Welcome to Dr. Melody Jackson, Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion!
Melody A. Jackson, Ph.D., MBA, MEd, joined Piedmont Housing Alliance on November 1st, 2021, as the organization’s inaugural Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (D-JEDI). For the last three years, Piedmont Housing has deepened its commitment to establishing racial equity as a central lens to evaluate its work and its impact. This practice has evolved into a goal to strive towards being an anti-racist organization, recognizing that this process must be ceaseless in the face of the persistence of white supremacy culture and structures. Dr. Jackson will play a catalytic role in transforming the culture, policies, practices, and influence of the Piedmont Housing Alliance to help realize an anti-racist vision.
“I cannot express how excited I am for Dr. Jackson to join our work. Although we have been taking intentional steps along the path, Dr. Jackson will bring critical expertise and capacity to this effort, facilitating structures of accountability, training, and routing a common vision.”
SUNSHINE MATHON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Jackson, an Army veteran, earned her Master’s in Education from the University of Virginia, an MBA from Strayer University, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Northcentral University. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University and a Certificate in Race and Equity from the University of Southern California.
She has served as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the American Association of University Women. In addition, she has provided consultations to executives and entrepreneurs as the Owner and CEO of a Business Consulting Firm, staff for the City of Richmond, and as a member of the Charlottesville Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) for the Small Business Administration.
“It’s an honor to have Dr. Jackson join Piedmont Housing Alliance as we move forward with our transformation to an Anti-racist organization. She brings years of knowledge, training, and hands-on experiences in cultural awareness and competence work that is pertinent to this role as the Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.”
ROXANNE CARTER-JOHNSTON, BOARD VICE PRESIDENT