DERBY – David Morgan, who has served as TEAM, Inc.’s president and CEO since 2015, is leaving the agency to take a job with the state.
Morgan, 50, will exit the Valley’s nonprofit community action agency on Jan. 8. The next day he is scheduled to start working for the State of Connecticut as the deputy commissioner for the Office of Early Childhood.
Morgan joined TEAM in 2005. He was promoted as TEAM’s top chief in 2015.
TEAM serves economically disadvantaged and vulnerable populations in the Valley area. Services and programs include early childhood programs, home heating assistance, senior meal delivery, food and Christmas toy collections, tax prep aid, job training, diaper distribution and coordinating food deliveries to area pantries.
Morgan said leaving TEAM was not in his plan.
“I was not looking at all, in fact, I hadn’t updated my resume since I internally applied for the TEAM CEO position opportunity over 10 years ago,” Morgan said.
However, he was approached in September by Gov. Ned Lamont’s office and the Office of Early Childhood about the deputy commissioner position. He announced his departure from TEAM in an October post on Facebook.
“I’m blessed and I’m grateful for this opportunity, but it’s very bittersweet for me,” Morgan said.
Morgan said in his new job, he’ll be doing a lot of work similar to TEAM.
“The Valley and TEAM will always be a part of me, and I will carry that into the next chapter,” Morgan said. “I’ll be doing TEAM work on a larger stage, focusing on the state’s population of young children and families, and looking at how we are addressing affordability of childcare, housing and Head Start initiatives to ensure all children are ready to succeed in life.”
A father of three grown children, Morgan is no stranger to working with the state. He has lent his expertise to various state committees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgan was tasked to represent Connecticut on the national stage on the use of COVID relief funding for various children’s programs. He led a webinar with an audience that included officials from former President Joe Biden’s cabinet, which led to TEAM being recognized by the U.S. Health & Human Services Administration as an exemplary presenter.
A Waterbury native who resides in Northfield with his wife Kristi, Morgan has racked up numerous local, state and national awards. They include the National Head Start Association’s 2025 Advocacy All Star, Silver Eagle Award for Uplifting Humanity from Prince Hall United Supreme Council of Connecticut, Community Champion Award from the Diaper Bank of Connecticut and recognitions from Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Senators Chris Murphy, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Dodd.
Morgan was feted at Griffin Hospital’s annual gala in November, and presented with the hospital’s President’s Award and given a video tribute.
His Journey To TEAM
Morgan got his start in early childhood education at TEAM, when he answered an ad in the Waterbury Republican-American where TEAM was looking for an early childhood director. As a UConn graduate with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family relations, the job was right up Morgan’s alley. Prior to joining TEAM, Morgan was working in childcare in Waterbury.
He was also working two other jobs to support his young family, and at one point, lost his home and turned to food pantries and public assistance for help. It’s an experience he will never forget.
As TEAM’s chief, Morgan said the staff, the volunteers and the work the agency has done over his two decades to help thousands of Valley folks has been nothing short of remarkable.
“Nothing kept me stronger and focused and inspired than the people I got to work with at TEAM every day,” Morgan said. “They allowed me to be part of something bigger than myself or any one of us could ever make possible alone.”
The Brightest And Darkest Moments
He said TEAM’s response – and the Valley’s response in general – to the flood of August 2024 stands out in his tenure.
“It was all hands-on deck, all of our staff pulled together and we helped raise $1.3 million, which went 100 percent to flood survivors in the Valley,” Morgan said.
Morgan recalled driving through flood-ravaged Seymour and Oxford, knocking on residents’ doors and offering help. He was moved by how the communities came together amid the destruction.
“It makes my heart happy to know I left a mark on the lives of others and to see those same lives carrying it onward and upward to other people’s lives and organizations and communities for the better,” Morgan said.
One of the most difficult times, he said, was when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
“When COVID-19 slammed down on our communities and the world in March 2020, TEAM never went home,” Morgan said. “We were on the frontlines as a childcare provider and helping our most vulnerable residents. We didn’t know what working remotely meant.”
Morgan said one of the bright spots was TEAM being able to provide childcare for Griffin Hospital doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.
“When Griffin Hospital was saving lives and treating sick people through the horrors of COVID, they were bringing their kids to TEAM,” Morgan said. “We were deemed an essential nonprofit by the governor. We did porch drops of food, we delivered breakfast and lunch to school children, we were the front lines.”
Reaction To Morgan’s Departure
Jamie Peterson, TEAM’s director of early childhood, said Morgan’s departure is bittersweet.
“For two decades, David has been an extraordinary leader at TEAM, expanding TEAM’s reach in ways I could have never imagined and guiding us through unprecedented challenges while always prioritizing what matters most—the community and the people that TEAM serves,” Peterson said via an email.
Brian Foncke, chairman of TEAM’s board of directors echoed similar sentiments.
“David Morgan has been a great asset to TEAM and the Valley,” Foncke said. “He will be missed by all, and we wish him well in the future.”Foncke said TEAM is working with a national search firm, the Moran Company, that specializes in hiring for nonprofits to assist in finding a replacement for Morgan. To date, Morgan said more than 120 people have applied for the job. A new TEAM president/CEO is expected to be named in early January.