About Us

Elane V. Scott
Elane’s early career in advertising focused on how to drive human behavior and choice around consumer products. She learned how brain research was used to target personal product decision-making. Using the same tools, she chose to change her focus to helping parents and community professionals understand how they could shape and positively impact the people in their lives. She has worked in nearly every economic sector and played a key role in creating global workforce strategies in STEM. She continues to help ensure the success of children and families.

Rick Stephens
Rick retired from the Boeing Company after a 33-year career in finance, engineering, and general management, and concluding as the global leader of Human Resources and Administration. His focus has been on leadership and managing complex business and technical challenges, including those related to Boeing’s Space Shuttle and Homeland Security businesses. He has spoken to thousands around the globe on workforce development, was inducted in the National Management Association Hall of Fame, supported three U.S. Cabinet Secretaries, has testified before Congress, and served on the U.S. President’s Council for Tribal Colleges.

Somer Loomis
Writer, Graphic Designer, Web Developer, Social Media

Carolyn Savage
Writer, Editor

Tamie Neu
Curriculum Developer
What does “Birth2Work” mean?
Although we’ve heard many creative interpretations of our name through the years, the name “Birth2Work” actually refers to the time parents have the most influence over their children: from the time they are born to the time they go off to work.
Our family team is dedicated to helping you become a more joyful, confident parent and a more proactive, intentional family leader.
A Strong History
Elane’s life work has been dedicated to the study of building capable, successful people drawing on her vast collection of experiences in academia, marketing, media, community service, parenting, and technology. Rick’s background, meanwhile, focused on business, leadership, and complex systems.
Together, they hosted workshops and engaged in conferences in the US and around the globe, all focused on helping ensure the future workforce was ready to meet the needs of employers and communities.
In 2006, they published their first book, The System: Igniting the Soul of Commerce, which has been updated and reprinted twice. This provocative novel uses a fictional business and community to highlight real-world issues about the challenges leaders face in ensuring they have the talent they need for the future.
Today's Emphasis
In 2013 Elane and Rick shifted the emphasis of Birth2Work toward
It was this perspective that
Who we’ve worked with
America’s Promise
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
American Association of Community Colleges
Aviation Week
Business Higher Education Forum
Children First
Digital Promise
Ernst & Young
Evergreen Valley College
Greater Waco Community
Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential
International Economic Development Council
Lego
Los Angeles County Office of Education
MasterCard
NASA
National Endowment for the Arts
Orange County Business Council
Primanti Montessori School
Riverside County Department of Education
Ronald McDonald House
STEM Education Coalition
Taco Bell
The Boeing Company
United Arab Emirates Higher Education Forum
University of Lille, France
Vermillion Advantage
White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Natives
Publications
- Accelerating STEM Capacity: A Complex Adaptive System, 2013, Rick Stephens and Mike Richey
- A Business View of Education, 2013, Rick Stephens and Mike Richey
- The System: Igniting the Soul of Commerce, 3rd Edition, 2009, Elane V. Scott and Rick Stephens
- Ensuring Workforce Skills of the Future, 2004, Elane V. Scott and Rick Stephens
- Family Wisdom, 1997, Glenn Knape and Elane V. Scott
- The Cocooning Handbook, 1983, April Heath Pastis and Elane V. Scott
Interviews
- CNN
- Wall Street Journal
- The Armstrong Williams Show, and other television and radio programs.
Make the most of your time
Read
Family Wisdom Blog: Fun activity ideas, personal stories, easy to implement leadership tips, and plenty of surprises from before baby through the teenage years. Don’t forget all our resources for grandparents too!
Listen
Birth2Work Radio: Elane V. Scott and Rick Stephens interview professional leaders from large corporations, to city managers, to family outreach program directors. Great leadership exists at all levels.
Connect
Courses: Start with a free minicourse or commit right now to the most incredible proactive family leadership training you’ll find anywhere. We’re with you right from the beginning and for the long haul.