Our Executive Team

Dr. Elanna S. Yalow, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Dr. Elanna Yalow is Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge Universe (KU) Early Learning Programs and a member of the Board of Directors of Knowledge Universe. She also serves as Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Asian International College, an institution for higher learning and teacher education in Singapore.

In her capacity as CEO, Dr. Yalow oversees several businesses, but most prominently KinderCare Learning Centers and Knowledge Beginnings. She has over 20 years of experience with the organization, and has established strong relationships in the education sector, in thought leadership circles, and the early childhood education industry. Dr. Yalow is also responsible for the development of KU’s educational programs in the United States and for the use of best practices in education, professional development, and quality assurance across KU’s global education programs in the US, Europe and Asia, ensuring continuous improvement of KU’s global best-in-class early childhood education offerings.

Previously Dr. Yalow served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Knowledge Learning Corporation (now Knowledge Universe Education), which operates nearly 1700 early childhood education centers in 39 states, including its KinderCare Learning Centers and Knowledge Beginnings centers. She was responsible for center operations, curriculum development and training, quality assurance, marketing and business development, mergers and acquisitions, and new center development, supervising a total workforce of approximately 40,000 employees.

Prior to joining KU, Dr. Yalow served as Associate Director of IOX Assessment Associates where she served as Project Director for numerous state and national level research and development projects in both educational assessment and health education for agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Office of Disease Prevention/Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control, and numerous State Departments of Education. She also served as a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach.

Dr. Yalow has published and presented extensively on issues related to education and health in publications including the Annual Review of Health Promotion and Education, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Educational Researcher, Handbook of Human Intelligence, Contemporary Education Review, Personnel Psychology and Curator. She has served as a speaker at the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Education Writers Association, Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress, the Milken Institute Global Conference, the Hechinger Institute Seminars on Education and the Media, the World Forum on Early Care and Education and NBC’s 2011 Education Nation Summit. She has made numerous presentations on assessment and evaluation in the education and health care arenas at the American Psychological Association, Psychometric Society, National Council of Measurement in Education, and the American Educational Research Association. She is a contributing author to Education Insights, KU’s blog for parents. http://usblog.kueducation.com/author/elanna/

Dr. Yalow holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the Stanford University School of Education, an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of NY at Stony Brook, where she was Phi Beta Kappa. She serves on the Advisory Board of the National Childhood Obesity Foundation, Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress, Busy Bees Nurseries, and the Child Development Policy Institute.

Dr. Yalow is married and the mother of two sons. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Rosalyn Yalow, 1977 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.

Elizabeth Large

Executive Vice President and General Counsel 

Elizabeth Large joined Knowledge Universe® in 2005. She was promoted to her present position in July 2010 and oversees the operations of the Legal department, providing pro-active strategic and tactical advice designed to advance the business goals while operating well within legal and ethical boundaries.

Before joining KU, Elizabeth had her own law practice, litigating complex civil cases in Oregon, Washington, and California for business, government, and individuals. Elizabeth also litigated constitutional challenges as an Assistant Attorney General for the Special Litigation Unit at the State of Oregon. She has also served in private practice as a member of the trial practice group at Stoel Rives LLP, a leading Northwest law firm.

Elizabeth has a strong interest in serving our local community, with a special focus on literacy. She is currently a volunteer reader and a member of the board of directors for SMART (“Start Making A Reader Today”) and previously volunteered for Project Read in San Francisco. She has also served as a mentor to several first-year law students at Willamette University College of Law and was named Mentor of The Year in 2001. 

In April 2011, Elizabeth was recognized with a Women of Influence award from the Portland Business Journal for both her contribution to KU, as well as her community philanthropic work.  

Elizabeth received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Willamette University and her bachelor’s degree in economics and history from the University of Washington. She is licensed to practice law in Oregon, Washington, and California.