Jason Jackson currently serves as the Director of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for Minnesota's Management and Budget state agency. Previously Jason held the role of the Diversity & Inclusion consultant at HealthPartners and served as the director of the Lealtad-Suzuki (Multicultural) Center in the Department of Multicultural Life at Macalester College where he led programmatic efforts centered on social justice that promoted the growth and development of students. Jason has also taught college courses and served as assistant director of the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) for Queer and Trans Life at the University of Minnesota. His work at the University of Minnesota centered on educational efforts for staff, faculty, and students and outreach across the University community. Jason received his undergraduate degree in communications studies and masters in organizational leadership and policy development at the University of Minnesota. Originally from Dallas, TX, Jason has resided in Minneapolis since 2008 and lives by the James Baldwin quote “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”