Robyn Mott knows she has big shoes to fill — kind, caring shoes that were once worn by Maureen Wikane, the late longtime administrative director of the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton.
Ms. Mott was appointed successor to Ms. Wikane, who died of pancreatic cancer in June at the age of 71, late last week. She steps up to the position just as the center marks its 50th year serving the region.
“It feels really good to know the board and the teachers feel confident in my ability to take on this role,” Ms. Mott said Monday. “I also know we have a great team here, who will help me fill those shoes as we continue on to the next 50 years as a program.”
Ms. Mott joined the early childhood center in 2015 as a lead prekindergarten teacher, following a career at the SCOPE prekindergarten program at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church. She has also been a teaching assistant at the Amagansett School.
“It was clear from the start that Robyn possessed great enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge for early childhood education. A natural leader, her love of teaching and teachers pervades everything she does,” Ruth Ann McSpadden, who co-chairs the center’s board of directors, said in a statement.
Responsible for the day-to-day operation of the center, Ms. Mott will work closely with Arlene Pizzo Notel, the school’s program director, to make sure every student is cared for. She said administrators are sometimes “pulled in directions, as a result of our work, that take us further from hands-on work with children and families.”
“It is through a collaborative, reflective stance that our administrative team has always kept a clear perspective on how best to support the children, teachers, and families we work with,” Ms. Pizzo Notel said in an email. “Maureen Wikane and I worked in tandem in this way so effectively that I had some concern as to whether our team would find someone that fits
perfectly into this approach. And lo and behold, our prekindergarten teacher Robyn Mott feels inspired and motivated by this collective approach as well. With our sights set ahead of us, we are inspired by change, and we honor Maureen’s legacy as we move forward in this work we are truly fortunate to be a part of.”
Ms. Mott, who grew up in Sag Harbor and now lives in East Hampton with her husband, Brian, and two children, has an undergraduate degree in early childhood development. She also has a master’s in classroom technology and a certification in special education.
David Eagan, another co-chairman of the board of directors, expressed the board’s confidence in Ms. Mott. “She knows what the teachers need, she understands the needs of the parents, and she sees through the eyes of the children,” he said in a statement.
Ms. Mott said she looks forward to adding and strengthening ways to connect the faculty and families, and finding new ways to support and engage with the children at the center, who range in age from 18 months to 5 years.
“The transition has been wonderful. I hope we continue to work together and move forward,” she said. “Everything is positive. We have a great feeling in the building — uplifting and wonderful.”