Dr. Debra Jackson serves as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Academic Programs at California State University, Bakersfield. She also serves as the campus Accreditation Liaison Officer. With 20 years of experience serving students in the California Central Valley region, Debra is accomplished in the areas of institutional accreditation, strategic planning, and program development, assessment, and review. She is deeply committed to ensuring broad access and equitable educational outcomes for first-generation students and students who are members of groups historically underrepresented in higher education. Debra directs two $3M grants from the U.S. Department of Education: “Promoting Excellence in Graduate Education and Increasing Hispanic STEM Related Degree Completion” and “Puedes! Caminos, Cariño, y Carreras in a Post-Pandemic Era.”

Dr. Jackson earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Middle Tennessee State University and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Purdue University.