New Yorker Jacqueline Jackson, an 18-year veteran of corporate retail management, was appointed to the new role of Chief Operating Officer of the New York Urban League (NYUL).
She will lead the legendary civil rights organization in improving business processes and driving operational efficiency in its initiatives and partnerships.
“I am truly inspired by the New York Urban League’s legacy of civil rights service and community advocacy, says Jackson, who has volunteered with the organization for the past two years. “I’m excited to be joining the team as a transformational leader as we enter into our second Centennial.”
Jackson most recently served as director of Inventory Planning for the West Elm brand of William Sonoma Inc., a specialty retailer of products for the home. She is the founder and executive director of THE ROYALTY PROJECT, INC, a New York City mentoring non-profit that exposes youth of color to “progressive role-models, missing history, and the richness of Black culture” in order to improve their own self-image.
NYUL president and CEO Arva R. Rice says Jackson’s long tenure in institutional leadership, management and operations at leading U.S. retailers and her nonprofit credentials as founder and leader of The Royalty Project make her uniquely qualified to work with the Urban League “at this time.”
Her experience as an active resident of New York City’s Harlem community for the past decade no doubt enhanced those qualifications.
“During this time of Covid-19 and civil unrest, now is the right time to recruit a Chief Operations Officer as we add financial grant programs and our Small Business Support center to our list of offerings to meet the needs of our communities,” Rice said.
Jackson began her career in corporate retail management right after obtaining dual bachelor degrees in international business and marketing at Pennsylvania State University.
In addition to Sonoma, she boasts an impressive portfolio in sales strategy and inventory optimization at some of the country’s most influential retailers. Her roles in that portfolio include senior director of planning at Ralph Lauren, planning manager at Kate Spade & Co. and at Coach Inc., and planning at Gap Inc.
Jackson describes herself as “adept in delivering reliable strategies that positively impact businesses, organizations, and communities; skilled at motivating and leading teams to achieve company objectives; [and] capable of driving large, innovative portfolios of programmatic investments and engaging in partnerships with community stakeholders.”
