Rollins Director of Public Health
Summary
Leads public health strategy for early childhood language and literacy, overseeing initiatives like Talk With Me Baby and professional learning programs to support children's brain development and reading readiness.
Director for Public HealthThe Rollins Center
The Atlanta Speech School seeks a nationally respected and collaborative leader to serve as Director for Public Health of its Rollins Center for Language & Literacy. The Director will lead the strategy, content, partnerships, and implementation to address the public health imperative of ensuring children's universal access to language and literacy. Working across perinatal and pediatric healthcare and community systems, this leader will translate research in early healthy brain development, language acquisition, and a foundation for reading into science-driven practices for adults who shape children’s first years of life.
The Director will guide public health professional learning delivered live and through Cox Campus, the Rollins Center’s free online professional development platform, and steward the continued growth of Talk With Me Baby, a public health initiative that equips healthcare professionals and families to support babies’ early language and brain development. The Director will also ensure the scientific integrity, quality, and relevance of all content – whether delivered online or in-person, through partnership coaching.
As a member of the Rollins Center Leadership team, the Director will collaborate with healthcare and community partners, independent evaluators, and funders.
The Director for Public Health will set and execute the Rollins Center’s public health strategy across the continuum from the last trimester of pregnancy through literacy and deep reading. This leader will ensure that Rollins Center content and implementation models are scientifically sound, accessible to varied adult audiences, responsive to community context, and designed to change professional practice and child outcomes.
The Director will lead the public health portfolio, including Talk With Me Baby, professional learning for perinatal and pediatric teams, health literacy initiatives, and cross-sector partnerships that connect healthcare with early learning and elementary education. The Director will also help steward coursework on trauma-informed practice and implicit bias, recognizing that the conditions surrounding a child and the beliefs of the adults serving that child can either strengthen or obstruct access to language, learning, and belonging.