Vermont Reps. Edye Graning & Monique Priestley Named to 2025 CSG Henry Toll Fellowship Class

Prestigious national leadership development program’s newest class includes 48 leaders from 34 states and U.S. territories and all three branches of state government

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 4, 2025) — The Council of State Governments (CSG) has named Vermont Rep. Edye Graning among the 48 public servants from 34 states and U.S. territories selected to the 2025 class of the CSG Henry Toll Fellowship, the nation’s premier leadership development program for state government officials. Representing all three branches of state government, the selected Toll Fellows will gather in Lexington, Kentucky, Aug. 8-12 for the program’s 38th convening.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with and learn from folks in state government from across the country,” said Rep. Edye Graning.

“Vermont’s future depends on smart, people-first innovation that protects consumers and grows our economy. The Toll Fellowship will help me deepen that work and build the partnerships it takes to deliver for our communities,” said Rep. Monique Priestley.

Graning represents Chittenden County in the Vermont House of Representatives. She serves as vice chair of the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development and sits on the Sister State Program Working Group and the School District Redistricting Task Force, focusing on education funding and economic equity. Graning also chairs the Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District Board, where she has led policy reforms and community outreach since 2013. Through her firm, Tarpon Consulting, she develops and facilitates online training programs — including a global initiative with Ben & Jerry’s on leadership, emotional intelligence, activism and social equity.

Priestley represents Orange County in the Vermont House of Representatives. She founded The Space On Main, a rural nonprofit that supported entrepreneurship, education, and community development. She currently delivers strategic consulting focused in technology, economic development, and entrepreneurship. In the Legislature, Priestley serves as clerk of the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development and sits on the Joint Information Technology Oversight Committee, as well as multiple national tech policy groups. With a tech background spanning two decades, she brings hands-on experience in digital infrastructure and small business support to every aspect of her public service. She was named a 2024 EPIC National Champion of Freedom and a CSG Top 20 Under 40.

Across the states, there are more than 1,400 graduates of the Toll Fellowship, including three sitting governors, three sitting lieutenant governors, five sitting secretaries of state, two sitting attorneys general, two sitting state treasurers, two sitting Senate presidents, four sitting state/territorial House speakers, seven sitting Supreme Court justices and more than 230 current state/territorial legislators.

“The challenges facing today’s state leaders are daunting and the pace of change is accelerating,” said CSG Executive Director/CEO David Adkins, a former Kansas state senator and 1993 CSG Henry Toll Fellow alumnus. “Now, more than ever, our nation needs state leaders who know how to bring people together to get stuff done. The CSG Toll Fellows are among our nation’s best leaders. I hope this program helps empower them to deliver results for the citizens they serve.”

Since 1986, CSG has welcomed a new class of CSG Henry Toll Fellows to its community of state elected and appointed officials for this immersive five-day training. Program sessions equip Toll Fellows to communicate, collaborate and lead more effectively — while fostering lasting, nonpartisan relationships.

Toll Fellows are selected through a competitive process led by program alumni, with nominations submitted by peers. Those selected participate in “graduate-level” programming that builds on CSG regional leadership development efforts.

The Fellowship honors CSG founder Henry Toll, a former Colorado state senator who was the driving force behind the organization’s creation in 1933. For more information on the CSG Henry Toll Fellowship, visit csgovts.info/tolls or email toll@csg.org.

The Council of State Governments is our nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate and create problem-solving partnerships.

For more information about The Council of State Governments, visit csg.org.