March is Women’s History Month and Easterseals UCP (ESUCP) is recognizing powerful women who have impacted our organization’s history and ongoing legacy.
Jackie Ferguson is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Content, Programming & Products at The Diversity Movement (TDM). TDM helps organizations build and strengthen their culture by connecting real-world business outcomes to their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Jackie is the podcast host of “Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox,” which is one of the top 5% podcasts downloaded globally. She is also the bestselling author of “The Inclusive Language Handbook: A Guide to Better Communication and Transformational Leadership” published in 2022. The following year, she partnered with Luanne Welch, ESUCP’s President & CEO to publish the “Easterseals UCP Edition” of the book.
“The Inclusive Language Handbook is a trusted friend ready to help each of us along our intentional DEI journey,” says Luanne. “By leveraging this guide, by listening, learning and practicing, we will all become better communicators. By implementing the ideas, tools and lessons in the ‘Inclusive Language Handbook’, our collective effort will be transformational.”
Jackie was originally introduced to Luanne by Don Thompson, the co-founder of The Diversity Movement and Vice Chair of ESUCP’s board of directors. There was an immediate connection and since this time, the two have worked closely together on ESUCP’s DEI strategy as it relates to employee engagement, well-being, productivity and retention, which will all impact ESUCP’s long-term success.
Luanne, along with her leadership team and DEI Council have engaged with TDM for the past two years to advance an IDEAL (inclusive, diverse, equitable, authentic, learning) culture with intention. TDM has supported ESUCP initiatives with its MicroVideo and inclusive leadership training content created by Jackie and her team.
“Inclusive leadership is tough because the expectations of the new generation have shifted,” says Jackie. “They want to work in places that are authentic and that’s constantly evolving. It’s exciting to partner with an organization like ESUCP, who demonstrates such a real commitment to a winning culture.”
When asked about her next big thing, Jackie excitedly shared that she’s working on a new book and tweaking TDM’s LeaderView assessment based on feedback she’s received from leaders who’ve gone through the process. In addition, she’s continually creating DEI content, white papers, checklists and calendars to provide more tools to help leaders be successful.
When Jackie isn’t working, she enjoys cooking and traveling with husband and daughter. “I work hard and firmly believe that self-care is important for everyone. I am so committed to doing my part to make the world safer and more inclusive…and when I’m able to cook and unwind with a nice glass of wine, that bit of self-care helps to keep me going!”
Jackie has earned extensive recognition for her accomplishments including being named to the 2023 Inc. Female Founders 200 list, the 200 women leaders across America who are “shaping the world into a better place.” Her team also created TDM’s MicroVideos library, recognized as a “World Changing Idea” by Fast Company. In 2021, TDM was named “Best In Business” in DE&I Advocacy by Inc. Magazine. A certified diversity executive, Jackie is a member of the Forbes Business Council, National Diversity Council and has published in or been an expert commentator for numerous publications, including Forbes, WRAL TechWire, Almanac, Fast Company, Well + Good and others. She is an in-demand keynote speaker on diversity and belonging topics. Jackie is an alumna of the University of South Florida and lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughter.
Learn more about The Diversity Movement at https://thediversitymovement.com.
ABOUT EASTERSEALS UCP
Easterseals UCP and PORT Health are trustworthy, compassionate partners providing exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services to help our neighbors live their best lives. Purpose, dedication and empathy drive our in-person and telehealth service delivery. Our diverse and inclusive 2,600 member team provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home, facility and community locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at eastersealsucp.com.
