Janis Spire

Janis Spire, Executive Director, The Alliance for Children's Rights.

"Janis Spire has a long history of being a champion for children and ensuring their voices are heard. She is a person who is deeply aware of and concerned about societal injustice and decided to leave the corporate world and dedicate herself to advocating for the rights of the most vulnerable children in society. Janis is an expert at helping organizations develop and realize their potential and helping them grow. She joined The Alliance for Children’s Rights as Executive Director in 2002, bringing a wealth of experience in the nonprofit and business sectors. Most recently, she served for eight years as the Chief Operating Officer of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, an internationally known and respected children’s health and advocacy organization. While there, she developed and implemented a successful growth strategy and played a key role in its expansion. Prior to that, she worked for over a decade as a leader in healthcare and medical practice management. As Executive Director, Janis has overall responsibility for guiding the vision and mission of The Alliance for Children’s Rights in protecting the rights of impoverished, neglected, and abused children. During her first year, Janis lead the Board of Directors and staff through a strategic planning process that developed plans and goals for the organization for both the short and the long term. During Janis’ first year she oversaw one of The Alliance’s most successful fundraising efforts in its history. She also began implementing plans to expand and develop important new programs designed to serve more of Los Angeles’ children. Through her leadership and vision, a Special Education project was launched to help children access services through the school districts. The program is in its infancy, but at maturity will reach hundreds of children and their caregivers. Janis was born in New York and received her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education at Queens College at the City University of New York. She worked for the New York City Board of Education before moving to California where she earned her MBA from Pepperdine University. Janis’ hobbies include yoga, music, and a dedication to spirituality. In her professional career, personal life and as a mother, Janis cares deeply about the quality of life and health of all children."