Judy Van Ginkel, PhD, named Great Living Cincinnatian
Judy Van Ginkel, PhD, president of Every Child Succeeds (ECS), was recently honored as a Great Living Cincinnatian. Van Ginkel spearheaded the $8 million home visitation program in 1999 with three founding partners – Cincinnati Children’s, United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the Hamilton County Community Action Agency/Head Start.
Van Ginkel was born in Charleston, West Virginia. Her father, a pediatrician, used to take her along with him on house calls when she was a little girl.
“He taught me that what went on in the home mattered and that to do your very best for families, understanding where they lived, being there in the home, gaining their trust and confidence was important,” she says.
That philosophy is borne out in the ECS program, which serves first-time, high-risk mothers and their infants from the prenatal period until the child is 3 years old. It is based on the knowledge that early brain stimulation is critically important for a child’s long-term development.
To date, ECS has made over 600,000 home visits, seen 26,000 families and become a national reference program.
Says Michael Fisher, president and CEO, Cincinnati Children’s, “Judy is one of the most driven people I’ve ever come across. Whether you’re talking about the advocacy front, the philanthropic front or the entrepreneurial front, Judy is all in, all the time, and she motivates others to join her. She has had a huge impact on the Cincinnati community and put the issue of early childhood on the map.”
Van Ginkel has accumulated numerous awards over the years, including The Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year Award (1997); YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award (2003); 4C Champion for Children (2003); Woman of Distinction by the Great Rivers Girl Scout Council (2004), Wyoming; Ohio Junior Women’s Club’s Celebration Award (2006); American Hospital Association NOVA Award (2008); and Civic Ventures’ $100,000 Purpose Prize (2010).
But as deserving and appreciative as she is, the accolades are not her focus. Instead, she has followed a formula for success that has served her – and others – well. She says, “You need to be open to opportunities, to look at what is around you and to think about what really matters and where you can make a difference.”
John Pepper, retired chairman and CEO of P&G, added his ringing endorsement of Van Ginkel in a video tribute to her, saying, “There couldn’t be many people in Cincinnati who have had a more direct influence in the lives of more people – an influence that can change their whole life – than Judy.”
