Dr. Jeanette Betancourt is the senior vice president for U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop. She directs the development of Sesame Workshop's domestic social impact initiatives designed to reach children, families, and the key adults that influence young children's development and resilience.
Dr. Betancourt leads a team that develops these research-based, high impact initiatives in the areas of children’s school readiness, health equity, belonging and inclusion, traumatic experiences, resettlement, and emotional well-being. She maintains a key network of advisors and national organizations that enable the development, integration, and implementation of these initiatives to raise awareness on issues adversely impacting young children whose voices are not heard along with the important adults in their lives. These initiatives target the most marginalized and/or under resourced groups as well as an emphasis on traumatized, autistic, military, and/or bilingual populations.
Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Dr. Betancourt was a director of urban and minority education, Teachers College, Columbia University focusing on equity programs for resettlement, education, and social service programs. She also practiced as a licensed bilingual speech and language pathologist and educational therapist in educational and health care settings. Dr. Betancourt serves on several national boards and is the board chairperson for a network of charter schools she helped establish. Dr. Betancourt has a B.A. and M.A. in speech and language pathology; an M.S. in bilingual reading/special education, and an Ed.D. in special education.
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