Class of 1978 alumna Charlotte Cole attended Shipley from 7^th through 12^th grade. She was voted Most Generous by her classmates. After Shipley Dr. Cole attended Bowdoin College, where she completed her undergraduate degree in only three years, and then went to Harvard University, where she earned a doctoral degree in Human Development and Psychology. After a good deal of international travel, including living in Qatar, and a decade of experience in education, in 1993 Dr. Cole sought a position with Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that created “Sesame Street.”

Now 20 years later, Dr. Cole serves as Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President for Global Education, Research, and Outreach. Dr. Cole has worked for the past two decades with educators and production teams all over the world to create educational and entertaining children’s programs appropriate for the culture of each country. “Sesame Street” is now seen in more than 150 countries, and the overarching goal for all of its content is to support educationally disadvantaged children, many of whom reside in poverty-stricken countries or areas of conflict. In her role, Dr. Cole oversees global strategies and leads the development of all curriculum and research for “Sesame Street” programming.

In places such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, and West Bank/Gaza, Dr. Cole has tackled difficult topics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, obesity-reduction, emergency preparation, water sanitation issues, and vaccination. Through her efforts, over 60 million children have benefited from innovative programming.

Just as former Shipley Headmistress Margaret Bailey Speer was, Dr. Cole has been instrumental in effecting change in the field of education with Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing. It is no surprise that this Most Generous Shipley alumna makes a positive impact on tens of millions of children throughout the world while she advocates for the globalization of early childhood education. Her compassionate participation in the world is a credit to her and to Shipley, and today it is our honor to recognize Dr. Cole’s generosity of time and talent in the education of children around the world by presenting her with the 13^th Margaret Bailey Speer Award.

Class of 1978 alumna Charlotte Cole attended Shipley from 7^th through 12^th grade. She was voted Most Generous by her classmates. After Shipley Dr. Cole attended Bowdoin College, where she completed her undergraduate degree in only three years, and then went to Harvard University, where she earned a doctoral degree in Human Development and Psychology. After a good deal of international travel, including living in Qatar, and a decade of experience in education, in 1993 Dr. Cole sought a position with Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that created “Sesame Street.”

Now 20 years later, Dr. Cole serves as Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President for Global Education, Research, and Outreach. Dr. Cole has worked for the past two decades with educators and production teams all over the world to create educational and entertaining children’s programs appropriate for the culture of each country. “Sesame Street” is now seen in more than 150 countries, and the overarching goal for all of its content is to support educationally disadvantaged children, many of whom reside in poverty-stricken countries or areas of conflict. In her role, Dr. Cole oversees global strategies and leads the development of all curriculum and research for “Sesame Street” programming.

In places such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, and West Bank/Gaza, Dr. Cole has tackled difficult topics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, obesity-reduction, emergency preparation, water sanitation issues, and vaccination. Through her efforts, over 60 million children have benefited from innovative programming.

Just as former Shipley Headmistress Margaret Bailey Speer was, Dr. Cole has been instrumental in effecting change in the field of education with Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing. It is no surprise that this Most Generous Shipley alumna makes a positive impact on tens of millions of children throughout the world while she advocates for the globalization of early childhood education. Her compassionate participation in the world is a credit to her and to Shipley, and today it is our honor to recognize Dr. Cole’s generosity of time and talent in the education of children around the world by presenting her with the 13^th Margaret Bailey Speer Award.