When Ms. Jo Prockop first graduated from Bennington College with a degree in visual arts, she didn’t imagine that her career would lead her to become a cornerstone of Pennington's Cervone Center for Learning. Yet her path, marked by curiosity, empathy, and a strong sense of purpose, has shaped the lives of countless students over her three decades at Pennington.

After earning her bachelor’s degree, Prockop returned to her alma mater, Solebury School, to teach art. Though she enjoyed connecting with students, she wasn’t sure that classroom teaching was where she belonged. Her next steps, however, would guide her toward a vocation that combined education, advocacy, and transformation.

Prockop’s interest in literacy work began with adult learners. She was drawn to the idea of helping those who had been denied access to quality education, many of whom faced systemic barriers, including high rates of illiteracy among incarcerated populations. One of those experiences would change the course of her career.

She began working with a man who co-owned a home-improvement business but struggled to read. Though he had tried tutoring before, he hadn’t made progress. That is, no progress until Prockop helped him see that his challenges stemmed from dyslexia, not from an inability to learn. With her guidance, he built his confidence and curiosity, eventually seeking testing from a specialist whom Prockop did not know – a man named Edmund Cervone. The results and insights that followed were, in the businessman’s words, life-changing. He not only gained the tools to continue improving his reading but also discovered, in the process, that his business partner had been taking advantage of him financially!

While earning her master’s degree in education from Arcadia University, Prockop tailored her studies toward literacy instruction and continued tutoring adults. She decided she should meet with Dr. Cervone in person while conducting research for her graduate studies. Their conversation proved pivotal. They shared a common belief: that students’ learning differences should be recognized as part of who they are, and not as limitations. Dr. Cervone mentioned his vision of creating a support program at The Pennington School for students who needed help outside the traditional academic classroom, a Center for Learning. For Prockop, that moment clarified her next step: she wanted to work with students and help them discover their own paths to success.

With Dr. Cervone’s encouragement, she joined Pennington and became the School’s first director of what is now known as AST (Academic Skills Tutorial) classes. In 2003, she became director of the Cervone Center for Learning, a role in which she continues to make an enduring impact.

Over the years, Prockop has witnessed significant progress in understanding learning differences. She credits the dedicated teachers in the Cervone Center for Learning, who blend professional training with hands-on experience and seek out new ways to reach their students. “Just as we sometimes hire working scientists to teach science,” she explains, “we have reading and learning specialists who love the process of working with young people.”

What remains constant in Prockop’s work is her belief in focusing on strengths rather than labels. It’s a principle she carries from her early literacy work to her current role. “Students should focus on what they can do, not on what they presumably cannot do,” she says, echoing the philosophy of her mentor, Dr. Cervone. Through her steady guidance, Prockop has helped generations of students reach their potential and recognize that learning differences do not define their limits: they reveal new ways to succeed.