Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye will retire Oct. 1 after nearly seven years leading the agency, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.
Bye, who joined the administration in 2019, is stepping down to pursue a master’s degree in social work and a new career working with children and families in health care. She previously served as a state senator and held leadership roles at Trinity College, the University of St. Joseph, and the Capitol Region Education Council.
Lamont said Deputy Commissioner Elena Trueworthy will take over in an interim capacity upon Bye’s departure and will be formally nominated to the role when the General Assembly reconvenes in February.
Trueworthy, who has worked in early childhood education for more than two decades, joined OEC in 2019 and was named deputy commissioner in 2023.
During her tenure, Bye oversaw what the administration calls the largest expansion of early childhood access in state history, including thousands of new child care slots.
Bye, who served as a Democratic lawmaker in the state House and Senate, earlier in her career was the director of both the Trinity College Community Child Center and the University of St. Joseph School for Young Children. She has also served as early childhood director at the Capitol Region Education Council.
