David Lawrence Jr. retired in 1999 as publisher of the Miami Herald to work in early childhood development and readiness. He chairs The Children’s Movement of Florida, aimed at making children the state’s top priority for investment.

During his tenure at the Miami Herald, the paper won five Pulitzer Prizes. Before coming to Miami in 1989, he was publisher and executive editor of the Detroit Free Press. He has received multiple national journalism honors including Knight-Ridder’s top award, the John S. Knight Gold Medal. He was inducted into the Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2010.

Since beginning his work in early childhood, he has served on the Governor’s Children and Youth Cabinet and twice chaired the Florida Partnership for School Readiness. He was a key figure in passing a statewide constitutional amendment to provide pre-K for all 4-year-olds in 2002. In 2002 and 2008 he led successful campaigns for The Children’s Trust, a dedicated source of early intervention and prevention funding for children in Miami-Dade. In 2002-03 he chaired the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Protection, and in 2011 chaired a similar panel for the Department of Children and Families. He is the founding chair of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe. An endowed chair in early childhood studies is established in his name at the University of Florida.

He has received multiple national honors for his work in early childhood, including the American Public Health Association Award of Excellence; the Lewis Hine Award for Children and Youth; the “Children’s Champion” award from the National Black Child Development Institute; the Fred Rogers Leadership Award from Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families; the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Advocate Award; the Cuban American National Council Lifetime Achievement Award; The National Center for Victims of Crime for “extraordinary leadership and service on behalf of abused children”; the National Association for Bilingual Education for “building early literacy skills for all children”; and is an inductee in the National Partnership for Community Leadership’s “Spirit of Fatherhood Hall of Fame.” His memoir, A Dedicated Life: Journalism, Justice and a Chance for Every Child, was published in 2018.

For additional details, please see his bio on the The Children’s Movement of Florida’s website.