Melissa Babcock

Melissa Babcock is a Director at Watershed Advisors. She brings 15 years of experience in education, with a focus on leveraging literacy to advance high-quality instruction and improve student outcomes.

Before joining Watershed, Melissa led literacy implementation efforts at the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, including the scale up of Ohio’s birth-grade 12 literacy programs under the state’s initiative, ReadOhio. In this role, she led the implementation of the state’s comprehensive literacy policies, including programs focused on professional development, coaching, and high-quality instructional materials, as well as the coordination of the state’s literacy plan and strategy focused on aligning systems across the local, regional, and state level. She helped the state secure over $100 million in federal grants and led the development of resources and technical assistance to directly support educators and leaders in implementing high-quality instruction and systems aligned with the science of reading.

Melissa began her career as a middle school reading teacher in southwest Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from Cedarville University and a master’s degree in literacy education from the University of Dayton. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two children.