Santa Barbara Associates
Presented by Ann Moore to Michele Jackman
The Santa Barbara Associates’ Woman of Distinction Award was established in 1999 to honor Diana Meyers, a charter member of the Associates who exemplified the professionalism and dedication to excellence and service that characterizes our members. This year’s Woman of Distinction was chosen from among many nominations. The committee, made up of Lynn Hamilton, Denise Lockhart, Jeanne McKay and Ann Moore, unanimously chose Michele Jackman as this year’s honoree. Michele’s been a member of the Associates almost since its inception and she’s always willing to share her hilarious stories about the early days when the women in SBA first became members of the University Club.
Michele was born in Los Angeles at the Queen of Angels Hospital, which, she says, allows her to claim she’s an angel! Her mother died when Michele was two and her older sisters, ages 11 and 14, became her surrogate mothers. In addition, her grandmother came from Italy and her aunt moved from New York to help care for the family along with her own children, who were the same age as Michele’s sisters. Michele says she was raised by a “very creative group of teens!” In addition, she was mothered by elders at the nearby community center where Holocaust survivors shared their stories, fed her wisdom and wonderful Jewish fare to go with the Italian delicacies she enjoyed at home.
Michele earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Davis in Political Science, a Master’s degree in Social Work from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations Management and Organizational Development. Prior to coming to Santa Barbara, among other things, Michele worked for the Pentagon. When she came to Santa Barbara in the 1980s, she taught Organizational Psychology for three years at UCSB and also was the UCSB Extension Director of Channel Coast Training Center for the three counties. After that, she started her own company and then “went on the road,” first traveling around the country, then internationally doing training and presentations for various corporations.
Michele earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Davis in Political Science, a Master’s degree in Social Work from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s Degree from the University of Oklahoma in Human Relations Management and Organizational Development. Prior to coming to Santa Barbara, among other things, Michele worked for the Pentagon. When she came to Santa Barbara in the 1980s, she taught Organizational Psychology for three years at UCSB as Director of Channel Coast Training Center for the three counties. After that, she started her own company and then “went on the road,” first traveling around the country, then internationally doing training and presentations for various corporations.
As an author, speaker, motivational consultant, facilitator, professional trainer and coach, Michele has used her trademark humor to provide her very popular trainings for hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations, as well as many city, state and federal governmental agencies. She has consistently received outstanding ratings and ultimately, the Commander’s Medal for Civilian Service (the highest award in a series of awards) for her work in the US Army, overseas and internationally.
On a personal level, Michele met her husband, Jerry, after they both returned from trips to Europe following graduation. He became her first employee. Yes, he worked for her! Some of us feel this was the perfect setup for their marriage, which took place in 1968! Their situation became rather humorous, when, after living and working together in Europe for four years, Michele worked for the Department of Defense. Her job was to represent the DOD on the implementation of their Sexual Harassment Prevention policy. She explained to the “powers that be” that love at work was quite normal, while at the same time emphasizing that she fully understood that sexual harassment would not be tolerated—which applied to either sex!
Clearly, Michele and Jerry have made it all work, illustrated by the fact that they’ve been married for 48 years! She and Jerry are now exploring the joys of getting older, wiser—and laughing, at least most of the time! They have one daughter Renee (Rain) who lives in Santa Barbara with her family. Rain and her husband, Dana Longo, “have gifted us with three incredible grandkids—India, Paloma and Zane, ages ten, eight and five, respectively.
Despite her many accomplishments in the governmental and corporate worlds, Michele says she’s most proud of the years she’s spent doing non-profit consulting and training. She also says she’s glad that she can now focus on new programs for usOWLs (Older, Wiser, and Laughing All the Way)—check it out at usowls.com, along with her company called MJ Enterprises. In addition to her work in the community and the world at large, Michele has been a loyal and very active participant in the Santa Barbara Associates. Please join me in congratulating Michele Jackman for earning our Woman of Distinction award for 2015, an honor she truly deserves!
