Media Kit
Short Biography
Jo Watson Hackl is the founder of outdoorosity.org and a lawyer with Wyche, PA. Her novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, was published by Random House Books for Young Readers. Smack Dab includes curriculum tie-ins to art, history, geography, literature, mathematics, and science. Half of the re–aders from whom she has heard have been young readers with the other half adults. Jo received her B.A. from Millsaps College and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
A first-generation college graduate, Jo’s goal is to inspire students about the power of art, writing, and time in nature to transform their lives, to equip them with practical tools to take their writing to the next level, and to help them increase social and emotional learning skills and skills that promote grit and resiliency. Jo has now presented to over 22,000 people.
Jo and her husband have three children, all of whom enjoy spending time outdoors. They take to the woods whenever they can.
Long Biography
Jo Watson Hackl is the founder of outdoorosity.org and a lawyer with Wyche, PA. Her novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, was published by Random House Books for Young Readers. Smack Dab includes curriculum tie-ins to art, history, geography, literature, mathematics, and science. Half of the readers from whom she has heard have been young readers with the other half adults. Jo received her B.A. from Millsaps College and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
A first-generation college graduate, Jo’s goal is to inspire students about the power of art, writing, and time in nature to transform their lives, to equip them with practical tools to take their writing to the next level, and to help them increase social and emotional learning skills and skills that promote grit and resiliency. Jo has now presented to over 22,000 people.
Jo currently serves on the Greenville County School District’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. Jo also helped create Read Up Greenville, a celebration of young adult and middle grade books and authors. Jo also organized the conference “Realizing the Writer and Illustrator Within,” bringing together teachers, writers, editors, and agents. She is past Assistant Regional Advisor of SCBWI, Carolinas and created a poetry mentoring collaboration between the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and students from a Title I school. As part of her Diversity Leadership Institute project, Jo developed a module to teach soft skills to high school students from historically marginalized communities. She is a regular presenter at conferences and other gatherings on a wide variety of writing and nature-related topics.
Jo is working to revitalize the Village of West Greenville into a vibrant arts community and has developed a model set of “Community Friendly Business” lease terms for tenants in the project. Jo was the first woman to serve as Chair of the Greenville Area Development Corporation. She is Past President of the Greenville County Bar Association, Past President of the Greenville Professional Women’s Forum, and Past Chair of the Community Foundation of Greenville. She is a Liberty Fellow and a Riley Fellow. She is also a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Jo has been recognized as a “Woman of Achievement” by the Greenville, SC YWCA, received the Community Foundation’s “Ruth Nicholson” Award, the Legal Service’s “Richard Riley Pro Bono Award,” and the Chamber’s ATHENA award. Jo serves on the boards of The Hollingsworth Foundation, The Greenville Technical College Area Commission, The ETV Endowment of South Carolina Foundation, The South Carolina Research Authority, and The Millsaps College Board of Visitors. She also is a member of the Greenville Professional Women’s Forum, and serves as a founding member of MIT NEXT Mentoring program, and as a mentor for the PULSE Leadership Development program.
Jo has been featured in the American Bar Association’s American Barrister magazine and was recognized by the South Carolina Bar Association for her pro bono work. The Greenville County Bar awarded her the Tommy Thomason award, its highest honor.
Jo’s nonfiction is included in the Emrys Literary Journal, and her poetry is included in Hearing Helen, published by the Greenville County Museum of Art. Her work also has been featured in The Clearinghouse Review.
Jo and her husband have three children, all of whom enjoy spending time outdoors. They take to the woods whenever they can.
