Member Spotlight: Regina Jackson
WHAT IS YOUR INDUSTRY OR AREA OF EXPERTISE?
Nonprofit management, specifically youth development.
WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE MISSION OF BLACKFEMALEPROJECT?
As a Black woman, I think it’s exceptionally important to hold space for us and our journeys. All too often, we are given the toughest jobs and not affirmed in our success. We are typically the last ones invited to the table even though we could probably create the agenda. So there needs to be a space where we are affirmed and empowered and can be a model for others.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO BLACKFEMALEPROJECT?
One of my mentees told me about the experience she shared with Precious and said, ‘Ms. Regina, you ought to talk to her, too, because you’ve been in this work longer and you have more to say.” So I followed up with Precious, and I shared the story of a younger me experiencing sexual harassment in the professional workplace and allowing the experience to inform the way I engage men today.
I kind of became an advisor to her and BlackFemaleProject. I would be a thought partner with her about the ways in which the experiential learning process could go and how to capture data and make it not just a storytelling narrative but give it depth and breadth and feet on the ground.
HOW HAS BLACKFEMALEPROJECT IMPACTED YOU PERSONALLY?
I’m not really a joiner. But this felt like a personal cathartic safe space where resources and support could either be received or given or both. There wasn’t all this official stuff. It was just about being and about belonging. I think that no matter where we are in our journey, it’s really important to be able to find people whom maybe life would not have brought you together but for the subject. And this subject is so terribly important.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME AN ADVISOR TO BLACKFEMALEPROJECT?
We may have these individual journeys, but most of them are very similar in terms of exposure and opportunity and success. I prioritize nonprofit Black female leaders and that’s because when I was coming up, other than my mother, I didn't have a Black female mentor. And when I would ask, I would never get a response. They would fall into the abyss. I had Black men and white men jumping to mentor me, but people who look like me? Not so much.
WHAT BLACKFEMALEPROJECT CONTENT HAVE YOU FOUND MOST RESONANT?
I think that the qualitative storytelling is probably the thing that I love the most. Being informed and educated on someone else’s journey, their struggles, how they emerge past their struggles, and their resilience.
Bio:
Regina Jackson is a seasoned nonprofit leader with extensive expertise in youth development/change management as well as a consistently demonstrated commitment to social, racial and environmental justice. She currently serves as the Interim CEO for the Center for Environmental Health, a national nonprofit that protects people from toxic chemicals by demanding and supporting business practices that are safe for public health and the environment. Prior to this she served as East Oakland Youth Development Center’s (EOYDC) President/CEO for 27 years molding, and mentoring young people in her hometown of Oakland, CA by providing a safe space for youth to recognize their value and realize their dreams. She has proven EOYDC to be a model environment for nurturing young minds, establishing and expanding community engagement and development, youth empowerment through youth led programs, and leadership development resources. She built teams, raised and managed capital, renovated the campus and designed strategic data-driven programs. The Clorox Company received a Presidential Award for Social Responsibility in 1974 when its CEO, Robert Shetterly created EOYDC's vision.
Through her "Theory of Change" character-based leadership model and her "comprehensive compassion/emotional intelligence" concept, she established an excellence-driven culture in the heart of an urban warzone, 30,000 students strong, with ties from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to Ivy League to the National Basketball Association/National Football League. A culture she bathed in adamant defiance of fear, status quo, and circumstance through teaching that goals are stepping stones not to be met, but crushed under the weight of one's stride towards their true purpose.
An expert in her field, Ms. Jackson (Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from University of San Francisco) is often invited (Domestically and Internationally) to deliver public testimony, workshops, TEDx, webinars, papers, International Diplomacy Council presentations, and lead cross-cultural exchange delegations to China in support of President Obama's 100k Strong and My Brother's Keeper Initiatives. She has published thought leadership and authorship, in University of Cincinnati Press, "Community- Engaged Research for Resilience and Health", journal articles and Huffington Post blogging.
Always looking to expand her impact she has worked tirelessly at setting a firm foundation and providing a replicable best practice model. She also makes a point to serve whenever she can make a positive difference across the country. She completed a (3) year Robert Wood Johnson Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship focused on identifying upstream factors for youth violence. Regina is an advisor to more than 6 non-profit, finance, and educational organizations including the Tides Center Board, Restorative Justice for Youth (RJOY), Generation Thrive, Malcolm and Betty Shabazz Educational Center, University of California President's Advisory Committee, UC Berkeley i4Y (innovations for Youth), Advisory Board Black Female Project . She was appointed by the Mayor of Oakland to serve on the Inaugural Police Commission in 2017 and served as Chair from 2019-2022. She led criminal justice reform through police accountability, policy development and community engaged reforms for the Police Commission. In 2021, Regina was celebrated as EBONY’s 100 as a community builder. In 2022, Ms. Jackson was certified in Healing Centered and Executive Coaching and prioritizes nonprofit leaders as clients. She is also the President of RGJackson Management Group, a boutique consulting and coaching firm.
CONNECT WITH REGINA
