The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable

GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
"We Are All Unique and Special With Untapped Potential": Meet Jackie Jackson, Director of Marketing at AT&T

What is your personal Story?

My name is Jackie Jackson, and I am a Director of Marketing at AT&T responsible for Sales and Distribution of AT&T retail stores in the East Region.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. My parents divorced when I was six, and I grew up in a single-parent household where my mom worked two jobs in a frozen food factory and cleaned houses to provide for my brothers and me. I spent summers living in New York with my grandmother, where I helped her clean homes during the day and played basketball in my spare time.

While I never had a formal mentor, my grandmother was that mentor instilling in me the importance of a college education. I may never have taken that path if it hadn't been for her and my mother's encouragement. But because I did, I have had a rewarding career in telecommunications and three patents in wireless technology under my name. I've never had trouble finding a job with both a bachelor's and a master's degree.

Like Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us, and I still believe to this day, education is a key to success in life.

And it didn't stop there as I then had an obligation to give back to my community through mentoring and ensuring the next generation knows the path to success. Over the past 15 years, I've mentored thousands of students on the value of a college education, including my three children, who have followed in my footsteps.

What does inclusive leadership mean to you?

Inclusive leadership means not only having a seat at the table but also having a voice. Too often, as my mentor Cynt Marshall has said, you're invited to the ball but not invited to dance. Inclusion is being asked to dance. It's creating an environment where leaders from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints have a seat at the table and a voice to contribute to decision-making in their unique way. It starts with empowerment and trust. In my career, knowing my supervisor empowered and trusted me to resolve an issue or seek a solution to a problem fueled more ownership of the issue and sparked my creativity.

What motivates you to work within racial equity at AT&T? What are some of your high-profile projects?

At AT&T, I've worked with great leaders who have trusted me to develop solutions and drive product innovation. I've had the opportunity to work on the iPhone and AT&T's 4G/LTE wireless technology projects. My leaders allowed me to define solutions, resolve issues, recommend the desired customer experience, and partner with large cross-functional teams to deliver the desired outcomes. Currently, I am working on identifying opportunities to drive more profitability in the business. What's exciting about this is I've been given a blank slate to define what that means. I flourish in environments where I'm allowed to bring my ideas and creativity to the table. It's not always the case, but when I've had roles like this, they have been refreshing.

What is the greatest vision within your role as a Marketing Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

My greatest vision is to see more people like me in middle and senior leadership positions. We are making great strides, but more work needs to be done. Having a more diverse workforce at all levels will drive more inclusion and, I believe, better results.

It starts as it did with me, with someone, as Lou Delery, former AT&T executive at AT&T, used to say, "giving you a chance at bat." An opportunity to interview, a chance to be heard to share the value you can bring to that new job.

We need more people giving diverse applicants a chance at bat.

I talk to many qualified diverse candidates applying for and getting rejected from jobs. They're looking for a chance to interview to show what they can contribute but are dismissed before they can make their pitch.

If someone didn't give me that chance, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to work on the iPhone and contribute to three patents in wireless technology. Nothing about my background or even the Journalism/Spanish undergrad degree from Bowling Green State University said I was destined to be successful in a telecom company, but that's because you can't judge a book by its cover, as they say. We are all unique and special with untapped potential if only given a chance.

How could GlobalMindED further support the efforts that you are a part of?

GlobalMinded can share its platform of reaching students with our platform at AT&T of employee volunteers, so every student has a mentor.
Join us in Denver June 7-9 for GlobalMindED 2023
Early Bird Registration Open Now
Register here

To get a feel for the conference experience, please see this brief video by The PhD Project from the 2022 GlobalMindED Conference

  • GlobalMindED June 2022 DEI conference
  • Complete 2022 Program
  • Inclusive Leader Awards Program 2022
  • 800+ attendees
  • 140 students from 41 universities/colleges, 58 received scholarships
  • 300+ speakers from 65 universities/colleges and 47 businesses
  • 130 universities/colleges represented
  • Majority of panels featured at least one student
  • 74 % diverse speakers
Social Justice and Equity: A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark!
Social Justice and Equity: A Constant Evolution but we Still Haven’t Hit the Mark!, a Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable presentation
Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System
Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder,
Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC,
Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting,
Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education,
Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, City of Omaha Mayor’s Office
The GlobalMindED Inclusive Success NetworkTM had another banner year of growth, impact, and outcomes for First Generation, poverty-affected and minoritized students. Here are some of the highlights: 
 
  • Return of in-person GlobalMindED conference with record attendance and the largest First Gen Leadership Class ever of 122 student leaders. See PhD Project brief video of the event. 
  • Our fourth annual Inclusive Leader Awards recognized 15 DEIB leaders across sectors.
  • Almost all our 100+ panels and sessions of 2022 featured a student. 
  • Of the 300+ speakers, 73% were diverse leaders sharing their thoughts. 
  • We held our first Industry Marketplace Career Exploration Arena at GlobalMindED 2022 with 40 companies, giving K-12, college students, educators, and leaders a way to learn about emerging fields and careers. Join us for the next one at GlobalMindED 2023. 
  • Our first satellite event at Georgia Institute of Tech was livestreamed via the Atlanta PBS affiliate. 
  • We became an official initiative of the Foundation for the Support the United Nations (FSUN) and will hold our first UN event on March 22, 2023. 
  • ·We served ten colleges with the GlobalMindED Success Collaborative connecting students at each HBCU, MSI, HIS and Tribal College with role models, mentors, internships, and jobs. 
  • We had partners/volunteers from Microsoft, Salesforce, Rubrik, HP, Stanford MBA and more. 
  • We spoke at the White House Initiative for HBCUs with sponsor Hewlett Packard. 
  • Our team, Board, Colorado Board and Executive Leadership Council are all majority diverse serving a majority diverse population of emerging leaders. 
  • We continued to publish our daily newsletter and conduct monthly virtual Equity events, led by people of color with majority diverse panelists and students. These are the role models for our students.
  • Our annual operating budget increased by 67% emerging COVID strong. 
  • We doubled our staff from four to eight as we grow to scale our impact. 
  • Our Young Professionals grew to 40 strong, with a ten-person leadership cabinet made up of, but not limited to, graduates of our programs who are now working professionals.  
  • Since 2015, we have successfully connected 1,200+ students to internships and jobs. 
  • Our founder, Carol Carter, was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Denver Business Journal. 
 
We are grateful for the support, inclusive leadership, and financial contributions of our community and sponsors who work tirelessly to open doors for the students we serve, the institutions who support them, and the businesses and non-profits who are committed to hiring a capable, diverse talent pipeline.  We look forward to seeing all of you June 7-9 at our best event yet, GlobalMindED 2023 - Transforming Boundaries: Creating Systemic Access and Equity. The Inclusive Leaders Awards Dinner is June 7, followed by the conference June 8- 9 at the Denver Downtown Sheraton.  
GlobalMindED | 303-327-5688 | contact@globalminded.org | www.globalminded.org
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