Dr. Cephus Jackson joined the Clayton County Water Authority Board of Directors in March 2015. Dr. Jackson has held leadership roles in school districts in four states ranging in size from 8,500 students to 212,000 students with yearly budgets up to 1.5 billion dollars. These leadership experiences encompass roles from elementary, middle, high school and central office levels.
In Houston, Texas he directed all areas of operation for the district’s contracted Alternative Education Program. He coordinated the program with other district programs, streamlined the enrollment process and, aligned curricular offerings with those of the district. He designed a transitional education program for students prior to returning to zoned school. He also served on the superintendents’ special assignments team assisting principals and area superintendents with resolving various challenges involving curriculum, discipline and instruction.
During his tenure with Fulton County Schools, Dr. Jackson was responsible for developing and implementing an effective and efficient student services program for the school system. He worked with seven directors in the development of skills in the areas of process mapping, performance measurement, cross-functional teaming, systems analysis and management. He took responsibility for the division of Human Resources during top management transition serving as interim Chief Human Resource and Compliance Officer. He also was responsible for the district’s No Child Left Behind efforts and the development of the district Attendance Protocol Committee.
Cephus accepted the responsibility of Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools in Clayton County. He served on the internal SACS review team to meet accreditation issues; worked with the Georgia School Board Association to develop orientation and training for all school board members and potential members to develop knowledge, skills and working processes to ensure an excellent system of school governance. As Chief Operations Officer, he took the responsibility for all district aspects of SPLOST IV which passed with 75% of the vote and provided additional Capital funds for the school district. He improved staff accountability and productivity in operations by developing work zones and installation of GPS on all buses and maintenance vehicles. He also developed a professional development process for classified staff in the operations division.
Dr. Jackson earned his B.S. from Jackson State College, Jackson, MS; his Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA; and his Ph.D. in Education Administration and Supervision from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. He also completed the Upjohn Sales and Management Training in Kalamazoo, MI; the Harvard and Vanderbilt University Principal Center post graduate studies. He has completed numerous other leadership trainings throughout his career.