Remembering Janet Whitla, Former President of EDC

Education Development Center mourns the passing of Janet Whitla, a visionary leader who helped shape the organization for more than four decades. Janet died last week at the age of 94.

Janet joined EDC in 1966 and served as president from 1981 until her retirement in 2006. During her 40-year career with the organization, she helped lead EDC through a period of remarkable growth, transforming it from an early research and development enterprise into a global nonprofit advancing learning, health, and economic opportunity. Under her leadership, EDC expanded its partnerships and global reach while maintaining a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world problem solving.

Colleagues remember Janet as a leader who brought clarity, courage, and deep conviction to the organization’s mission. She believed strongly in the power of learning to expand human possibility and encouraged EDC staff and partners to approach complex challenges with curiosity and collaboration.

Reflecting on EDC’s history during the organization’s 60th anniversary celebration, Janet captured the belief that guided her leadership:

“As EDC has grown larger and more diverse over the years, I am often asked, ‘What unites the entire organization?’ I think our fundamental conviction is that learning is the liberating force in human development.”

Throughout her career, Janet championed the idea that innovation begins with asking the right questions and learning from different perspectives. She helped build a culture in which researchers, practitioners, and communities work together to develop practical solutions that improve people’s lives.

Even in her later years, Janet remained deeply engaged with the organization she helped build, continuing to ask thoughtful questions about EDC’s work and the future of the field.

A graduate of Wellesley College, she was honored with the school’s Alumnae Achievement Award in 2010.

Janet Whitla’s legacy lives on in the mission-driven culture she helped establish and in the many colleagues, partners, and communities whose lives were touched by her leadership.