CPS Instructor of the Year

MMC'S JACKIE STACKHOUSE LEACH RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD

Jackie Stackhouse Leach is considered the “first lady” of child passenger safety in New Jersey by those who know how many lives she has impacted through education and training.

The Morristown Medical Center health educator and child passenger safety instructor originally staked out a career empowering persons with disabilities. But after taking a break from full-time employment to raise her children, Leach realized she wanted to work to prioritize child passenger safety.

It was a visit to a car inspection station and realizing the importance of that work that changed the Long Valley resident's mind.

After becoming a nationally certified child passenger safety (CPS) technician, Leach was named National Child Passenger Safety Instructor of the Year by the National Child Passenger Safety Board.

She regularly works with child safety restraint manufacturers to create CEU opportunities for technicians. She travels to oversee skills evaluations across the state. And she is credited with increasing special needs transportation and school bus training opportunities and training others to teach these CPS enrichment courses.

“Her teaching skills set her apart,” National Child Passenger Safety Board Chair Mandi Seethaler said. “With Jackie, it’s education, not installation. She prepares technicians so they are able to educate caregivers during interactions. And she works with technicians who demonstrate higher skill levels to become instructors.”

Leach supervises seven inspection sites in her role at MMC. Together with her colleagues, she won the team award from the organization in 2021.