David Morgan was recently brought on as the new president and CEO of the N.H. Association for the Blind after 10 years at Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts. So we caught up with Morgan last week to ask him a few questions and see if he meets the Insider approval. And, of course, he did.
What has it been like since you joined the association as president and CEO?
It’s been really exciting. I didn’t have a lot of chance to prepare before I got started cause really I transitioned quickly. They were excited about bringing me on board so I started a month early. And it has really given me a chance around the holiday season to reach out to the community, go to the chamber events, meet with board members, reach out to clients and really try to make an effort to reach out to stakeholders that we serve every day.
What excites you most about this opportunity?
There’s a bunch of things. Before 10 years ago, I spent most of my life living and working in New Hampshire. My undergrad degree in business is from Daniel Webster College, my master’s in business is from UNH. I was born in Concord. I played squirt hockey here on a state championship team when I was 7. My family lives in N.H., my mom is in Manchester, my brother and sister are here, my 25-year-old son is a designer in Salem, so there’s a lot to pull me back.
What do you remember most about Concord as a kid?
What I remember most is my dad taking me to White Park all the time to learn how to skate and play hockey. I had a paper route downtown when I was probably eight or nine, for the Monitor, and visiting relatives around the area. My grandfather was in Concord and my mom’s relatives were in Pembroke and Suncook. Those are happy years. I only had good experiences here and I’m excited to come back.
Is there any pressure following someone like George Theriault, who spent more than 30 years with the association and the last 20 as CEO?
I think there’s a healthy pressure and I think it comes from a lot of places and frankly I wouldn’t want it any other way. You’ve got the expectations of the community and the clients you serve, expectations of the board, of course, and expectations of the team around you. George and the team have really left a great legacy that we can build from. It’s also an exciting time. There’s a lot going on in N.H., things we’re doing and not doing around state funding, vocational rehabilitation for individuals with visual impairment and finding ways to reach thousands of elders in the state that may be living with vision loss, but aren’t aware of services and frankly may not even acknowledge to themselves that they have vision loss. So there’s lots of challenges.
Did you ask Theriault for any tips?
Oh yeah. A lot of it was about finding the right people to connect with so that we continue to provide great services and that we continue to connect with the folks that affect public policy that affect advocacy efforts that help us with fundraising. About two-thirds of all the monies we invest in our budget to help clients really comes from fundraising.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing the association?
For every nonprofit and anyone helping people with disabilities, there’s a large element around fundraising and generating sustainable revenue so you can keep your mission going. I think the other piece, and this is happening a lot in this state and around the country, is finding ways to partner with other nonprofits and other disability organizations so that clients really get a seamless array of services provided for them.
What are some of your plans for the association in the future?
I would call these inklings at this point. I’m merging potential strategies, but I think more and more finding a way to work with partners around the state on employment issues. So vision rehabilitation, occupational therapy, helping young people, 16 to 21, with vision loss to know what the opportunities there are in the work force. I think more and more technology is driving equal access, so helping teachers and parents and kids understand what’s available for technology and how to use that technology.
We saw that you worked 10 years at the Perkins School for the Blind. What made you get into this line of work? Did you know someone who was visually impaired?
I didn’t actually. Really the first third of my career was really in industrial manufacturing, engineering and running manufacturing operations, and I think I always was on the lookout for ways to help in ergonomics and workplace safety and improving methods and improving accessibility . . . I think for many of us, we discover after a few decades of working maybe there’s more out there.
We understand you were named Innovator of the Year for your work on Perkins SMART Brailler. Since you began working in the visually impaired community, how much has the technology improved?
It’s been amazing strides. Certainly more than a few decades ago there wasn’t an awful lot of technology and then over the last few decades what’s really emerged was specialized technology, expensive, small lot production. So it might take $10,000 or more to really get a student the tools they need. More and more what’s emerging now is mobile platforms, IOS devices, voice overs, GPS, screen reading software and some of them are open access, so more and more folks can look at a few solutions that might serve the bulk of their needs imperfectly, but really inexpensively.
We read in your bio that you have five children. We each have one and they are quite a handful. How do you stay sane with five?
So it’s a blended family. I got remarried five years ago and we have three at home and two out of the home. It’s tough, but I think when you’re used to doing a lot and you have high energy it’s always a challenge but you learn to adapt. If you had five kids you would adapt, too.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Not too much free time now, but my wife and I love to bike ride and hike and I play a little golf and tennis. And I’m an avid reader so it’s not unusual for me to have a couple of books in process because I love to learn and experiment.
Hidden talents?
I think for years that was hockey and playing sports. But I really get joy out of learning and creating and innovating in the work I do and I think that becomes my creative outlet as well.
Guilty pleasure?
I’ve learned to control it, but I have a total sweet tooth. Chocolate of any kind, ice cream, frozen yogurt with M&Ms and strawberries.
