition comes at a pivotal time for child care in Mississippi. MLICCI remains steadfast in its commitment to working alongside providers, families, policymakers, advocates, and philanthropic partners to ensure that every child has access to quality early learning opportunities and every family can participate fully in the workforce and economy.