Janet Jackson awarded President's Call to Service Award

On Saturday 20 January 2024 Janet Jackson, Well-being, Diversity & Inclusion Officer at our Faculty, was awarded The President's Call to Service Award . This award, also known as The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, is awarded by the President of the United States to people who have completed more than 4,000 hours of community service. It is the highest level of the President's Volunteer Service Award.

Jackson was nominated for this award by Rawle Andrews, Executive Director at the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and President of the District of Columbia Bar Association. In his nomination he states: ‘One of Janet’s most memorable volunteering experiences took place in Washington, D.C. In the year between college and law school Janet volunteered at the homeless shelter housed at Luther Place Memorial Church and saw how small acts of individual kindness could have a large impact on people experiencing difficult times. That experience fueled both Janet’s volunteerism and her professional work. After law school and six years of law practice, Janet transitioned to the nonprofit sector and led an organization in D.C. that provided transitional housing, case management, job training, and job placement services to homeless and at-risk families.’

While teaching as a law professor at Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kansas, Jackson became involved with the Brown Foundation for Equity, Excellence and Research. She served on the Brown Foundation board of directors since 2009, serving as chair of the board for much of that time. Jackson’s other volunteerism includes past service as: a member of the Wittenberg University Alumni Board, co-president of the Clinical Legal Education Association, a board member of the Center for the Study on Applied Legal Education, and a board member of A Global Voice for Autism. She currently serves on the Brown Foundation board, the board of directors of the Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program and the Sanctuary Foundation.

At this moment Janet Jackson works as a Wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion Officer for our faculty. In this function she seeks to cultivate an environment with a high level of awareness and commitment to well-being, diversity, and inclusion.

About the President's Volunteer Service Award

The President's Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. The award was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The award can be granted to individuals, families and organizations located throughout the United States. Depending on the amount of service hours completed, individuals can receive the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and/or the President's Call to Service Award (also referred to the President's Lifetime Achievement Award). The Call to Service Award is the most prestigious, and it has been awarded to few Americans to recognize over 4,000 hours of extraordinary service including notable honorees such as S. Truett Cathy, Mark Carman, and Zach Bonner.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.