Yolanda Jackson is an urban planner and public policy professional. Initially, she earned a Bachelor of Science from Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in New Orleans, where she studied Psychology. As a psychology student, her research focused on racial identity and the cultural norms of racialized people. She then pursued a graduate degree in urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Upon graduation, Yolanda interned at Elevate Energy in Chicago, IL, where she provided geospatial analysis consulting for an Illinois-based utility provider aiming to extend the coverage of their energy efficiency programs in low-income communities. She then returned to her home city of Detroit, where she found work as a Community Planning Associate with Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) through the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) AmeriCorps program. Yolanda is currently the Public Policy Manager at CDAD. In her current role, she facilitates relationships with local government, nonprofit partners, and other stakeholders to support local policies that improve the quality of life for Detroit residents. As a Detroit native, Yolanda has seen and felt the negative effect of living in an underserved urban community. She believes that public policy enacted through an equity lens is the key to ensuring that every resident can participate in Detroit’s future.