Jocelyn McConnell, MEd

Jocelyn McConnell is the Affiliate Director of Reach Out and Read Texas, which is housed at the Children’s Learning Institute in the McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. As the affiliate leader since 2015, she provides leadership and direction for all aspects of managing the state affiliate including: community collaborations, training, quality evaluation, site engagement, and fiscal responsibility. She leads a small but mighty team, partnering with 900 clinicians across Texas in 200 pediatric and family medicine clinics. The affiliate team serves the clinics as they support families in building safe, stable, and nurturing relationships by promoting positive interactions through the joy of reading aloud.

Jocelyn has worked at the Children’s Learning Institute for fourteen years, supporting early childhood research projects in many roles. Her favorite role is that of certified Play and Learning Strategies (PALS) coach and trainer to parents, teachers, and, now, medical providers.

She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor whose prior practice focus was clients recovering from childhood trauma. Through her background in counseling, she recognizes the powerful role of attachment in mediating adverse childhood events.

Education

Jocelyn received a bachelor’s degree from Plan II in social sciences at the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in educational psychology-counseling from the University of Houston.