Truman’s new VP of Advancement plans to continue growing the university endowment

Truman State University’s new VP of Advancement brings over 15 years of experience in advancement work. Leaving her previous role as Associate Vice President for UCM, Jackie Jackson has stepped into her first vice presidency at Truman with the goal of continuing to grow university donations.

“I have been in positions for a long time where I execute strategy,” Jackson said. “And I really am excited about the opportunity to define strategy with my team.”

While most of Jackson’s time since her hiring has been spent getting acclimated to Truman and its staff, she is excited about Truman’s potential as a growing foundation. Jackson notes that Truman has been “investing donor dollars wisely” as the University endowment has been steadily growing since 2016. One of her future goals is to maintain the growth of the endowment during her time as VP of Advancement. 

“I think we have some potential to reach the $100 million mark in short order, that’s quite the feat for a foundation that’s our age,” Jackson said. “I think we have so much potential to just share that information and help people understand the value of this foundation and how we serve the institution.”

Jackson’s goals and experience in advancement made her a very competitive candidate, according to University President Sue Thomas. After discussion among foundation board members, alumni board members, and university administration in the hiring process, Jackson was deemed a valuable candidate. 

“She has a lot of good knowledge about a lot of components of advancement and has good, proven experience in it,” Thomas said. “She also has fabulous energy and a really great positive attitude. In many ways, she was kind of the complete package.”

Thomas also noted that Jackson has been committed to learning about Truman and its surrounding community in Northeast Missouri, making it a point to assess how she can help the university and the people that interact with it.

“She very much has hit the ground running, going out to meet with a ton of people not just on campus, but in the community as well,” Thomas said. “She’s coming in, and she’s learning — how are things done, how do people see the institution, what’s important to them.”

In addition to Thomas, Jackson’s enthusiasm is seen by her personal family as well. Both her husband, Aaron Jackson, and her daughter, AJ, have watched her excitement for the role grow since she first started interviewing. At her welcoming party, Jackson reflected on how energized she has been since earning the position, using that excitement to execute her goals.

“She’s been putting in plenty of long hours bringing a lot of her expertise she’s built over time, to this university,” said Aaron Jackson. “She’s super excited to be here and help Truman take the next step. I haven’t seen her this excited in a very long time.”

Additionally, AJ noted that as her mom balances her ambitions with the new role, she feels like Truman was the right fit for their family. 

“Since she first started interviewing here, she felt like everything was perfect,” said AJ. “I think that we’ll probably be here for a long time.”