# Julie Jackson

> Julie Jackson is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Uncommon Schools, a nonprofit network of high-performing public charter schools serving roughly 20,000 students across New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The first Black Co-CEO in the organization's history, she has spent three decades in education, starting as a Teach For America corps member in Paterson, New Jersey in 1994 and rising from founding teacher and principal to President and now Co-CEO. She oversees all 53 K-12 Uncommon Schools and has trained more than 25,000 teachers and leaders across the United States and abroad. Known for her belief that schools should be places of both joy and rigor, she is a recognized voice on teacher development, college completion, and equity in urban public education.

- **Role:** Co-Chief Executive Officer at Uncommon Schools
- **Organizations:** Uncommon Schools, North Star Academy, Teach For America, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (former board member)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Communication, Undergraduate (B.A. in Communication)
- **Known for:** First Black Co-Chief Executive Officer of Uncommon Schools, Oversees all 53 K-12 Uncommon Schools serving roughly 20,000 students, Trained more than 25,000 teachers and leaders across the U.S. and internationally (China, South Africa, and across U.S. cities)

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Joined Teach For America and began teaching in Paterson, New Jersey (Paterson Public Schools, School 30).
- **1998** — Named Teacher of the Year; joined North Star Academy as an early founding teacher.
- **2002** — Received the Dodge Leadership Award.
- **2013** — Received Teach For America's Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership.
- **2019** — Named President of Uncommon Schools, effective July 1, overseeing K-12 instruction, operations, and DEI work.
- **2022** — Became the first Black Co-Chief Executive Officer in Uncommon Schools' history.

## Achievements

- First Black Co-Chief Executive Officer of Uncommon Schools
- Oversees all 53 K-12 Uncommon Schools serving roughly 20,000 students
- Trained more than 25,000 teachers and leaders across the U.S. and internationally (China, South Africa, and across U.S. cities)
- Teacher of the Year, 1998
- Dodge Leadership Award, 2002
- Teach For America Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership, 2013
- Pahara-Aspen Fellow alumna
- Former Board of Trustees member, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Featured on the Charter Growth 'Leader to Leader' series as Co-CEO of Uncommon Schools.
- **2025-04** — Continued leading Uncommon Schools as Co-CEO, with public messages to principals and staff shared across the network's channels.

## Links

- Website: https://uncommonschools.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-jackson-b04b5283
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/uncommonschools
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/uncommonschools

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/julie-jackson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16