Pat Howard, PhD

Dr. Pat Howard received her bachelor’s and master’s in psychology from the University of Kentucky and her PhD in school psychology from the University of South Florida. She began her career in the late 1970s as a school psychologist in Polk County, Florida. She then came to Jacksonville in 1984, where she was supervisor of psychological services for Duval County Public Schools. Pat was the state consultant for school psychology for the Florida Department and Education, and, until her retirement in 2005, she was the director of assessment programs for the FloridaCenter for Reading Research at Florida State University. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of South Florida, Florida State University, and Nova Southeastern University on the topics of school psychology, reading, and learning. She currently is an adjunct professor at Nova and provides consultation services to a number of companies and programs devoted to enhancing reading skills of children.

Dr. Howard’s professional interests have been the topics of numerous workshops and invited addresses to educators at both the state and national levels. These interests include early assessment of pre-reading and reading skills, prevention and early intervention of reading and other academic problems through intervention assistance teams, and developing comprehensive programs for managing crisis in schools.

She has served on the Florida Crisis Response Team, where she assisted Dade County Public Schools staff in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew; she represented the Florida Department of Education on the Florida Suicide Prevention Task Force; she represented the National Association of School Psychologists on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities; and has served on numerous committees and workgroups for the Florida Department of Education. She has held numerous leadership positions with the Florida Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Psychologists.

Her current activities include travel, reading, church, and spending time with family and friends. She and her husband, Richard Chapman, live on and vacation frequently in North Carolina, where they have a home in the mountains. She has two sons who live with their families in Vero Beach and Greeley, Colorado.