Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program

Grace Vaughn

2011 Heller MPP Segal Fellow

Grace Vaughn (M.P.P. '12) and her wife Heather live with their three children in Stoneham, MA. A former Preschool and Kindergarten teacher, Grace took time off from teaching to care for her ailing father and young children beginning in 2016. Then in 2020 Grace's sons were diagnosed with a rare genetic metabolic disease which opened a new world of medical and developmental complexities for her family. Navigating public school services and private therapeutic programming for her boys became a full time job. Beginning Spring of 2024, Grace will be taking on a new job outside the home with Early Intervention through Criterion Child Enrichment, Inc. as a Developmental Specialist advocating for families of children ages 0-3 years old at-risk for developmental delays. This new position is exciting as it melds together her experience as an Early Childhood Educator, a special needs parent advocate and her M.P.P. programing in Child, Youth and Family Policy. Her Segal Fellowship experience was spent with Strategies for Children's Early Education for All Campaign in Boston during the Summer of 2011.