Wanda Jackson
Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Chief Talent Officer, National Urban League
A passion for people and the support of their success has been the driving force behind Wanda Jackson's career in Human Resources. She is the National Urban League's Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Talent Officer. Wanda joined the League after a stint at A Better Chance, as the Director, Business and Professional Partnership Program. There, she worked with corporations placing academically talented minority college students in full-time jobs and internships. Ms. Jackson has also worked in New York City government as a human resources manager and began her career in retailing, where she worked in human resources as well as in merchandising for Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s.
As senior vice president for human resources and chief talent officer at the National Urban League, Jackson manages the day-to-day HR activities of the 112-year-old civil rights organization. What is unique about Ms. Jackson is that she is also responsible for a suite of services that generates revenue for the organization in addition to her HR activities. She directs the National Urban League Career Fair, which she turned into an event that grosses nearly $500,000 each year and is the executive producer of a professional development webinar series – the Digital Career Success Series – that hosts hundreds of participants each month. Ms. Jackson plays a key role in the management of the League's national leadership development programs, and the exposure of young talent to the non-profit sector through the highly competitive Urban League Summer Internship Program.
An active community volunteer, Ms. Jackson is immediate past President and Chief Volunteer Officer for the Girls Scouts of Nassau County. She is credited with transforming the selection process for new Board members that resulted in record fundraising in the organization’s Centennial year. She is also a member of the Nassau County Community College Board of Trustees where she chaired the 2023 CEO Search Committee and selection of the college’s new President. Additionally, she is a Board member of the Greater Jamaica Economic Development Corporation where she chairs the Compensation Committee.
In 2018, Ms. Jackson was received a Diversity in Business Award from the Long Island Business News. She is one of the The Network Journal’s 2017 Top Women in Business, and the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs and the Urban League of Long Island has recognized her volunteer service.
She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America where she served as a past Regional Parliamentarian and President of the Queens, NY Chapter. Wanda is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication, received an M.S. in Human Resources Management from the New School for Social Research, and holds human resources certifications from the Society for Human Resources Management and the Human Resource Certification Institute.