BUSSW Alum Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Interim President of Roxbury Community College, Named 2024 Commencement Speaker
Jackie Jenkins-Scott (MSW ‘73), interim president of Roxbury Community College (RCC) and BU School of Social Work (BUSSW) alum, will be the featured speaker at this year’s BUSSW commencement ceremony for the Class of 2024.
After joining Roxbury Community College in February 2023 as interim president, Jenkins-Scott immediately prioritized building a mission-driven culture aligned with RCC’s values, enhancing academic programs, and rebuilding relationships with community partners.
Before joining RCC, Jenkins-Scott served as president of Wheelock College for 12 years. Under her leadership, Wheelock added new areas of study including cross-disciplinary and online programs; increased undergraduate enrollment by over 50 percent; and grew representation of students of color and students with disabilities by 40 percent.
In 1983, Jenkins-Scott became the president and chief executive officer of the Dimock Community Health Center (currently the Dimock Center) in Roxbury, Massachusetts, now one of the largest community-based health and human service organizations serving diverse, vulnerable populations.
A sought-after speaker and presenter, she is widely recognized as an innovative and transformational leader. Her first book, The 7 Secrets of Responsive Leadership, was released in February 2020.
Jenkins-Scott received her bachelor of science degree from Eastern Michigan University, a master of social work degree from BU School of Social Work, and she completed a postgraduate research fellowship at Radcliffe College. She holds honorary doctorates from Wheelock College, Bentley College, Mount Ida College, Suffolk University, and Northeastern University; and received an honorary doctor of law from the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2012.
The BU School of Social Work 2024 Commencement ceremony will be held Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 3:00 PM at the Walter Brown Arena at BU. Graduates will include students from all MSW programs (Charles River campus, Off-Campus, Worcester Hybrid, and the Online program) and doctoral candidates.
More details on the BUSSW ceremony are posted on the School website.