The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Jackson tapped for top post
By Dan DuChene, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 17, 2007
After interviewing two finalists, the Willow Run Board of Education selected Doris Hope Jackson as its next superintendent.
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The decision was made with a 6-1 vote in favor of Jackson, with Andy Blakita, the board's vice president, dissenting. He said he favored the second finalist, Thomas Gay, for the position.
Blakita said it appeared Jackson was taking a job beneath her with Willow Run, as she had been a finalist at Detroit Public Schools, and still seeking a position at Benton Harbor.
"We need somebody who can take our school district and move us forward," Blakita said. "I think Dr. Gay can provide that."
Because Jackson is a finalist for the superintendent position at Benton Harbor, she said she would have to get back to the board in two or three weeks, after Benton Harbor had made its selection. The district hopes to have somebody in place by July 1.
Doris Hope Jackson
A resident of Illinois, Doris Hope Jackson has been working in the education field for 33 years.
After graduating from George Williams College in Downers Grove, Ill. with a bachelor's degree in natural science in 1974, Jackson started as middle school science and health teacher in Gary, Ind.
After three years in Gary, she started teaching for Harvey Public Schools in Illinois. While teaching Science and health for the district, she earned her master's degree in educational administration from Chicago State University in 1992.
After earning her master's degree, Jackson spent another 10 years in various administration capacities for the district. After a year as the Harvey Public School's assistant superintendent, she left for Dolton Public Schools in 2002 to become the Illinois district's superintendent.
Before she left Harvey, Jackson finished her doctorate in educational administration at Loyola University in 1998.
Less than a year after her appointment at Dolton Public Schools, Jackson was asked to resign from her position by the district's board of education after an election.
In her application, she said her resignation was asked because the new board majority wanted to "hire their candidate of choice."
After her resignation, Jackson co-founded an educational consultant company called Parent Edition. She still serves as the company's president and CEO.
In 2004, Jackson was appointed to the position of Superintendent for Calumet Public Schools in Illinois. She said she was able to prevent the struggling district from receivership.
Two years after taking the position, Jackson resigned from her position to seek other employment.
"Although negative events surfaced during my career, I did nothing wrong and in spite of these events, I did not lose sight of achieving district goals," Jackson said in her application.
"Throughout my career," she said, "I have successfully pioneered or implemented changes that improved staff quality."
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