Elaine S. Jackson is a native of Birmingham and attended public schools.  She completed her undergraduate studies at Alabama A& M University, in Normal, AL, where she earned a B. S. Degree in 1978.  She is a graduate of the Masters of Public and Private Management (MPPM) program at Birmingham Southern College, where her concentration was Public Sector Management.  Since joining the Urban League, Ms. Jackson has completed continuing education and leadership courses at the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Center for Urban Leadership, New York, NY; the Texaco Management Institute for Leadership Training, White Plains, NY; and the Whitney M. Young School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA.  She is also a graduate of Leadership Birmingham.  

Prior to joining the Birmingham Urban League in March of 1998, Ms. Jackson was employed with AmSouth Bank from 1978-1997 where she held various positions in Corporate Marketing and prior to her departure the position of Vice President and Community Services Manager in Corporate Contributions.

Ms. Jackson serves on the board of the American Cancer Society and was elected to the Members Council for Leadership Birmingham.  She is a leadership team co-chair of Yes We Can! Birmingham, a grassroots initiative designed to strengthen and support Birmingham City Schools.  Elaine is a member and former regional officer of the Association of Executives of the National Urban League and was reappointed by Governor Riley, in February 2008, to the Alabama Workforce Investment Board.