Full Name
Alaina Jackson
Job Title
Managing Director
Company
Global Detroit
Speaker Bio
Dr. Jackson is the Managing Director of Global Detroit and an Adjunct Professor at Wayne State University. She has 25+ years of experience in the areas of local economic development, community development, cooperative economics, organizational change management, and participatory research and evaluation.
After 20 years of travel and learning, where Dr. Jackson studied and worked abroad (e.g., Germany, Mexico, Brazil, etc.), and earned her Masters in Planning and Doctorate of Policy, Planning, and Development from the University of Southern California, Dr. Jackson returned to her hometown as a Detroit Revitalization Fellow, where she joined the United Way for Southeastern Michigan as the Program Director for Workforce and Talent Initiative (Foundational Skills). In this role, she co-led a collaborative effort to improve the workforce development pipeline in Detroit by funding innovative workforce development models which integrated adult foundational skills into their curriculums, and which comprehensively addressed structural barriers to employee recruitment and retention. After the United Way, Dr. Jackson joined the City:One team at Ford Motor Company, as the Community Experience and Research Lead where she led the design and implementation of the community engagement and research strategies in historically underserved communities, focusing on mobility solutions that could positively impact equity, accessibility, safety, or sustainability.
Dr. Jackson has since found an ideal home at Global Detroit as its first Managing Director, where she can integrate her international and professional experiences into one strategic role. At Global Detroit, Dr. Jackson leads the organization’s operations and the southeast Michigan programming in support of immigrant inclusive economic development strategies that will lead to economic prosperity for all Michiganders.
Consistent throughout her career and through her roles as a convener, researcher, manager, and urban planner, Dr. Jackson elevates and advances the voices of marginalized communities in pursuit of equitable economic prosperity. At Global Detroit, she's found a home to continue pursuing her passion, this time through immigrant integration as an economic development strategy for shared prosperity for all Michiganders
After 20 years of travel and learning, where Dr. Jackson studied and worked abroad (e.g., Germany, Mexico, Brazil, etc.), and earned her Masters in Planning and Doctorate of Policy, Planning, and Development from the University of Southern California, Dr. Jackson returned to her hometown as a Detroit Revitalization Fellow, where she joined the United Way for Southeastern Michigan as the Program Director for Workforce and Talent Initiative (Foundational Skills). In this role, she co-led a collaborative effort to improve the workforce development pipeline in Detroit by funding innovative workforce development models which integrated adult foundational skills into their curriculums, and which comprehensively addressed structural barriers to employee recruitment and retention. After the United Way, Dr. Jackson joined the City:One team at Ford Motor Company, as the Community Experience and Research Lead where she led the design and implementation of the community engagement and research strategies in historically underserved communities, focusing on mobility solutions that could positively impact equity, accessibility, safety, or sustainability.
Dr. Jackson has since found an ideal home at Global Detroit as its first Managing Director, where she can integrate her international and professional experiences into one strategic role. At Global Detroit, Dr. Jackson leads the organization’s operations and the southeast Michigan programming in support of immigrant inclusive economic development strategies that will lead to economic prosperity for all Michiganders.
Consistent throughout her career and through her roles as a convener, researcher, manager, and urban planner, Dr. Jackson elevates and advances the voices of marginalized communities in pursuit of equitable economic prosperity. At Global Detroit, she's found a home to continue pursuing her passion, this time through immigrant integration as an economic development strategy for shared prosperity for all Michiganders
Speaking At
