We’re excited to introduce you to the new CEO of Great Kids, David Bird! As we begin this new chapter, we want to share more about David, his vision for the future of our organization, and how he plans to continue our mission.
Whether you’re a longtime partner or just getting to know us, we hope this post gives you a sense of the leadership behind Great Kids and the incredible journey ahead!
Meet David Bird
David brings with him over 16 years of experience in business and leadership. He holds an MBA from the University of Arizona Global Campus. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a passion for organization development and community engagement.
David is committed to youth financial literacy, serving as President of the Vermont Jump$tart Coalition, an affiliate of the National Jump$tart Coalition in Washington, DC. Additionally, he has contributed to Great Kids as a former board member.
A proud husband and father, David has been married to his wife for 17 years. Together, they have three wonderful children, all of whom joined their family through adoption. David was born and raised in Vermont, and his family still calls that state home.
Outside of work, David is a self-proclaimed “business nerd” who enjoys reading business books and periodicals in his free time and staying on top of the latest industry trends. He’s passionate about studying and supporting the unique and evolving challenges that parents and caregivers experience.
“I love to participate in these conversations, even though there are no easy answers,” David says. “Being a student of these challenges and actively learning from our partners, parents, and caregivers helps our team have more empathy and be more strategic about how we show support for each of these groups. It’s important that our organization remains innovative and adaptable in response to market needs”
His goal is to help the organization come alongside home visitors and families, offering support and solutions that truly meet their needs in today’s rapidly changing world.
When he’s not diving into the world of business, David enjoys biking, running, playing soccer, and spending quality time with his family. He also loves exploring local coffee shops and pizza joints—making every trip a chance to support his community.
David’s Home Visiting Story
David’s journey to Great Kids was driven by a deeply personal motivation that began nearly a decade ago. As a parent, he and his family had firsthand experience with home visiting services. Through that journey, David developed a profound admiration for the professionals who provide this crucial support.
“We needed help, advice, and encouragement as we navigated our family’s path,” David recalls. It was through this experience that he began asking himself, “How can I use my business expertise and personal experience to make a meaningful impact in this field?”
Driven by this desire to give back, he began researching the home visiting ecosystem and reaching out to professionals in the space. That’s when he discovered Great Kids. After meeting the leadership team and joining the board, David knew he had found the right organization to channel his passion.
“It became clear that there was a unique opportunity to contribute with a business mindset and background—and Great Kids was the organization I wanted to do that with,” says David.
What stood out to him was the strong leadership team, the clear focus on mission, and the organization’s proven track record of success. Great Kid’s national and international reach, skilled board, and deep commitment to innovation inspired David to take on the role of CEO. He feels both humbled and excited by the opportunity to lead and make a lasting impact in the home visiting space.
Vision for Great Kids
As our new CEO, David’s focus is to reflect on Great Kid’s mission and chart a path forward to expand our impact.
“It’s important for all of us to pause and reflect on our mission,” David shared. “We are here to create and deliver quality products and services that shape a world where all parents and caregivers become competent in their ability to nurture children in their early childhoods, today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.”
While David emphasizes that our mission isn’t changing, he sees an exciting opportunity to grow the impact of what we do.
“Great Kids has a long legacy of supporting parents and caregivers, and my vision is to continue pursuing that mission with even greater reach,” he said. “When we talk about reaching the world, while lofty, it’s also inspiring—and something we should strive for. We’ve reached thousands of partners who have positively impacted millions of children, and as we celebrate 25 years of service this year, it’s clear Great Kids Inc. has made a significant difference. But candidly, there are still many potential partners and families who haven’t heard of Great Kids or had the opportunity to benefit from our products and resources.”
Long-Term Goals:
David’s vision is that we continue to:
- Be the leader in the home-visiting market
- Explore new markets
- Forge new partnerships across the US and internationally
- Find new and innovative ways to connect with programs and families
His long-term goal for Great Kids’ is to increase our impact so even more caregivers across the world can be supported. David’s leadership is grounded in a commitment to expand Great Kids’ reach while staying true to the core values that have guided our organization for a quarter of a century.
Short-Term Goals:
- Partner experience:
- David is committed to further improving our partner experience. His goal is to improve how we consult with and proactively engage our partners. We serve a diverse range of partners and aim to strengthen our personalized outreach.
- Utilization of data and digital experiences:
- “We aim to grow and mature how we use data in all areas of our business,” said David. His goal is to strategically leverage data, using the right systems, skills, and frameworks to meet our partners’ needs based on the insights we gain.
- Investment in culture:
- As we pursue our mission, David wants to be just as intentional about developing our internal organization as we are focused on our external impact.. “We cannot meet our long-term objectives without focusing on strengthening our teams,” said David. He believes that by continually investing in and strengthening our team, we can better support and engage in our external work.
Hear From David:
Reaching Our Mission Together
We hope this blog post about our new CEO, his personal story, and his vision for Great Kids inspires you to get involved. We’re thrilled to welcome him, and we believe his journey and the direction he’s setting for our organization will resonate with you.
As David shares, “There is a whole lot of work to do that we can’t do on our own. I will be—and I will encourage our team to be—proactively looking for organizations that are deep in this work or exploring getting into this work because I firmly believe that some of the best things we will accomplish will be through collaboration and strategic partnerships.”
We invite our partners, old and new, to engage with us in this mission. Together, we can explore new opportunities to make a lasting impact.
Follow Great Kids for more updates and videos to get to know David better. Let this story be a call to action to come alongside us, share in our mission, and help build a stronger future for families everywhere!
