Class of 2024: Lauren Jackson made her mark at VCU as a student, instructor and advisor

By Sian Wilkerson

When Lauren Jackson arrived in Richmond in 2009 to begin her career in higher education, she knew little about Virginia Commonwealth University. But while driving through the Monroe Park Campus for the first time, something "came over me," she recalled. "And I thought, 'I don't know about this school but I need to get over there.'"

As Jackson learned more about the university, that feeling only intensified.

"I knew the great work that VCU was doing in the community and I wanted to be part of that great work," she said.

In December, Jackson will receive her doctorate from VCU's School of Education after successfully defending her dissertation, which highlights the assets, contributions and impact of Black women in senior leadership roles at historically white institutions.

But her journey with the university didn't start there. She earned her master's degree in counselor education from VCU in 2015 and became an academic advisor, later serving in different administrative-level roles at the university until 2023.

Presently, Jackson serves as the founder of Jackson Consulting and Coaching Firm, which builds on the same ethos that has driven her throughout her career.

"I work to support organizations, businesses, and higher education institutions to really reimagine and re-envision how they support underrepresented, minority and marginalized groups," she said, "and to make sure those groups in those settings have what they need to not just survive but thrive."

Lauren Jackson has been a student, instructor and advisor at VCU. (Photo by Maria Bayoh)

Inspired by her dissertation research, Jackson created the Collective for Educated Black Women and Girls, an online platform that celebrates and acknowledges the advancement of Black women. Her hope is that the platform can serve as a resource for Black women as well as providing a space for Black girls to expand their academic excellence through literacy.

Tomika Ferguson, Ph.D., assistant dean for student affairs and inclusive excellence and assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the School of Education, called Jackson's "commitment to doing good work" unparalleled.

"She exemplifies the values that she strives to cultivate in higher education and organizational spaces," Ferguson said.

Jackson's passion for elevating the success of minority groups within the realm of higher education began during her time at Virginia Union University, where she started her career.

"Although I identify as a Black woman, I didn't really immerse myself in the culture of historically Black colleges growing up," she said. But working at an HBCU "sparked [something] in me and empowered me to say that I want to be a part of elevating the success of minority groups."

When she came to VCU, Jackson asked herself what she could do to close those diversity gaps at a predominantly white institution. In 2018, she created a leadership development course for women of color, which eventually grew from one section to five sections and then added a mentoring program, which allows students who completed the course to provide leadership for students currently enrolled.

The program grew further when one of Jackson's students approached her about creating a student organization, Leadership for Women of Color, which now boasts around 300 members and allows them to put the lessons they learned in the course into action.

"That greater and lasting impact is what I was longing for," Jackson said. "I'm not at VCU anymore in that capacity and the work is still continuing."

Jackson, who still teaches part-time at VCU as an adjunct in the School of Education and serves as the advisor for Leadership for Women of Color, says that the relationships she's made have been the most rewarding part of her journey so far.

"When I arrived at VCU in 2016, I thought, 'This campus is so large, what am I going to do?' I didn't think I was going to make an impact," she said. "But two years later, I created the course and from there I was able to start forging opportunities to make that impact."

With her Ph.D., she's eager to continue to build on that success.

"My goal is to get back into higher education because that is my passion," Jackson said. "I love everything about higher education and how we are really intentional about creating opportunities and resources and opening the doors of access and limitless possibilities for the next generation of leaders."

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