Dr. Melinda Jackson joined SJSU as a member of the Political Science faculty in 2005 and has served in several leadership roles since 2016, including University Director of Assessment, Department Chair, Associate Dean, and now Dean of Undergraduate Education. In each of these roles she has worked collaboratively to develop high-impact educational experiences to support student engagement and persistence, and to eliminate barriers to student success. Dr. Jackson brings a data and equity-informed perspective to these issues, and has led a number of projects including student and faculty success surveys, advising surveys, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis to inform policy revisions.