Executive Director Jackson Collins, Ed.D (XII) Joins NYC Inclusive Growth Initiative's Steering Committee

New York City has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the process of rebuilding is an opportunity to be more thoughtful of each of its citizens’ needs. New York City’s Inclusive Growth Initiative (NYC IGI) announced their Steering Committee of 20 changemakers from a broad range of backgrounds and industries, with Prep for Prep’s Executive Director Jackson Collins, Ed.D. (XII) among them. NYC IGI was formed by the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, and the Regional Plan Association to develop an agenda for inclusive economic growth across the city. Committee members were chosen based on their lived experiences, as well as their academic and professional experience. Each member has also shown interest in local policy and systemic change.

A native of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Jackson attended Saint Ann’s School after his acceptance into the Prep for Prep program. He pursued a bachelor’s degree at Amherst College and went on to earn a master’s degree in Education Leadership from Columbia University and a doctorate in Educational and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Several independent schools in the New York City area have invited Jackson to conduct faculty workshops based on his research into the experiences of students of color in predominantly white independent schools. He has also presented nationally on racial literacy and equity in schools at the National Partnership for Educational Access, the National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference, and the Penn Graduate School of Education’s Ethnography Forum, among others. He’s also developed creative ways to examine race in America as the creator of the learning tool Cards on Race. 

Jackson and his committee members will develop an agenda for inclusive economic growth across New York City by creating recommendations with a focus on adding good jobs, expanding affordable housing, and reducing structural inequities. They will advocate for their implementation to government and civic stakeholders including New York City mayoral candidates and the newly elected administration to implement an agenda reflective of their recommendations in the first 100 days in office. Prep for Prep is proud to see a member of its alumni community and executive team in this key role advocating for a more equitable city that takes care of each member of its community.