Christopher Angellatta appointed as CEO of Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association

The Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA) has appointed Dr. Christopher Angellatta as its new Chief Executive Officer. 

His appointment comes following a nationwide search conducted by OCCRRA’s Board of Directors, and he will formally assume the role at the end of October. Dr. Angellatta will succeed Todd Barnhouse, who has served as OCCRRA’s CEO since 2011.

OCCRRA, a nonprofit organisation providing statewide professional development and technical assistance to childcare and referral agencies across Ohio, supporting child and youth care providers. 

Dr Angellatta’s leadership is expected to enhance the organisation’s efforts to promote high-quality child care services and further strengthen the infrastructure supporting childcare across the state.

Nancy Mendez, President of OCCRRA’s Board of Directors and CEO of StartingPoint, expressed confidence in the board’s decision:

"I am extremely excited that Chris has agreed to lead our dynamic and growing organization and further our mission of enhancing the statewide system of child and youth learning and development to achieve high-quality outcomes for Ohio children and families.”

Dr. Angellatta brings three decades of experience in nonprofit leadership to OCCRRA. Most recently, he served as Chief Development Officer for Scouting in Central and Southern Ohio. Before that, he spent 28 years with the YMCA, including his tenure as CEO of the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne, where he oversaw significant growth in membership and youth programming, including childcare services.

His experience at the YMCA during the COVID-19 pandemic was particularly relevant to child care. He represented the largest childcare provider in the region and played an active role on the statewide public policy committee for the Indiana Alliance of YMCAs. This hands-on experience in childcare operations, coupled with his leadership in public policy, positions him to address many of the challenges facing Ohio’s childcare infrastructure today.

Dr Angellatta sees his new role at OCCRRA as an opportunity to make a significant impact on childcare providers and educators across the state, saying:

"Leading OCCRRA presents an incredible opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of Ohio's children and families. Together with our dedicated team, I am committed to strengthening supports for early child care educators and child care providers, ensuring they have the resources and guidance to deliver high-quality care and education across our state.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Angellatta has led initiatives in areas such as service operations, fund development, programme design, and diversity and inclusion. His expertise in these areas will be instrumental in driving OCCRRA’s mission to coordinate efforts across Ohio’s Regional Child Care and Referral (CCR&R) member agencies, ensuring consistency in the quality of services provided across the state’s 88 counties.

OCCRRA’s role as the coordinating hub for these agencies includes providing technical assistance and professional development to early childhood, child-serving, and school-age programMEs. The organisation also oversees various statewide quality initiatives to improve outcomes for children and families across Ohio.

Nancy Mendez emphasised that the board expects Dr. Angellatta’s leadership to amplify the impact of OCCRRA’s work:

"With decades of strategic and operational leadership experience in the child, youth, and family social services sector, our Board is confident that Chris will amplify the impact and successes of our member agencies while strengthening the child care infrastructure in Ohio.”