Jocelyn Pickford

Consultant

Jocelyn Pickford's career in education includes experience inside and out of the classroom. Most recently, she served as Education Director of Hope Street Group, a public policy non-profit organization. In this role she crafted a strategy for the organization's education platform and analyzed relevant education legislation and programming, collaborating with key stakeholders in the public education arena.

In 2006, Pickford was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a White House Fellow, where she gained experience at the top levels of government, traveled domestically and abroad to study public policy, and learned about management from leaders of all industries. Following her Fellowship, she served as Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education, where she designed, launched, and implemented a fellowship program to connect classroom teachers to national education policy discussions and decisions.

Previously, Pickford taught high school English in Fairfax County, Virginia, serving as Curriculum Coordinator, Lead Mentor for new teachers, and Class Sponsor. Her participation in a Fairfax County School Board presentation in 2005 helped secure the passage of a Teacher Leadership Initiative aimed at improving student achievement. She then assisted in creating a grant proposal that resulted in the award of approximately $1,000,000 from the initiative to her school.

Prior to teaching, Pickford worked as a professional writer and editor. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Trinity College in Hartford, CT and a Master's in Education from the George Washington University.