Regina G. Jackson Earns President’s Volunteer Service Award
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today Regina G. Jackson, Interim CEO of the Center for Environmental Health, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award in recognition of her prestigious career and lifelong volunteer commitments.
Prior to CEH, Jackson served as President and CEO for the East Oakland Youth Development Center's (EOYDC) national youth development model for 27 years. Focused on character- based leadership, her platform of youthled initiatives have empowered thousands of young people to achieve lifelong academic and career success.
“Regina, for decades, you have empowered young people across California and our country through the East Oakland Youth Development Center,” said U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. “As a proud daughter of Oakland, I am grateful for your work to develop the next generation of leaders and make our Nation stronger as a result.”
“I am honored to receive this award, recognizing my life’s work and my heart’s joy of developing leaders,” said Jackson. “I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me, including my father, Major Howard D. Jackson, USMC, Retired, who is receiving this award with me today. I thank the president and vice president for this honor.”
A global thought leader for youth development, Jackson is often called upon as a subject matter expert to deliver workshops, presentations and papers, both domestically and internationally. At the behest of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Jackson led two delegations of student ambassadors to China in support of President Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" and "100,000 Strong" Initiatives. In 2017, she was invited by NFL Super Bowl Champion, Marshawn Lynch to bring a smaller delegation of youth to a service mission to Haiti. In 2019, she led a Southwest Airlines-sponsored mission to Mexico City.
Throughout her tenure, EOYDC’s staff, Board of Directors, community leaders and clergy have described Jackson's leadership as “a stabilizing force for EOYDC's curriculum and a positive anchor for the challenges of the twenty-first century.” Her successful strategies have benefited urban, multicultural, and even international youth.
Jackson has been featured on ABC-TV World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Essence and Parenting Magazines.
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is a 27-year-old organization leading the nationwide effort to protect people from toxic chemicals by working with communities, consumers, workers, government, and the private sector to demand and support business practices that are safer for public health and the environment.
