Eric L. Jackson has been appointed vice president and chief of staff for West Virginia State University effective July 1. Jackson has been serving as interim chief of staff since last fall. He has been with the university since 2007 and most recently served as director, Title III Programs and Budget Office. As the university’s vice president and chief of staff, Jackson will serve as liaison to the WVSU Board of Governors and to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission as well as directing the president’s office staff and handling matters of policy and institutional importance.
“Eric has been an integral part of my administration during my interim presidency and his vision and leadership have been key to many of the successes we have already achieved,” said WVSU President Ericke Cage. “He will play a vital role as we continue the work of moving WVSU forward in the weeks and months ahead.” He currently chairs the WVSU COVID-19 Task Force and led the team that developed the campus reopening plan for fall 2020, as well as subsequent semesters. He has previously chaired, or co-chaired, several search committees for a variety of key leadership positions at the university. In addition to his work at WVSU, Jackson is active in the community. He has served on the board for the local non-profit organization Dream Chasers since 2017 and currently serves as board president. He also served on several youth league boards, and has served on the Sub Area Planning Committee. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and has held several leadership roles in the fraternity including local chapter president, secretary, state and local membership selection chair and youth outreach/community outreach chair. Jackson has a bachelor’s degree in English from WVSU, and master’s degrees in public administration and business administration from Strayer University. He is a certified project manager through the Project Management Institute and a certified grant manager through the Management Concepts federal training organization.