Meet Dulany Reeves Dent

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dulany Reeves Dent a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dulany, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My resilience stems from my experience as a competitive athlete. I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware in the 80’s and 90’s where I was one of a few girls that voluntarily played three sports a year. I gravitated to field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse because they were fun and exciting; but more than that, I loved being part of the teams. I was also obsessed with (badass!) female athlete icons, including Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Venus and Serena Williams who were taking womens sports to new heights. I proceeded to play Division 1 field hockey and lacrosse at Colgate University. Working alongside (two) teams of strong, talented female athletes and seeing the results of our collaboration and hard work, I became programmed to pushing hard, working toward our common goals, and being resilient. My teams were competitive and would win most of the time, but I learned the most from when we lost. Why did we lose? Where were we weak? How can we improve? Playing competitive sports, undoubtedly, taught me so many important lessons, and <b>learning to fall and get up</b> was one of the most critical. One of my favorite quotes is “it’s not how far you fall, but how high you <b>bounce</b>.”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
After college, I worked in finance and received my MBA from The Wharton School. But it wasn’t until I became a mom, that I decided to try my hand at entrepreneurship. Suddenly, as a new mom I saw firsthand how challenging it was to secure quality child care. That personal experience, coupled with my own research on the economic impact of child care on the gender wage gap (the topic of my senior thesis in college!), inspired me to acquire The Nanny Network in 2006. By helping families find high quality child care, I could use my head and my heart to help level the playing field for women in the workforce while simultaneously making a meaningful social and economic impact (i.e., the <b>double bottom line!)</b>.

Nineteen years later, TNN has evolved to become a leader in the in-home child care industry. The company, now 75 employees strong, serves the greater Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans metropolitan areas, and our resolve is stronger than ever. We are 100% committed to quality – following our <b>8-step vetting process</b> for each and every care professional that we place – whether we place them in a full-time, part-time, or temporary (or back-up) child care position. Our <b>corporate child care benefits program </b>is our largest and fastest growing segment, offering companies (of all sizes) the opportunity to provide affordable child care benefits to their employees (an ROI of 425%+!). Our corporate back-up care services are on-demand, helping families and companies on those inevitable days when child care routines break down. This type of support for employees is a <b>game changer</b> for retention and absenteeism.

When I wrote my senior thesis in 1996, the issue of child care was already being discussed as a common sense solution to increasing the number of women in leadership and unlocking economic growth. Fast forward to 2025, the U.S. is facing the worst child care crisis of any developed country in the world and families are unable to make ends meet. Child care costs currently consume 30% of an average household’s income when they should be closer to 7% of income. The lack of progress is frustrating, especially when the data is so clear and many business leaders and government officials continue to turn a blind eye. As a result, TNN remains committed to “the fight” to help increase the accessibility and affordability of high quality child care. We are actively looking for companies who understand the critical role that child care plays and are ready to make this game-changing investment.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When I look back at my 19-year journey with The Nanny Network, a few of the skills/qualities that have been the most impactful relate to emotional IQ, discipline, and strong core values. I was fortunate that I developed a well-rounded set of skills as a scholar-athlete, including 1) learning how to <b>work with a team -</b> which required empathy, good listening, and clear communication and 2) creating effective daily habits and routines (processes!) to allow me to multi-task and achieve my goals. The third quality that has been a constant along the way is my intuition. My parents’ core values and priorities were consistently clear: Family is everything. Do the right thing. Be grateful. And help those in need. So when it came to my career, it’s easy to see how I found myself here. I am passionate about my work, I have flexibility in my schedule to be present for my family (my children are now 19, 17 and 12), and with strong core values, I am able to trust my instincts and make decisions quickly.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
<u>The Moment of Lift</u>, written by Melinda French Gates, is without question, one of the most impactful books I have ever read. I was an Economics major at Colgate University when I wrote my senior thesis on the impact of child care on the gender wage gap. My experience as a female athlete made it clear that women could compete at the same level as men, but they weren’t getting the same opporunities. In addition, I truly understood the concept of lifting up other women as it was something I have done for years as a dedicated teammate. For these reasons, <u>The Moment of Lift</u> resonated deeply with me. At that time, the data was so clear, not only from my own research but from the few others who had also taken interest in this topic. Without access to quality child care, women leave the workforce, are skipped over for a promotion, and otherwise are unable to achieve their full career potential.

My key takeaways from <u>The Moment of Lift</u> include:
1. Empowering women creates economic growth.
2. Family planning is crucial for women’s autonomy.
3. Unpaid (and underpaid) labor is the reason why women are continously held back.
4. Cultural norms and biases must change.
5. Men must be part of the solution.
6. Listening is key to real change.

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