Jacquelyn León, MPH, CHES

A bilingual (Spanish & English) native of Trenton, NJ, Jacquelyn obtained her undergraduate degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst followed by an internship at Child Trends in Washington, DC, where children & youth and their status of well-being began to emerge as a focus of interest.  Subsequently, Ms. León joined the founding staff of the Center for Applied Research and Technical Assistance (CARTA) in Baltimore, MD and developed a passion for applied research and evaluation with practical contributions to service improvements, particularly in the area of adolescent reproductive health and sexuality. During her tenure at CARTA, she earned a Masters of Public Health at Morgan State University.  Her work at CARTA continued to inform best practice and guided portfolio development for foundation investment, program development and replication across U.S. communities.  Post CARTA, Jackie worked at Columbia University developing promising practices in the clinic setting related to birth control and sexual health access for youth and young adults. Most recently, Ms. León has shifted her transferrable skills to the field of Education.  In her role as a Program Analyst at the New Jersey Department of Education she continues to work to identify best practice to promote youth success. Specifically, Jackie works to catalogue “what works” in the area of school preparedness and safety and document recommendation for state implementation. She also liaises with districts across the state to offer technical assistance, training, and help administrators strengthen their safety plans and procedures for improved scholastic success. Ms. León is published, an avid wanderlust, and volunteers in the Trenton area.