Southwest Tennessee Community College chief strategy officer achieves award for her commitment to the community

The Chief Strategy Officer/Chief of Staff at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Jacqueline Taylor, has recently been named one of the Top 20 most influential women in West Tennessee by the Jackson Area Business and Professional Women professional society. Jackson was awarded the 2023 Sterling Award. She was among the winners who were selected based on their contributions to the community in West Tennessee.

Taylor was honored because of her advocacy of student success at Southwest Tennessee Community College. One of the focuses of her work in higher education is a commitment to equitable access to her diverse group of students as they work toward earning credentials that can lead them to more economic opportunities. 

She has worked in executive, equity, and justice leadership for more than three decades, doing workforce development, faculty teaching, strategic planning, and more. In her role at Southwest Tennessee Community College now, she oversees the school’s institutional advancement, marketing and communications functions, and research and data analytics. She also works as a teaching and learning equity coach at Achieving the Dream, which is a country-wide network of over 300 higher learning institutions that works to break down barriers to success for over four million community college students.

In an article from EINNews, Taylor spoke on the receipt of the reward, saying, “I am deeply honored by this award and proud to be a part of a sisterhood who is changing lives throughout West Tennessee. I’m grateful to my community partners, colleagues, and peers who recognize the value of an education in building brighter futures for the citizens with whom we work and serve.”

Taylor is also actively involved in a number of community organizations: she is a board member and strategic planning facilitator at Boy & Girls Club in Jackson, Tennessee, board member and finance chair at Lifeline Blood Services in Jackson, and executive board chair of the Montgomery Cultural & Enrichment Center and Montgomery Alumni Association, Inc. in Lexington, Tennessee. 

Taylor attended Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English, master’s in education, and doctorate in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education administration. She received her Sterling award on March 16.

More information about Southwest Tennessee Community College can be found at the school’s website.