Healthy Baby Diaper Drive Co-Chair Profiles
Janice Gruendel, PhD, MEd
President, Gruendel & Associates
Most recently, Dr. Janice M. Gruendel served as Senior Policy Advisor on Children and Youth for Connecticut’s Governor M. Jodi Rell, Co-Chair of the Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet, and a member of the Governor’s Early Childhood Research and Policy Council. She also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Yale University Child Study Center. In the last year, she has published a chapter on research and policy change in the new book, Child Development and Social Policy: Knowledge for Change. This April she will join 14 other individuals from across the country as invited members of the Working Group on Early Childhood Science and Policy at Harvard University. This initiative is co-sponsored by the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, National Governors Association and National Conference of State Legislatures. She was also just honored as one of eight “Remarkable Business Women” by the Hartford Business Journal.
Dr. Gruendel has 13 years of senior government experience in Connecticut where she served as Deputy Commissioner in the Department of Children and Youth Services (now DCF), Department of Mental Retardation, and Department of Public Health. As a member of the Connecticut Senior Executive Service, she also served as Director of Health Services in the Connecticut Department of Corrections.
From 1992-1996, she worked in business as Vice President for Education and Technology at Rabbit Ears Productions, Inc., a Connecticut children's multi-media company. In this capacity, she worked with global businesses including Microsoft to develop interactive learning materials for children K-8. With Geballe, she co-edited the book Forgotten Children of the AIDS Epidemic and also was co-executive producer of the Emmy-nominated public broadcast documentary, Mommy, Who'll Take Care of Me?
Before coming to work for Governor Rell in 2004, Dr. Gruendel was co-founder and co-president of CT Voices for Children.
Dr. Gruendel received her Ph.D. from Yale University in Developmental Psychology, studying under Professor Edward Zigler. She also holds a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology from the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education.
Irene Cornish, JD
Superintendent of Stratford Public Schools
Mrs. Irene Cornish was appointed Stratford Superintendent of Schools in February 2004. She earned her B.A. from the University of Connecticut in Secondary Education with concentrations in French and Spanish and her M.A. from Central Connecticut State University in French. Mrs. Cornish also did advanced graduate study in Supervision and Evaluation (Secondary level) at the University of Connecticut. Mrs. Cornish earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She has over thirty-four years in education starting in 1963 as a French / Spanish teacher at Rockville High, Vernon, CT. Mrs. Cornish also taught French / Spanish at Tolland High, Tolland, CT where she was also Foreign Language Department Chairman. From 1978 to 1987, Mrs. Cornish was an Assistant Principal at Bloomfield High, Bloomfield, CT. From 1987 to 1994 she practiced law in Vernon, CT and became a partner in the firm of Marder, Kallet, and Cornish.
In October 1994 , Mrs. Cornish returned to the education field after being asked to join the Boston University / Chelsea Partnership in Chelsea, Massachusetts as Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services for the Chelsea Public Schools. She was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Chelsea Public Schools in 2000. Mrs. Cornish has served as an adjunct faculty member of Boston University’s School of Education from 2000 through summer 2004 where she taught a graduate level course on personnel management and labor relations. Mrs. Cornish has served on numerous boards and foundations and is a member of the Stratford Rotary Club and the Board of Directors of Beardsley Zoo, as well as several professional organizations.
In May 2006, Mrs. Cornish received the Links' Diamond Award from the Milford, CT Chapter of Links in recognition of exemplary service to family, profession, and community. In recognition of her consistent contributions to the quality of life for all Stratford citizens and beyond, she was placed on the Town of Stratford's first Wall of Honor in 2008. In May 2008, Mrs. Cornish was the recipient of the Educational Advocacy Award from Children's Community Programs of Connecticut, Inc. In December 2008, Mrs. Cornish was a member of the Connecticut State Department of Education's delegation to Shandong province in China. In January 2009, Mrs. Cornish received the Distinguished Leadership Award from Phi Delta Kappa Sorority, Delta Phi Chapter.
