With roots in North Carolina stretching back to early childhood, former teacher and education advocate Cyndi Soter O’Neil has dedicated her career to ensuring children and families have the support they need to thrive. As director of ChildTrust Foundation at IMC, she partners closely with organizations working to build stronger, more equitable systems for early learners. In this Q&A, Cyndi reflects on the experiences that shaped her commitment to educational equity, why ChildTrust invests in the Forum’s mission, and what gives her hope for the future of public education in our state.
Can you share a little about your journey to North Carolina?
I moved to North Carolina as a baby and spent my elementary school years in Hickory, before moving to Greensboro for middle and high school. I’m a proud public schools graduate, a NC Teaching Fellow, and a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher. I’ve lived in Raleigh for most of the last 25 years with my husband and our two (now almost adult) children — and while we entertained the idea of moving to lots of other places, the thought of raising our children in an area close to family, beautiful beaches, great public schools, and plenty of sweet tea always brought our plans back to the Great North State.
How long have you been with ChildTrust Foundation, and what originally drew you to this work?
I joined ChildTrust Foundation at IMC in 2016, where I discovered my dream job that I didn’t know was a job. Over the past nine years, I’ve been honored to come alongside our grant partners (including the Public School Forum) as they work hard on behalf of children, families and educators across the state. As a former teacher and a mom, I know how critically important it is for children to have a healthy start that helps build their brains to be ready to succeed in school — so being able to support the folks who are helping to make that possible for all children is a privilege. While I’m always humbled by the work of all our grant partners, I’m very proud of joining with my philanthropic colleagues to create and build Invest Early NC, our statewide early childhood funders collaborative.
What initially inspired ChildTrust to partner with the Public School Forum?
As a foundation that invests in early childhood education and literacy work in North Carolina, partnering with the Public School Forum just makes sense. Our specific support for the Center for Resilience & Learning stems from our understanding of how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can impact children’s ability to learn. By connecting educators with the skills and resources they need to cultivate trauma-informed school experiences for young children, we believe that everyone in the school can succeed.
Are there specific values or experiences that shape your commitment to public education and educational equity?
In my first job after college, I taught 11th grade English at West Charlotte High School, which has a rich tradition as a historically Black high school (opened in 1938) and served as a beacon of integration in the 1970s. As a white woman who, with the exception of 6th grade, attended predominately white public schools, I learned so much from my students at WC and credit them with launching my commitment to educational equity. In the 25 years since I left teaching, I’ve never forgotten those early years in the classroom and the ways my students both challenged and nurtured me.
What outcomes or long-term change do you hope your gift helps make possible—for students, educators, or communities?
ChildTrust Foundation imagines a state where trauma-informed practices are simply part of how schools operate. We envision a future where all children receive the support they need to be successful and where whole school communities are able to provide what’s needed to make that happen.
If you were speaking to another funder or partner considering support, what would you share about the Forum’s values, impact, and why you’ve chosen to stand behind this work?
One of the things I value most about the Forum — which also makes the Forum’s work hard to describe in a single sentence — is the combination of policy/advocacy work and program delivery. In the Forum’s earlier days, founding Executive Director John Dornan would describe the organization as a “think-and-do tank,” a tagline that continues to be true today. The work of the Forum’s three centers on afterschool programs, educational equity, and resilience and learning helps to inform the policy and advocacy work at the same time that the research and campaign work impacts the work of the centers. And all of that work is built on a vision of strong public schools and a strong public education system as essential for our individual and collective success.
With 40 years of impact behind us, what gives you hope about the future of public education in North Carolina—and how do you see the Forum’s leadership shaping what comes next for students, educators, and communities?
What gives me hope are the students, teachers, administrators, and staff working and learning in our public schools every day — in spite of all the challenges they face, there’s so much good happening all over the state. The Forum’s work to bring together educators, business leaders, policymakers, and community members grounded in research, evidence, and data will be essential to rally everyone around a shared commitment to public schools.
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