Meet Zakiya Jackson, CEO

“Ultimately, my vision is for a society that prioritizes humanity, where each individual is valued, nurtured, and equipped to sustain a just and compassionate world. We won’t have children starving like my mother did as a child. We won’t have to choose between medicine and rent as I did in my 20s. And the many children living in fear, hunger, and exhaustion in 2025 would be resourced and cared for in ways that allow them and their bodies to come to a restful state. A better world is possible--and it already exists in other places.”

- Zakiya Jackson

Zakiya is a dynamic and influential leader serving as President of The Expectations Project. She has served in TEP in a variety of capacities, including tenure as head of Advocacy, as well as Training and Resources, where she incorporated a race-equity lens into national advocate development programs. She came to the helm of the organization in the fall of 2020.

Drawing from her experience as an educator in public schools, Zakiya continues to draw on trauma-informed methods in both facilitation and advocate development. Zakiya’s expertise in equipping faith communities, organizers, and activists to create meaningful impacts through strategic advocacy lends to thought leadership in sustaining these practices.

Zakiya is passionate about helping communities heal and transform their pursuit of justice and equity. She brings intellectual rigor and pragmatism to addressing deeply rooted problems for liberation and organizational management.

Zakiya holds a Bachelor's from Vanderbilt University in Human and Organizational Development as well as a Master's in Business Administration from Williamette University. Born and based in Washington, DC, she loves mindful walks, supporting local businesses, laughing until it hurts, exercising her pastoral gifts, and dreaming in color.