HANNAH Reid
38 | Let's Grow Kids| Communications Director
Residence: Montpelier
Career highlight(s): Moving into the Communications Director role at Let’s Grow Kids has been an exciting career opportunity for me. I was inspired to join the team after struggling mightily for years to find child care for my own two kiddos and having to put my own career on hold in order to meet the needs of my family.
Child care is at the root of so many things I care about – making 
Vermont an affordable place for families, equity and social justice, economic sustainability, and supporting the next generation of thoughtful, compassionate citizens. I am incredibly proud of the work we do, the movement we have inspired among Vermonters, and the way Vermont has become a national leader in its investment and prioritization of child care.
Community Involvement: Over the years my community involvement has included volunteer teaching in South Africa and Tanzania, working at a summer camp for kids with life-threatening illnesses, volunteer reporting for Heifer International, youth mentoring, volunteering at my kids’ school, and supporting the electoral process. Much of my volunteer and community work over the years has focused on children, which makes Let's Grow Kids a natural fit for me.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont? My family has lived in Vermont for many generations, and while I lived abroad in Africa and in San Francisco for a number of years, it honestly never occurred to me that I might wind up somewhere other than Vermont. Even though mud season can be kind of a drag, this is my home and I love it and feel very lucky to be able to live and work and raise a family here.
Favorite part of your job? Even though I don't get to spend as much of my time in the
design space these days, I still love it. I love the challenge of creating unique visuals that inspire
audiences to take action on behalf of Vermont’s youngest kids. I feel incredibly lucky to work with such a talented creative team of colleagues and partners.
Most inspiring mentor and why: My first boss at my first nonprofit job in San Francisco had a huge impact on my career and helped me understand the kind of professional I want to be.
She is brilliant, passionate, funny and kind; a gifted leader and strategist. She possesses a quiet, but firm confidence that I admire.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I love, love, love horses. If I could keep a pony in my backyard I would.
Favorite downtime activity: Watching baking shows with my husband … although they make me hungry.
Favorite Super Hero and why: RBG. Her strategic brilliance, her quiet power, her fearlessness, her grit and steadfast commitment to truth, equity and justice. She is a real-life superhero if ever there was one. Plus, every time I think about skipping a run or a workout, I think about her lifting weights every day at 87 and I go pull my sneakers on.
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with: Jane Lindholm, please! She’s the greatest.
If you had unlimited access to funds, which cause(s) would you support: Ha, well, obviously child care would be first on my list! I would invest in a child care system that is equitably accessible and affordable to all Vermont families who need it, staffed by a highly-trained and well-compensated workforce of early educators. And while I truly believe that high-quality early education is the best way to support future generations of thoughtful, empathetic and strategic problem-solvers, we simply cannot wait for the next generation to address climate change. We need to take action right now.
What one song is on your playlist that are you embarrassed to tell your best friend: Embarrassed? Never! I stand by all my musical choices. … plus, my best friend is an equally shameless lover of music and dancing.
Where do you see yourself professionally in the next 5-10 years? I don’t have specific career goals, my goal is to be of use, to be of service. So, I see myself in Vermont, investing my skills in making the world better, safer, more just.
How has your community service changed since the pandemic? With so many systems changes and barriers to voting this year, supporting the electoral process feels incredibly important. I will be masking up and helping to sort mail-in ballots at Montpelier's city hall and working the polling station on November 3rd to help ensure that every vote is counted and every voice is heard.
How has your job changed since this pandemic? The Let’s Grow Kids team has been working 100% remotely since March. We were pretty adept at meeting over Zoom to begin with, so the transition wasn’t a total shock, but I miss impromptu brainstorms with my team and a white board and connecting with my colleagues over coffee. I do not miss my commute!