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Jacqueline Taylor named Southwest’s new chief strategy officer and chief of staff

By Marketing and Communications Staff 

Chief Strategy Officer/Chief of Staff Jacqueline Taylor
Chief Strategy Officer/Chief of Staff Jacqueline Taylor

Southwest Tennessee Community College welcomed Dr. Jacqueline S. Taylor to the senior leadership team as the college’s first chief strategy officer/chief of staff Sept. 19. Taylor served as Associate Vice President for Retention and Student Success at Southwest from 2016 to 2021 before moving on to serve as a leadership, teaching and learning and equity coach for Achieving the Dream, a national network of more than 300 institutions of higher education working to give more than four million community college students a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity.

As chief strategy officer/chief of staff, Taylor is charged with setting the strategic vision for Southwest and helping the College better serve students, faculty, staff, and the community through thought leadership, continuous improvement, innovation and the implementation of Southwest’s strategic plan in meaningful and intentional ways. Taylor brings more than 30 years of experience in executive, equity and justice leadership; strategic planning, faculty teaching, workforce development; and retention and student success to the role.

“We are elated to have Dr. Taylor back at Southwest,” Southwest President Tracy D. Hall said. “She made an impressive impact as associate vice president for Retention and Student Success before joining ATD as a leadership coach, and I am confident her talent with data analysis, operations management, leadership development, and strategic planning and implementation will be a welcome addition to our leadership team to help move the college beyond recovery from the pandemic to what’s next in our evolution as one of the leading drivers of workforce and economic development in the Mid-South.”

Taylor has worked at community colleges more than 15 years to remove barriers to higher education through equity and strategic, transformative leadership. She says this work, in addition to her ATD experience, has prepared her to engage Southwest and the greater community in strategic thinking and action that fuels credential attainment and workforce and economic development.

“I am truly excited and honored to return to Southwest,” Taylor said. “Southwest is the community’s college and is uniquely positioned to enhance the quality of life for our students by providing equitable access to an affordable, quality education. I welcome this opportunity to help nurture a culture of excellence and belonging at Southwest that fosters even greater levels of success for our deserving students and professional educators and to work with key partners throughout the community to remove barriers to college and increase Southwest’s capacity to serve well and achieve positive impact for the long-term.”

Taylor will report directly to the President, work collaboratively with senior leaders and oversee the college’s data analytics, external relations and marketing and communications functions. She will make data-informed recommendations, identify opportunities, and work as a thought partner and strategic leader with colleagues to review, design, and improve the college’s organizational structure, and address knowledge and skills gaps to cultivate a learning culture that promotes equity and justice for Southwest students. “Ultimately, we want to help all promising student populations at Southwest succeed by taking a more strategic, entrepreneurial, and transformational approach to our work,” Taylor said.

Taylor credits her associate degree from a community college as the foundation that supported her study as an adult learner who went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s in education and a doctorate in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education administration from Union University in Jackson, TN.  A native of Jackson, Taylor and her husband of 32 years, Earnest Taylor, are the proud parents of two grown daughters, Cecily and Adrienne, and have two grandchildren.