Honoring Women at UK: Spotlight on Judy 'J.J.' Jackson

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 17, 2015) — Judy (J.J.) Jackson has served as the University of Kentucky's first vice president for Institutional Diversity since 2008. Jackson brought to UK nearly 30 years of educational and career experiences from various universities, including Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Her mission as an administrator has been to strive to promote systemic diversity and inclusion.  At UK, Jackson is the life force and key advocate behind many of the university's diversity programs. 

Jackson’s career took her to several universities, yielding myriad lessons from which she says she gleaned much wisdom. Her experiences, she said, perpetuated her growth throughout her career. Jackson ardently spoke of the imperative to stand up for one’s self and do what is right.  She punctuated her declaration with personal experiences of asserting herself for the good of the students she served.  Her life is saturated with perseverance and a relentless desire to demonstrate diligence in her work. 

During her tenure at UK, Jackson helped establish the positions of director of diversity education and director of the Office for LGBTQ Resources. She also established the Task Force on Women's Career and Leadership Development, the Latino Task Force, the LGBT Task Force and created new initiatives: the Black and Latino Male Student Success Initiative, and the Scholar-in-Residence in the Martin Luther King Center, which increases faculty involvement with the center. Jackson has also rigorously participated in the recruitment of underrepresented students and faculty through various initiatives.

Currently, Jackson provides staff support for a $2.5 million National Science Foundation grant that funds the work of nine institutions that have formed a Kentucky-West Virginia Alliance to increase diversity among students earning bachelor's degrees in STEM disciplines. She also re-established the Whitney Young Scholars Program, which brings 24 high achieving Black and Latino 11th graders to UK for a two-week residential program.  The Whitney Young Scholars Program has served as a very successful tool for increasing student diversity and increased retention. 

Internationally, Jackson led the Discover Germany cultural exchange with the German-American Fulbright Commission and assisted in the establishment of "Discover Korea," a two-week in-Korea culture study program for undergraduates in health and environmental studies.  Jackson also serves on a number of boards and councils such as the Kentucky Education Commissioner's Advisory Council, UK's International Advisory Council, UK's iNET Advisory Board, UK Alumni Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Foundation for Education Abroad Board of Advisors, State Coordinator for the ACE Women In Higher Education Network, Lexington Transit Authority Board of Directors, and Leadership Kentucky Board of Directors. 

Jackson has spent her life educating students and colleagues of the value, necessity and beauty of diversity and inclusion, tirelessly advocating for what she knows is right.  Jackson unequivocally articulated the need to be “trustworthy, professional and fair.”

Crediting her mother with her values, Jackson spoke of being energized by her 90-year old mother’s enthusiastic zest for life.  Moreover, Jackson’s own role as mother and grandmother lit up her face with love and passion. Not even a successful career can overshadow her dedication and love for her family. 

Although she might deny it, Jackson is a trailblazer.  She has spent a career in advocacy and beckons for others to join her journey and forge their own meaningful career trajectories.  When asked what advice she has for those following her footsteps, Jackson encouraged people to be self-reflective about their unique strengths and weaknesses. She spoke of seeking knowledge to augment strengths and courage to face weaknesses.  She spoke of being authentic and standing strong as she has done her entire career. 

Division 35: Society for the Psychology of Women of the American Psychological Association and UKNow are taking note of the service and accomplishments of women at the University of Kentucky with a series of profiles of women faculty and administrators at UK.