Nicole Jackson will bring 10+ years of experience in healthcare technology to the educational landscape at ACC

Austin Community College (ACC) has named Nicole Jackson as its first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR). 

The office was created to bring real-world expertise and entrepreneurial practice to students and the classroom. In this role, Jackson will help develop dynamic curricula and provide mentorship, guidance, and market insights to students and employees. 

“Nicole’s expertise and experience will bring a level of knowledge to ACC that will help us expand our entrepreneurial initiatives and create more applied learning opportunities for our students,” says Dr. Monique Umphrey, ACC provost and executive vice chancellor of academics. “She is a proponent of accessible education and believes in the mission of the community college and in the power we hold to shape lives.”

“It is an honor to be selected as ACC’s first EIR. The college aligns so deeply with core values that have led to my own personal development as a leader in technology and mentor in STEM,” says Jackson. “I believe solutions should involve an equal balance of logic and empathy to create truly universal experiences, and I look forward to providing those insights to the ACC family but especially to our students.” 

Jackson is a product leader with more than a decade of experience in the healthcare technology industry. She is currently the Head of Product at NurseDash — a leading on-demand healthcare marketplace solving talent shortages throughout healthcare — and is a nationally recognized mentor and contributor to STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine). 

Jackson holds a master’s degree in Creativity & Innovation from Drexel University and has worked with organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation with Howard University. She also serves as an advisor to PBS BlackSciGirls.

“I’ve volunteered my time with many organizations throughout the years but this is, by far, one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve been granted,” says Jackson. “ACC has an energy that is undeniably infectious. I am genuinely excited to get started.”

The creation of ACC’s Entrepreneur-in-Resident program aligns with the college’s strategic goals and its efforts to continually improve instructional programs with an emphasis on equity and inclusion and increase collaboration with community, government, and industry partners. The position reports directly to the Provost. 

In this role, Jackson will provide office hours on-site twice a month and will host both afternoon and evening virtual meetings to connect directly with students, faculty, and staff. She also plans to offer interactive sessions with students to talk about career pathways and areas of opportunities for innovation at scale. More information about her schedule will be posted to the college’s website and shared on the FacStaff Info Hub. 

Jackson’s first day was May 23, 2022.