COLUMBIA, MD, October 16, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Amanda O. Morton has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Ms. Morton has established herself as a distinguished leader in the field of early childhood education. Since 2015, she has served as the executive director of Cradlerock Children's Center in Columbia, Maryland. In this role, she is charged with the development and implementation of effective systems, processes and policies aimed at optimizing organizational performance. Her methodology prioritizes understanding and mentoring staff, leveraging their individual strengths and facilitating their professional growth. Ms. Morton supervises all operational aspects of the center, which has benefited from its growing partnership with the Howard County government, enabling its expansion from a modest sub-basement facility to a 13,250-square-foot establishment. Cradlerock Children's Center has been successfully accredited with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) since 2007.

Since assuming her role as the executive director, Ms. Morton has been instrumental in several significant achievements, most notably during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. When faced with a complete shutdown and minimal operations, she regarded the challenge as an opportunity to reconstruct the organization from the ground up. Under Ms. Morton's leadership, the team reorganized the entire business infrastructure, systems and culture. This strategic reset resulted in a successful reopening, reaching full capacity within weeks and establishing a long waiting list of prospective families. This program, aptly called the Center for Excellence, expands beyond MSDE accreditation standards. Prior to her promotion, Ms. Morton served as the administrative director at Cradlerock Children's Center from 2008 to 2015. Her association with the center commenced several years earlier, as a volunteer in 2006.

Notably, one of Ms. Morton's objectives for Cradlerock Children's Center involves establishing an internal revenue program designed to nourish students and enhance their health through the utilization of locally sourced food prepared on-site. Named the Nourish and Move food program, this initiative aims to generate revenue through local sales, thus partially funding the program's operational costs. Additionally, the program integrates food, farming and fitness education, both in theory and in practice, including yoga and various physical games, to establish connections between physical health and educational success. Ms. Morton underscores the significance of the program for students from infancy to age 5 and advocates for federal funding to expand the availability of such initiatives across the nation.

In addition to her work in early childhood education, Ms. Morton has demonstrated an inherent ability to visualize her ambitions and proactively pursue opportunities as they arise. Within her community, she has identified several unmet needs that could be addressed through appropriate interventions, such as housing and child care facilities. Furthermore, Ms. Morton exhibits a steadfast commitment to fostering the success of others and aims to advocate for for-profit child care centers to attain nonprofit status, expanding their accessibility and serving families across all income levels.

Ms. Morton's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in business management and accounting from Brighton MET in Brighton, England, earned in 1986. She credits her privileged education at boarding schools in southern England as foundational to her later achievements. Active in her professional community, Ms. Morton holds membership in the Maryland State Department of Education. She is also a member of the Columbia-Patuxent Rotary Club, teaches with the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and volunteers with both Mormon and Baptist churches.

Ms. Morton's contributions have garnered significant recognition. At Cradlerock Children's Center, she received an executive proclamation from Dr. Calvin Ball and an award for the center's pioneering apprenticeship program developed in collaboration with Howard Community College. She attributes much of her success to diplomacy, which she identifies as a guiding principle throughout her career, as well as the support of Dr. Ball's administration, her local Department of Commerce and the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA).

Looking ahead, Ms. Morton aims to transform the perception and structure of early childhood education by elevating its status within federal and state frameworks and challenging misconceptions about its significance. Through innovative pilot programs, she aims to demonstrate the foundational role that early education plays in every child's future success, validating its importance through measurable results and reshaping the core understanding of its value. To achieve these objectives, Ms. Morton plans to relocate Cradlerock Children's Center to the Columbia Gateway area to create a thriving thoroughfare of recreation, work and business and become a community staple.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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