The School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) honored 1996 alumna Staci R. Collins Jackson with the Thelma Thurston Gorham Award during Grads Are Back at FAMU Homecoming on Oct. 25.
“I am humbled and deeply honored to receive the [award],” said Jackson. “I am so grateful to be recognized by my beloved alma mater for my impact on the PR profession. Participating in Grads Are Back opening night Fireside Chat with Dean Lowe was a huge highlight of my year. It was so inspiring to meet so many bright FAMU students who I believe will be accomplished PR executives in the future.”
Jackson is the founder and CEO of The Collins Jackson Agency and one of the most accomplished Black public relations executives in the entertainment business. She was the publicist for the Oscar® nominated “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever.” Her film credits also include “Mudbound,” “Harriet,” and “Judas and the Black Messiah” as well as streaming successes “Coming 2 America,” “They Cloned Tyrone,” and the Emmy® nominated “Sylvie’s Love”; plus box office hits “Girls Trip”, “Ride Along 2” and the “Think Like a Man” film franchise. Jackson is also a former Vice President of Ebony and Jet magazines.
“This year, we wanted to honor Staci R. Collins Jackson for her trailblazing accomplishments as a Hollywood public relations executive and for being an amazing role model for our students,” said Lowe.
“She has built an impressive career after leaving FAMU, from starting at the historic Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago to starting her agency. We are very proud of Staci and her contributions to the communications profession and the world.”
Jackson received her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations from FAMU. While on campus, she was a member of the Student Government Association and the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Jackson went on to earn her master’s degree from Columbia College and has also completed executive education programs at the University of California in Los Angeles’ (UCLA) Anderson School of Management, Harvard Business School and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business).
Jackson joins 23 other notable SJGC alumni, including Kimberly Godwin, president of ABC News; Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta; and Tiffany Greene, first-ever African-American female college football play-by-play announcer at a major network in receiving the award.
The highly coveted award recognizes remarkable alumni for their professional and personal accomplishments, community contributions, and support of SJGC. Their work and service exemplify the mission and spirit of SJGC. Gorham, a professor in FAMU’s English department in the 1970s, pioneered the journalism program at Florida A&M University and was its first instructor.
