The Leadership Award recognizes Jameson’s impact on advancing access, belonging, and success for all students and removing barriers for Black students, staff, faculty, and administrators across the California Community College system.
In her acceptance remarks, Jameson highlighted the importance of representation and the "audacity" required to lead.
“This distinguished recognition honors Trustee Jameson’s outstanding leadership, commitment to educational equity, and dedication to service,” AACCCTA leadership said in a statement, adding that her work “exemplifies the values of excellence, advocacy, and community-centered leadership that are at the heart of our mission.”
“I know that becoming a trustee, for a former foster youth like me, is rare,” said Trustee Jameson. “But it took seeing someone like me with a PhD educating students like me that gave me the audacity to be the first elected Black woman Trustee of one of the largest community college districts in California. The work never stops, there will always be a student to help, and that’s why we are here.”
Jameson made history in 2024 as the first Black woman and the youngest person elected to the SDCCD Board of Trustees. Her election represents a full-circle journey; after spending much of her childhood in the foster care system and navigating homelessness as a single parent, she returned to San Diego City College in 2016 with a mission to become the advocate she once needed.
While at City College, Jameson served as student president of Umoja, a program designed to assist African American and other historically underrepresented students in transferring to four-year universities. She credits the mentors she found there with inspiring the leadership style she carries today.
Jameson holds an associate degree from City College and both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Clark Atlanta University. In addition to her role on the SDCCD Board, she serves as a Community Engagement Representative and Policy Associate for San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe and is a Research Associate with Rise Research & Evaluation.
The AACCCTA represents Black educators and trustees within the Community College League of California and works to remove barriers for Black students.