Phillip Jackson

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Biographical Information

"Phillip Jackson has had a diverse career including serving as Senior Vice President of Kroch’s & Brentano's; Assistant Budget Director for the [[City of Chicago; Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chief of Staff of the Chicago Public Schools; Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority; Chief of Education for the City of Chicago; and Founder and Executive Director of The Black Star Project...

"In 1995 he joined the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) transition team with Paul Vallas. During his five-year tenure he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chief of Staff. He helped CPS achieve the highest number of contracts in Chicago history with businesses owned by Blacks, Latinos, and Women. As the director of intergovernmental affairs, Phillip Jackson managed a team that secured millions of dollars in grant funds for new construction and renovation projects, as well as innovative educational initiatives. During his tenure at the Chicago Public Schools, Phillip became acutely aware of the racial academic achievement gap, both in Chicago and nationwide, and eventually decided to enter the non-profit sector in order to address this problem. In 1996 he founded The Black Star Project to address this issue...

"After serving as President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago for one year, he elected in 2002 to devote himself fulltime to the organization he founded in 1996, The Black Star Project.

"As the Executive Director of The Black Star Project, he has become a national leader advocating for community involvement in education and the importance of parental development to ensure that children are properly educated. The Black Star Project has served close to 100,000 students in over 175 schools since 1996 in its Student Motivation Program and between 3,000 to 4,000 parents in its parent outreach programs since 2004. This year, Phillip Jackson and The Black Star Project lead the nation back to school with the hugely successful Million Father March 2005. This second annual back-to-school march encouraged men to take children to school on the first day, marking a commitment to a year of positive male involvement in education. Marches took place at schools in 82 cities around the country and even in Auckland, New Zealand."

• Advisory Committee, Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity