Yvonne Jackson

Yvonne R. Jackson is the immediate past chair of the board of trustees of Spelman College having served as Chair for 7 years and 15 years on the board. Prior to assuming the role of chair, she served as chair of the board affairs committee and chair of the search committee.

Jackson is on the board of directors of Winn-Dixie, Inc and Spartan Stores., where she serves as chair of both of their compensation committees and on Spartan Stores Nominating & Governance Committee. Jackson also serves on AGB’s board, executive committee and as chair of their compensation committee. Jackson is a former member of the advisory council for Price-WaterhouseCoopers. And, she is a former board member of Best Buy Inc. She has also served on the board of many other non-profits far too many to name.

 During her 30+ year corporate career, Jackson has been involved in dynamic business environments, including acqui¬sitions, joint ventures, business units, divisions, and corporate operations of high-profile publicly traded companies, including: Pfizer, Compaq, Burger King, Avon and Sears. Jack¬son served as Senior Vice President and CPO in her last three positions, leveraging her leadership experience to influence fundamental business and executive talent changes while developing and implementing new innovations in strategic planning, policy development, communications, business partnering, and compensation/benefits. Her business experience includes significant expertise in large-scale change including integration efforts, transitions for CEOs, succession planning, and talent development and acquisition.

In board leadership roles, Jackson served as chair of the search committee for the Spelman College Board of Trustees, where she led a year-long evaluation and selection process to recruit the current president of the 2,100-student, liberal arts, women’s college in Atlanta.   As chairwoman of the board of trustees for the last 7 years ending her term in May 2011, she has been involved in redesigning the board’s focus and working  with the President on a new strategic plan for the College’s re-accreditation process now complete. In addition, the College recently launched the public phase of a $150 million comprehensive campaign which has already brought in 103 million where the board played an active role in building and supporting.

Jackson is an alumna of Spelman College and holds a Management Development Certificate from Harvard Business School. She has been recognized as Woman of the Year by the YWCA. She was the first woman to appear on the cover of Black Enterprise Magazine, and was featured in Forbes as a philanthropist. Her life story was told in Rosey Grier’s book, All American Heroes. She is a recognized speaker in areas of diversity and change management. She is the founder and primary stockholder of BeecherJackson Inc., a niche management and human resources consulting firm.