Jackie Counts, M.S.W., Ph.D.
- Operating Officer
Contact Info
1515 St. Andrews Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Biography —
Jacqueline Counts, M.S.W., Ph.D., is a Chief Operating Officer with the Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI). Before joining the executive leadership team at AAI, she was the director of AAI's Center for Public Partnerships & Research, a position she held for more than a decade. She received her training at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Kansas. She began her journey at the University of Kansas in 2004 and served as the Region VII Project Officer for the Early Childhood Health and Development Branch of the Maternal Child Health Bureau of Health Resources and Services Administration from 2010-2012. She returned to KU in 2013 as the director of CPPR. Dr. Counts leads a multi-disciplinary team of social workers, educators, social scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and other creative staff to come together to create a better world. She has been principal investigator on over 50 grants. She uses a complexity lens to understand wicked social problems and applies futures and foresight methods to transform systems.
Education —
with honors
Summa Cum Laude
Selected Publications —
Sprague-Jones, J. and Counts, J. (2023, June 16). What they don’t teach you in school about working with policy makers. Emerald Publishing. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-andblog/what-they-dont-t…;
Sprague-Jones, J. and Counts, J. (2023, June 16). The researcher-policymaker partnership. Emerald Publishing. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-and-blog/researcher-poli…;
Sprague-Jones, J. and Counts, J. (2023, June 16). Using strategic foresight to support policymaking. Emerald Publishing. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-and-blog/using-strategic…;
Sprague-Jones, J. and Counts, J. (2023, June 16). The power of plan B. Emerald Publishing. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-and-blog/power-plan-b&nb…;
Counts, J., Sprague-Jones, J., & Powell, G. (2022, October 18). Exploring the child care crisis: Multiple futures and the role of public private partnerships. Center for Public Partnerships and Research.
Counts, J., Sprague-Jones, J., Powell, G., (2022, October 18). Exploring the Child Care Crisis: Multiple Futures and the Role of Public Private Partnerships. Center for Public Partnerships and Research. https://cppr.ku.edu/sites/cppr/files/documents/Future-ScenariosPaper.pd… Sprague-Jones,
J., Singh, P., Rousseau, M., Counts, J., & Firman, C. (2020). The Protective Factors Survey: Establishing validity and reliability of a self-report measure of protective factors against child maltreatment. Children and Youth Services Review, 111, 104868.
Gillam, R., & Counts, J. (2018). The intangibles: What it takes for a backbone organization to succeed. In N. Walzer & L. Weaver (Eds.), Using collective impact to bring community change (1st ed., pp. 56-75). Routledge.
Counts, J., Eggers, K., & Davis, A. (2018, October). Using Kansans' voices to inform services. Kansas Child.
Counts, J., Gillam, R., Garstka, T. A., & Urbach, E. (2018). How the Center for Public Partnerships and Research navigates complex social problems to make a collective difference. Journal of EvidenceInformed Social Work, 15(3), 313-323.
Counts, J., Gillam, R. J., Perico, S., & Eggers, K. L. (2017). Lemonade for Life—A pilot study on a hopeinfused, trauma-informed approach to help families understand their past and focus on the future. Children and Youth Services Review, 79, 228-234.
Puddy, R., Parsons, B., Lim Brodowski, M., & Counts, J. (2017). Complexity science applications in child maltreatment prevention. In A. Alexander, R. Alexander, & N. Guterman (Eds.), Prevention of child maltreatment. GW Medical Publishing.
Counts, J. (2016). Beyond quality. Kansas Child, 15(2), 10-12.
Gillam, R., Counts, J, & Garstka, T. (2018). Collective impact facilitators: How contextual and procedural factors influence collaboration. Community Development, 49(2), 54-69.
Bailey, A. M., Brazil, A. M., Conrad-Hiebner, A., & Counts, J. (2015). Protective factors among Latino families involved with child welfare: A review of Spanish protective factor research on child maltreatment prevention in seven countries. Children & Youth Services Review, 55, 93-102.
Conrad-Hiebner, A., Shoemann, A. M., Counts, J. M., & Chang, K. (2015). The development and validation of the Spanish adaptation of the Protective Factors Survey. Children and Youth Services Review, 52, 45-53.
Brodowski, M. L., Counts, J., & Conrad-Hiebner, A. (2014). Early childhood home visiting. In Encyclopedia of Social Work.
Brodowski, M., Counts, J., Gillam, R., Baker, L., Spiva Collins, V., Winkle, E., Skala, J., Stokes, K., Gomez, R., & Redmon, J. (2013). Translating evidence-based policy to practice: A multi-level partnership using the interactive systems framework. Families in Society, 94(3), 141-149.
Strader, K., Counts, J., & Filene, J. (2013). Federal home visiting under the Affordable Care Act. Zero to Three, 33(3), 51-57.
Counts, J., Buffington, E., Chang-Rios, K., Rasmussen, H., & Preacher, K. (2010). The development and validation of the protective factors survey: A self-report measure of protective factors against child maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34(10), 762-772.
Counts, J. M. (2008). Best practices for preventing maltreatment of children ages birth to five. In Multidimensional evidence-based practice (pp. 52-75). Routledge.
Selected Presentations —
Counts, J., & Flinders, J., (2024, August 20). Collaborative Generation: Making Sense of Today’s Stories to Catalyze a Thriving Tomorrow for All [Conference presentation]. Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC). Santa Monica, CA, United States.
Counts, J. (2023, May 29) A Third Way with Jackie Counts [Audio podcast]. South by East Season 2, Episode 6. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1983621?client_source=large_player&iframe=tr…: //www.buzzsprout.com/1983621.js?container_id=buzzsprout-large-player&player=large#
Counts, J. (2021, September 21). Reflections from the state. [Webinar]. Roundtable on Early Childhood Districts- Reflections from the States.
Counts, J. (2021, January 8). Asking Big Questions in Kansas to Guide Decision-Making for EarlyLearning Communities, Providers and Parents [Interview]. Early Learning Nation.
Counts, J., (2020, November 10). Capita Post Election Briefing Panelist. [Webinar].
Counts, J., DeRosier, M. (2019, September 15). Getting the Results We Want- How to choose the right data supports within a complexity-informed approach. Glasgow, Scotland.,.
Counts, J., Gillam, R. (2019, April 24). Trauma & Hope: Tools to Help Families Thrive. [Conference presentation]. The National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington DC.
Counts, J., Gillam, R. (2019, April 25) Using Self-Interpreted Stories, Community Sensemaking and Complexity to Inform Child Maltreatment Prevention Practice. [Conference presentation]. The National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington DC.
Counts, J., Smith, A. (2018, March 21). Our Tomorrow’s Digital Dialogue [Conference presentation]. The National Conversation on Child Abuse and Neglect
Counts, J. (2018, January 31). Spreading Hope Using ACEs to Build Hope & Resilience. [Conference presentation]. Seventh National Summit on Quality in Home Visiting Programs, Washington DC.
Counts, J. (2018, January 25). How Do we Understand the Experience of Poverty? Making meaning and seeking solutions. Oklahoma Early Childhood Symposium, Edmond, OK.
Counts, J. (2017, August 10-11). An Update on Protective Factors Survey-2: Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Program. Annual Grantee Meeting, Washington, DC.
Counts, J. (2016, December 15). Making Connections to Inform Prevention: Kansas Child Welfare Crisis. [Presentation]. Lawrence, KS.
Sprague-Jones, J., Counts, J., Firman, C. (2016, August 31-September 2). The Protective Factors Survey: Revising the Instrument to Better Capture Families’ Growth and Change. National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington, DC.
Counts, J. (2016, April 26-27). Getting Your Own House in Order and Then Taking It to the Streets, Child Abuse Prevention and Family Support Conference, Des Moines, IA.
Counts, J. (2015, September 24-26). Empowering Families to Use Adverse Childhood Experiences: Research to Build Resilience. Adverse Childhood Experiences Southeastern Summit, Asheville, NC.
Counts, J. (2015, March 23). Small Ripples, Big Change. TEDx Lawrence: Innovative, Collaborative, and Dynamic ideas, Lawrence, KS.
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
Principal Investigator, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Quality Supports and Innovation Grant, 2022-2024: $1,686,529.
Principal Investigator, Iowa Department of Public Health Continuous Quality Improvement Support Grant, Iowa Department of Public Health, 2022-2024. Total Grant: $2,509,239.
Principal Investigator, Department of Children and Families, American Rescue Plan Act planning and support. Department of Children and Families, 2021-2022. Total Grant: $1,092,329.
Principal Investigator, Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five. Kansas State Department of Education, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022-2024. Total Grant: $4,977,816.
Principal Investigator, Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five. Kansas State Department of Education, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2021-2022. Total Grant: $3,240,286.
Principal Investigator, Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five. Kansas State Department of Education, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2020-2021. Total Grant: $3,124,814.
Principal Investigator, Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Planning Grant. Kansas State Department of Education, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022-2024. Total Grant: $2,268,855.
Principal Investigator, Children’s Initiative Fund. Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. 2022- 2025. Total Grant: $2,471,958.
Principal Investigator, Grant Writing Assistance to Kansas Non-profit Organizations. Kansas Health Foundation, 2022-2024. Total Grant: $347,893.
Principal Investigator, Children’s Initiative Fund. Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. 2019- 2022. Total Grant: $1,125,00.
Principal Investigator, Community-based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, 2017-2019. Total Grant: $116,491.
Co-Principal Investigator, Community-based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Kansas Children’s Cabinet Trust Fund, 2021-2024, Total Grant: $605,104.
Principal Investigator, Technology for Family Funds Support. Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. Depart of the Treasury. August 14, 2020- December 11, 2020. Total Grant: $40,000.
Co-Principal Investigator, Connected Families, Connected Communities - Every Child Thrives! Kansas State Department of Education, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2019-2020. Total Grant: $3,205,081.
Principal Investigator, Quality Support Services. Kansas Department of Children and Family. 2020- 2021. Total Grant: $291,072.
Principal Investigator, Quality Support Services. Kansas Department of Children and Family. 2018- 2019. Total Grant: $230,030.
Principal Investigator, SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grant, 2018-2021. Kansas Department of Children and Family. Total Grant: $687,789.
Principal Investigator, Oklahoma MIECHV Innovation Grant: Empowering Families to Use Adverse Childhood Experiences Research – an innovative approach to increase engagement and retention, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 2017-2019. Total grant: $257,984.
Principal Investigator, Iowa MIECHV Innovation Grant, Iowa Department of Public Health, 2017-2019. Total Grant: $900,884.
Principal Investigator, National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, Chapel Hill Training Outreach Project, 2016. Total grant: $60,000.
Principal Investigator, Kansas Quality Rating System Development, KS Department for Children and Families, 2016. Total Grant: $219,221.
Principal Investigator, Iowa Lemonade for Life Evaluation, Iowa Department of Public Health, 2016- 2017: Evaluation: $25,000.
Principal Investigator, Institute for the Advance of Family Support Professionals, Heising-Simons Foundation, 2016 - 2018. Total Grant: $199,731.
Principal Investigator, Pilot Projects to Reduce Dependency, KS Department for Children and Families, 2015 - 2018. Total Grant: $783,278.
Principal Investigator, Community-based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015. Total Grant: $692,546. Evaluation: $110,946.
Principal Investigator, Community-based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014. Total Grant: $877,073. Evaluation: $110,946.
Principal Investigator, Children’s Initiatives Fund—Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, 2018- 2019. Total Grant: $374,797.
Principal Investigator, Children’s Initiatives Fund—Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, 2014- 2017, Total Contract: $1,084,637.
Principal Investigator, Kansas Power of the Positive—Kansas Children’s Service League, 2014-2015, Total Contract: $50,000.
Co-Principal Investigator, Kansas Reading Road Map Evaluation, Rural Schools and Community Trust, 2013-2014: Evaluation, $170,000.
Service —
2024—Present: Kansas Health Coalition Collaborative
2024—Present: Reviewer – American Psychologist
2022—Present: Reviewer – Children and Youth Services Review
2022—Present: Reviewer— Journal of Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society
2022—Present: Healthy Kansans 2030 State Health Improvement Plan priority area workgroup
2021—Present: KU Shared Service Center Experience Council Member
2021—2022: Healthy Kansans 2030 Steering Committee Board
2019—Advisory Board Member of Kansas Health Foundation
2017—Present: Reviewer—Journal of Psychiatry, Depression, & Anxiety
2016—2018: Lawrence Community Shelter—Board Member, President (2017)