A Profile of Our Leader
Regina G. Jackson
President and CEO, (Present) Executive Director since 1994
East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC)
Regina Jackson has made it her mission to invest heavily in the future of children, our nation’s greatest resource. She has taken on the challenge of molding, and mentoring young people in her hometown of Oakland, CA in order to transform their lives. She believes that EOYDC’s biggest challenge is combating hopelessness. “When young people don’t have high expectations, they often won’t try. Because my staff and I believe our youth can perform at high levels, they often rise to meet and exceed those expectations”.
Her involvement with EOYDC began in 1984 when, as a graduate of the CORO Foundation Graduate Fellowship in Public Affairs, she was invited to serve on the Board of Directors.
While the mission is to develop the social and leadership capacities of youth, Ms. Jackson has done an excellent job of providing community engagement, youth empowerment and leadership development resources as well. She ensures that the Center offers a safe,nurturing environment where young people can grow and thrive. Her theory of change model is focused on character development, readiness and access and thousands of EOYDC’s youth have benefited personally and professionally from their program model.
Regina sets the strategic direction for the Center. She is the primary liaison to both boards of directors and trustees. Ms Jackson is responsible for fiscal management, business development, talent acquisition and cultivating partnerships with corporations and other organizations. She serves on statewide and community boards and task forces.Further, Regina is often called as a subject matter expert to deliver papers, workshops, and presentations both domestic and international. The International Diplomacy Council has sought Regina’s expertise to counsel agencies in Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria.
Her efforts have been tireless in setting a firm foundation and providing a replicable best practice model. She has charted a path for sustained growth, gaining corporate, local businesses and hometown celebrity support. Since her tenure began, Ms. Jackson’s leadership can best be described in the words of the staff, board members, community leaders and clergy, “as a stabilizing force for the Center’s curriculum and a positive anchor for the challenges of the 21st century”. Simply put, she has implemented a successful strategy which has had a positive impact on urban, multicultural youth.
Regina was inducted into both Bishop O’Dowd High School and Alameda County Halls of Fame. Additional distinctions include, the Fannie Lou Hamer Emerging Leader Award from UC Berkeley and The Jefferson Award for Community Service; the National Coalition for 100 Black Women Advocacy Award; Pine Sol Powerful Difference Award, Comcast Hometown Hero and KQED Unsung Hero Award. Ms. Jackson completed the Harvard Business School, Executive Education “High Potentials Leadership Program. She was recently featured in Shawn Anderson’s book, Extra Mile America: Stories of Inspiration, Possibility and Purpose,Regina was also profiled in ABC’s World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer; Ron Claiborne’s Going Home – Looking for What Works.
