Frances Sallah

Frances is an expert in social service operations and has a passion for supporting kids and families of color. She is fiercely committed to lifting up the voices of those who aren’t typically heard to better inform policies, programs and practices in the early learning world. As she works with partners to push for equity, she draws on her experience as a social worker, mother, black woman, and former member of the military. Before joining ELM, Frances skillfully handled operations for the Office of Self Sufficiency at Oregon’s Department of Human Services for 18 years. Through it all, she's kept a sharp sense of humor, the gift for keeping it real, and the guts to always tell it like it is.  

Why is early learning important? 

“Early learning is the key for every child to be successful in life. It’s important to me that a child’s hopes and dreams have every chance of coming true.”

Ask Frances about

ELM operations and policy, ELM investments, how ELM aligns with state and county partners, and deep sea fishing.