Having reliable, committed personnel is essential for the success and smooth operation of any business or organization. Jackson State University’s Division of General Counsel personnel are those employees who consistently show up for work on time, meet their job responsibilities and obligations, and demonstrate a commitment to the organization’s goals and values. Learn more about our personnel below.
Onetta Starling Whitley, Esq., General Counsel
After retiring from state service in 2020, Whitley joined the W T Consultants governmental relations team advocating for the legislative and governmental interests of a variety of government, nonprofit, and corporate clients as a registered lobbyist.
Whitley received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Tougaloo College and her Juris Doctor degree from Mississippi College School of Law. Whitley says that above all, her best job is being “MeMaw” to Lela, Caleb and Allen.
LaShundra Jackson-Winters, Esq., Associate General and Title IX Coordinator
Prior to joining Jackson State University’s Division of General Counsel, she was a Deputy City Prosecutor in Jackson, Mississippi where she prosecuted misdemeanor crimes in Municipal Court. After serving as a City Prosecutor, she served the City of Jackson as a Deputy City Attorney in the Civil Litigation Division. As a civil litigator, she not only directed and participated in defending the City of Jackson, its employees, elected officials, or agents but she also assisted in drafting ordinances, resolutions, and City policies. Attorney Jackson-Winters is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. She is married to Sean Adam Winters and they are the proud parents of two children: Aislynn and Sean Wesley.
Monica Davis Allen, Esq., Associate General Counsel
BIO COMING SOON
Tiffany Houston Dockins, Director of Legal Operations / Equal Employment Opportunity Officer
Tiffany, a New Orleans native and proud graduate of Jackson State University, has worked in the Division of General Counsel since 2007 and has over twenty-five years of experience as a Paralegal, Investigator and Case Manager for various Plaintiff and Defense law firms throughout the Jackson Metropolitan area, including The Cochran Firm and Forman Perry Watkins Krutz and Tardy. Currently as Director of Legal Operations for Jackson State, she manages and serves as the litigation liaison, internal case manager, legal business operations and contracts specialist, and policy archivists. She also handles FOIA requests, document production and responses to subpoenas.
Tiffany also serves as the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, conducting investigations of alleged employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or national origin. She assists the University to ensure compliance with its Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policies and is responsible for responding to charges of alleged employment discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This past recipient of the “Jacksonian Professionalism Award” truly adores her “Dear Ole College Home”. She has three sons, Travis, Drew and Josh, is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and a member of St. Therese Catholic Church, Jackson, Mississippi.
Monica L. Donaldson, Paralegal
Monica has over fifteen years of legal experience, beginning her legal career in corporate litigation as a Paralegal Assistant at the law office of Forman Perry Watkins Krutz and Tardy, Jackson, MS. Monica has worked as a Legal Secretary/Office Assistant at Simmons law group specializing in medical malpractice, property, corporate, and estate planning matters. She received her degree in Business Management from Belhaven University in 2012.
Monica is married and the mother of three wonderful children. She is an active member and co-director of music at Faith for Life Christian Center.