Jackie Johnson

Jackie Johnson is an equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) thought leader and champion. As the Diversity Director for the City of Scottsdale, she is responsible for leading the EDIB strategy for the organization and community. Under her leadership, Scottsdale has launched nine employee resource groups, published an EDIB organizational review, held their first Community Juneteenth Celebration - which has grown substantially each year, established a partnership to support supplier diversity initiatives, drafted an inclusive hiring toolkit, launched a community partnership initiative and created the DiverCity Program to promote inclusivity and belonging in the community.

Jackie’s career has been focused on equitable access in municipal government, education, and nonprofit organizations. Her extensive career in local government includes having served in several cross-functional leadership positions for the fifth largest city in the country, developing policies, and leading many organizational initiatives. As the Director of People and Culture for a K-8 public school system, she implemented EDIB strategies and oversaw the human resources department. Prior to her role in HR, Jackie served as the executive special assistant (chief of staff) to the President of a Community College, where she created the diversity strategic plan and led special projects for the organization.

A second-generation Arizona native, Jackie obtained a bachelor’s degree in social work and master’s degree in public administration from Arizona State University. She also possesses a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Jackie is committed to mentoring women and girls and has developed educational youth programming that focuses on leadership development, community service, and building self-esteem. Jackie serves on the President’s Advisory Council for Mesa Community College. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. In 2023, Jackie received a Diversity Champion Award from Paradise Valley Community College. In 2022, she was also the recipient of the Economic Empowerment Legend Award from The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. – Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter.

Jackie is the Owner and Chief Visionary of J2 Creative Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm focused on corporate training, keynote speaking and leadership development. In 2022, she also launched The Equity Collective, a non-profit organization focused on advancing social justice and equity in the community. As a poet and author, Jackie uses the art of storytelling to inspire and motivate others. In December 2023, Jackie published her first children’s book entitled Kissed By God.