Wendy Lewis Jackson
As senior program officer for the Community Development and Detroit programs, Wendy Lewis Jackson advances The Kresge Foundation’s efforts to revitalize Detroit and strengthen the social and economic fabric of other large U.S. cities. Through grantmaking, the foundation supports organizations that work to provide economic opportunity for low-income people and address the needs of vulnerable children and families.
“We’re fortunate to work in cities that are at the crossroads of reinvention,” she says. “Every day I’m inspired by a quote on the wall in my office from Robert Storey, a former Kresge Foundation trustee, who said, ‘Detroit is Kresge’s greatest challenge and its greatest opportunity.’ I’m always focused on the opportunity.”
Prior to joining Kresge in 2008, Wendy was a program director for Children and Family Initiatives and executive director for education initiatives at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation in Grand Rapids, Mich. She taught at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., and has co-authored and assisted in the publication of several reports and publications that address community needs and problem solving.
Wendy is an American Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States; the Association of Black Foundation Executives named her an Emerging Leader in 2008.
Wendy earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and communications from the University of Michigan. She also holds a master’s degree in social work from U-M, with a concentration in community organization and social policy and planning.