Dr. Sonja R. Jackson serves as the Assistant Director in the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach. In this role she will provide management of and support for UT’s land-grant university mission, annual engagement and outreach conference and events, seminars, and internal/external community partnerships. The position will also provide guidance and individualized support for faculty-led projects that seek to improve the well-being of Tennessee citizens by addressing critical issues affecting communities and how to leverage university resources for their benefit, while advancing our land-grant mission of teaching, research, and public engagement.

She formerly served as the inaugural Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator for the UT Graduate School. She was responsible for many of the day-to-day outreach and recruitment events. In her role, she collaborated with graduate academic departments, developed new strategies for growing the overall number of applications, and diversified the graduate/professional student applicant pool. She assisted with support services to student groups with the intention of creating a more inclusive student experience.

Jackson is a native of Morristown, Tennessee. She is a three-time alumna from East Tennessee State University where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking & Finance, Master of City Management, and an EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (Post-Secondary and Private Sector). Her dissertation topic was A Study of the Rita Sanders Geier Case: Effects to Desegregate Three State Universities in Tennessee from 1990-2006.

During her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, softball, traveling, and attending sporting events.