Solidarity Hour... The One with Maggie DeCan

Maggie Decan, CEO and Executive Director of CDA (Children’s Development Academy) in Roswell, GA joined us for Solidarity Hour on Sept. 25th and her journey is a truly inspiring.

After 14 years at Honey Baked Hams, the last as COO, Maggie knew she wanted to give back to the community and specifically within non-profit. At the time CDA needed to replace their beloved executive director. It took some convincing – after all, she didn’t have traditional non-profit experience – but Maggie eventually won over the staff and board and joined CDA in 2016. It’s been a proverbial joyride even with the unprecedented challenges of created by the pandemic.

CDA was founded in Roswell, GA in 1967 and now provides affordable early learning programs and childcare for preschool children, ages 1 to 5, in metro Atlanta, preparing them for success in education and life. Importantly, CDA enables hardworking parents to maintain full-time employment to support their families. They are NAEYC-accredited (National Association for the Education of Young Children), which is the highest level of accreditation available to any education program, with a curriculum committed to preparing children to be “ready by five” for school success.

We asked Maggie: what have you brought from the corporate world into the nonprofit world that has helped you grow the CDA in the past 4 years? Her answer: Stick to the strategic plan and know when to say “no”!

Thank you for your service, Maggie. Your passion radiates! For more information, check out CDA at www.cdakids.com.