Building Equity

JENNIE JACKSON received the 2024 New Hanover County Business Equity Award for her efforts to help all individuals, regardless of their background, have the same access to resources and education. She was recognized, along with several other award winners from different categories, at the annual New Hanover County Equity Awards gala in August. 

“You try to get everyone to the same starting point … so all individuals have the same opportunities to thrive,” she says. “It’s less about equality and more about equity.” 

While Jackson says she is thrilled and honored with the Equity Award, her work to improve the lives of others stems from a desire to serve, not to receive recognition. 

In fact, helping others has been a cornerstone of Jackson’s career. She spent more than a decade working in Bank of America’s human resources department, where she hired talented individuals and assisted them as they navigated their careers. When the opportunity arose for Jackson to take on a larger corporate role as a market executive, she was ready to take the leap – and found the perfect match for her abilities and passion. 

“This is the best job,” says Jackson. “It allows me to give back. It’s the intersection of passion, purpose, and profit.”  

As the bank’s Coastal North Carolina market executive, Jackson is responsible for high-level initiatives such as developing and executing a strategic plan to grow market share. However, Jackson said the core of what she does is much more grassroots – she helps business owners and residents meet their financial goals.  

To do so, Jackson identifies the unique challenges the local area must overcome to achieve market growth, such as the scarcity of affordable housing and the difficulty residents have earning a living wage. Then she devises strategies to overcome those obstacles. 

Often, that means helping pertinent local organizations grow their capacity, connecting them with partnerships, and offering guidance with grant applications.  

“We want to be able to partner with agencies and with community advocates that are really helping to drive change that makes sense for us here,” she says. 

Jackson also teaches financial literacy through a course called Better Money Habits. She aims to teach children how to distinguish between what they need and what they want, and she helps teens realize how simple things, like eating out, can take a big chunk of their income.  

“I try to get kids to think about money from a different perspective, so they have a better shot at managing their finances and building generational wealth,” she says. 

Jackson teaches financial literacy to the homeless as well. These individuals often have little or no experience creating a budget and spending plan, she says. 

Jackson is also involved with numerous volunteer activities, including the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina and the Salvation Army. She is especially proud of her efforts to obtain a $250,000 anchor grant for the Salvation Army’s new Wilmington facility, which will serve as a shelter and is slated to open next spring. 

For Jackson, serving her community is not just a job but a way of life. 

“I do really feel that I try to live generously, and I do that by way of giving my time, my treasures,” Jackson says. “You do these things because it’s the right thing to do.”

To view more of photographer Terah Hoobler’s work, go to terahhoobler.com.

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