Taryn Morrissey is an associate professor of public policy in the School of Public Affairs at American University. Her work focuses on examining and improving public policies for vulnerable children, including early care and education, nutrition assistance, and public health policies. She is co-author of Cradle to Kindergarten: A new plan to combat inequality (Russell Sage Foundation, 2017). Morrissey has served in senior policy positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and on the staff of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. She began her career in policy as a Society for Research in Child Development/American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Fellow. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology at Cornell University, her M.A. in human development and family studies at Cornell University, and her B.S. in psychology and child development at Tufts University.