Jackie Jenkins-Scott

Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Founder and President of JJS Advising, is a nationally recognized leader with more than three decades of experience in senior and executive leadership positions in both public and nonprofit sectors.

She is president emeritus of Wheelock College, a 129-year old private college specializing in educating teachers and social workers. Under Jackie’s strategic leadership, Wheelock significantly increased its endowment and successfully completed the largest capital campaign in the College’s history. Jackie also initiated the College’s first Facilities Masterplan resulting in the construction of a contemporary multipurpose Campus Center, modern renovations to student dormitories, and a new state-of the-art, technology based Center for Learning and Innovation. She added new areas of study including cross-disciplinary and online programs, increased undergraduate enrollment and internationalized the campus experience for faculty and students.

In 1983, Jackie became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dimock Community Health Center in Roxbury, MA, one of Boston’s first and now, one of the largest community-based health and human service organizations serving diverse, vulnerable populations. Under Jackie’s leadership, Dimock emerged from the verge of bankruptcy to a highly successful and sustainable benchmark institution that successfully integrated comprehensive health and human services, including new programming in workforce development, primary and behavioral healthcare, child and family-center services, transitional housing and a community based research program to develop innovative strategies for meeting the priority needs of inner-city residents.

Her personal commitment to improve society extends to active community and civic engagement. She is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation, Schott Foundation for Public Education, Center for Community Change, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and Century Bank and Trust Company. Jackie raises public awareness about education and other public sector issues on a national (and global) scale by speaking and writing in a variety of media.

A native of Flint, Michigan, Jackie received her BS degree from Eastern Michigan University, a Masters of Social Work from Boston University School of Social Work and completed a Post graduate Research Fellowship at Radcliffe College. She received a Honorary Doctorate Degree from Wheelock College in 2003 when she served as the Commencement Speaker. She holds Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Suffolk University, Northeastern University, Bentley University, Mount Ida College and the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has received numerous awards and citations including Boston University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

She and her husband, Jim Scott, reside in Belmont, Massachusetts and have two adult children.