Morgan Crossman
38 | Executive Director, Building Bright Futures/Vermont's Early Childhood State Advisory Council
Residence: East Hinesburg
Career highlight(s) you are most proud of:
Having built strong, trusted relationships with partners at the local, community and state levels to ensure Vermont moves towards the collective vision developed for children and families. These partnerships have allowed my team at Building Bright Futures to empower and elevate the voices of young children, families and 
communities; hold the vision and strategic plan for early childhood; centralize early-childhood data to monitor the system and support data-driven decision-making; and advise the governor and the Legislature on the well-being of children and families.
Your community involvement:
I am privileged to have a job where a critical piece of my role is to spend time connecting with communities across the state of Vermont to learn about the needs of children, families, educators and providers; ensuring that we understand the unique needs of regions and communities alongside trends in challenges faced; elevating the voice of families and communities; and supporting the state in developing strategies to fill those needs and gaps. BBF’s 12 early-childhood regional councils serve as the on-the-ground experts within communities. This year, our team awarded $100,000 to communities across Vermont through the Vermont Early Childhood Fund to meet emerging needs and gaps in the early-childhood system identified by regional councils.
Inspiration for living and working in Vermont:
I am a seventh-generation Vermonter, born and raised in Rutland. After completing my doctoral degree and postdoctoral fellowship in Boston, I was thrilled to be able to come back to my home state to raise my now 5-year-old daughter and work collaboratively with partners across all sectors to improve the system of services for children and families in Vermont.
Favorite part of your job:
The team I work with and the strong network of early-childhood experts we partner with. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to better serve Vermont’s youngest and most vulnerable children and families. I am proud to have the opportunity to make a difference at the systems level.
Most inspiring mentor:
Marji Erickson Warfield, chair of my dissertation committee. Her approach to mentorship was through kindness; collaborative brainstorming and problem-solving; and empowerment. She showed me the importance of being true to myself, working hard for my dreams, identifying my strengths and knowing when and how to identify support and expertise.
Best career advice you have received:
(1) Relationships matter, sometimes more than the actual work; (2) vulnerable and courageous leadership is hard, and important; (3) your values should be used as filters for making hard decisions, setting boundaries and prioritizing your time; (4) be proud of what you’ve accomplished and keep visioning big; and (5) ask yourself these questions annually:
(a) What have you learned as a leader this year? (b) Are you modeling the way? (c) Are you fulfilled and finding a spark in your personal and professional life? (d) Have you created enough time and space for what fills your cup? (e) How has your three-, five- and 10-year vision of success changed? Have you celebrated small successes along the way?
Something fun about yourself that few people know:
I played and coached Division I field hockey at the collegiate level and am still very passionate about coaching and mentoring.
Three words that best describe you:
Integrity, passion and commitment.
Favorite Vermont escape:
Spending summer weekends at our family’s lake house on Lake Hortonia, Crossman Cove. In the winter, I love cross-country skiing at Sleepy Hollow and Catamount Outdoor Family Center. Most of all, I love our home in Hinesburg, with access to the Hinesburg town forest and Camel’s Hump in the distance.
Favorite Vermont season:
Fall.
Favorite downtime activities:
Baking with my daughter, Amelie; spending time with family; and getting outside for physical activity (golf, hiking, cross-country skiing and all fall sports).
Cause(s) you would support if you had unlimited funds:
Vermont’s chronically underfunded early-childhood system. We know that the first three years of life provide the most critical period of child development. It is the time where the architecture of the growing child’s brain is established, and patterns of behavior are created. The family, community and the early-childhood system set the stage for long-term social, emotional and cognitive development. Ensuring equitable access to services, resources and support for all children — especially those with mental, emotional, developmental and behavioral conditions, and special health care needs — is critical to their success and building a thriving economy in Vermont.
A song on your playlist you are embarrassed to admit to your best friend:
My favorite song that I’m not embarrassed to share is “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan.
Where you see yourself professionally in the next five to 10 years:
I hope to be as fulfilled by and excited about my work as I am today. I also hope to be a stronger, more vulnerable and courageous leader that is doing data-driven work to improve the well-being of children and families statewide and nationally.
Goal(s) you’d like to accomplish in the next five to 10 years:
One goal I have set for myself and my team at Building Bright Futures is to build an Interdisciplinary research consortium for early childhood that convenes professionals across state government, research/academic institutions and those involved in practice and decision-making. The consortium will create a data-development agenda to identify data priorities; collect and share cross-sector data to answer key state questions; and centralize data in a publicly accessible way through Vermont’s Early Childhood Data and Policy Center.
How your job has changed since the pandemic:
The pandemic has exacerbated chronic gaps in the early-childhood system and shown the importance of elevating family and community voice. The Building Bright Futures team responded by utilizing virtual platforms to convene and serve the state. BBF has become a leader in online meeting facilitation and successfully diversifying engagement of nontraditional partners. We are proud to have over 450 early-childhood leaders and stakeholders who are regularly engaging in the BBF Network.
