JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, February 6, 2026 – Excel By 5 is pleased to announce Heather Martin as Executive Director, affirming the organization’s continued commitment to community-led leadership and collective action that improves outcomes for Mississippi’s youngest children and their families.

Martin brings nearly twenty years of experience in early childhood education, systems-building, and statewide leadership. She began her career as a classroom teacher,

knowledge that continues to ground her understanding of what children, families, and educators need to thrive. Her combined academic training is paired with extensive applied, evidence-based, and systems-focused work across Mississippi, including leadership of initiatives centered on child development, family engagement, and early learning.

Most recently, Martin served as a Project Director at the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center, where she directly oversaw and led statewide initiatives including Vroom and Mind in the Making. Her work emphasized developmental screening, professional learning, and community capacity-building, supported by clear documentation, consistent reporting, and data-informed decision-making to ensure measurable and documented outcomes. Martin is currently serving as President of the Mississippi Early Childhood Association and has received multiple honors recognizing her leadership and service in the field.

Her relationship with Excel By 5 is longstanding and deeply rooted. Martin played a foundational role in building her hometown’s Excel By 5 coalition, volunteered within her local community, and later served as a Community Coach across the region. She has also partnered closely with the organization through statewide leadership development, early childhood systems work, and coalition support. Her experience spans both the community and state levels of the organization, providing a clear understanding of Excel By 5’s certification standards, coaching model, and mission-driven approach.

Excel By 5 is building on more than two decades of community-based connections and grassroots leadership that have shaped its influence across Mississippi. While the first twenty-one years established Excel By 5 as a trusted model for community collaboration, the next generation of work reflects a continued commitment to deepening relationships, strengthening local leadership capacity, and supporting consistent, high-quality impact across partner communities.

This evolution is supported by Mississippi’s legislatively funded LAUNCH initiative, which allows Excel By 5 to expand leadership development, coaching, and community navigation while strengthening statewide systems for tracking progress, documenting impact, and aligning community work with measurable outcomes. Through this work, Excel By 5 is reinvesting in communities not only to meet certification standards, but to build durable systems that support children, families, local economies, and the early childhood workforce for the long term.

“Heather Martin brings both a deep understanding of Excel By 5’s mission and a long-standing commitment to community-driven early childhood work,” said Steve Renfroe, Founder and Member of the Board of Directors of Excel By 5. “Her experience, leadership, and roots in this work position the organization well as we continue strengthening communities and preparing for the next generation of impact.”

As Executive Director, Martin will lead the statewide team, support local coalitions, uphold the integrity of Excel By 5 Certification Standards, and guide the organization’s continued focus on accountability, alignment, and sustained statewide impact.

“Excel By 5 has always been rooted in listening to communities and recognizing what they already bring to the table,” Martin said. “I am honored to build on that legacy by supporting local leaders and strengthening collaboration statewide, knowing that investing in young children makes Mississippi stronger.”

Excel By 5 is a Mississippi-based, grassroots early childhood community certification process focused on improving the health, development, and school readiness of children from birth to age five. Excel By 5 mobilizes communities through volunteer-led coalitions, bringing together health, education, business, and civic partners to build shared ownership around early childhood priorities. Through coaching, leadership development, and standards-based certification, Excel By 5 supports communities in building coordinated systems that strengthen families, early educators, and Mississippi’s current and future workforce.

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More Information:

Penny Mansell, Board of Directors of Excel By 5

psmansell@muw.edu / 662.574.8509

Hans Pettit, President, Board of Directors of Excel By 5

Hans.Pettit@agtrustaca.com / 601.502.6629

Heather Martin, Executive Director of Excel By 5

hmartin@excelby5.com / 662.542.2412