Molly Cole (CT UCEDD) Recognized for Excellence in Public Engagement

December 22, 2008

Molly Cole was recognized for Excellence in Public Engagement by the Provost of the University of Connecticut.  Molly is a Family Outreach Specialist and the Associate Director of the University of Connecticut's A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.  She has coordinated a number of federal and state funded projects for both parents and professionals in the areas of child disability and mental health.  She has been a co-director of innovative projects that have been implemented with state agencies and legislators here in Connecticut.  Based on her work and her advocacy, she has been asked to serve on many state and national councils and advisory boards. She was one of the founders of the Family Support Council in Connecticut and also helped establish the Birth to Three System in Connecticut in the 1980's.  Her leadership skills as a family advocate have also been recognized nationally, and her influence in the training of both professionals and parents has been impressive.

During Molly's two-decade association with the UCEDD she has worked on many projects and collaborations.  The collaborations include being an Adult Ally for CT-KASA (Connecticut Kids as Self Advocates) and a State Coordinator for the Connecticut Family Voices since its inception in 1992; managing the Consumer Advisory Council; being on the management team for the Connecticut Family-to-Family Health Information Network; and playing an active role in the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America - Connecticut Chapter, the Connecticut Down Syndrome Congress, FAVOR, Inc., the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant and the Fragile X Society of Connecticut.  Now Molly will be serving as the Coordinator of Family/Youth Outreach and Leadership in Connecticut's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) grant.