Dr. Allison Jackson
Dr. Jackson aims to bring trauma-and-resilience-informed practices to professionals who serve at-promise youth, families, and adults in their communities. She lives out her mission by providing educational opportunities directly to community members as well as to people in the direct care and leadership levels of an organization.
A native of Richmond, Dr. Jackson is a person of lived experience from whom we can learn valuable lessons about life and resiliency. As a professional, she has provided leadership development services via behavioral health, education, child welfare, and criminal justice systems for more than 20 years. Her clinical practice and research focus on advancing effective trauma-informed treatment practices for persons who experience behavioral problems. She offered outpatient therapeutic services for military service men and women and their families. Also, she provided crisis therapy services to youth and adults who were diagnosed mental health problems.
Dr. Janice Underwood, Ph.D
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia
Dr. Janice Underwood, who strongly believes in servant leadership and culturally relevant reform, was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first cabinet-level Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). This position is also the first of its kind in the nation. As the Commonwealth’s CDO, she is committed to addressing racial, ethnic, disability, gender-based, and other cultural inequities in formal and informal policies in Virginia state government.
Specifically, Dr. Underwood has worked collaboratively to build the ONE Virginia mission, the first-ever statewide strategic plan for inclusive excellence across over 100 state agencies and with other public and private sectors. In this historical role, which provides a roadmap for building diversity-lead innovation in local, state, and federal government, Dr. Underwood was named one of “20 Agents of Change” in 2020 by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture for the measurable accomplishments, impact, and racial reconciliation she has already had on the Commonwealth. As part of her role, she guides the state’s COVID-19 Equity Leadership Task Force, which directs the work of the Unified Command Health Equity Working Group, various equity audits for state agencies, and the implementation of equity principles in public messaging, crisis management, and community engagement. Her goal is to make Virginia an exemplar for the nation, regarding diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence.
Workshop Presenters
