Yolanda Cash Jackson

Shareholder, Becker, Fort Lauderdale

Lobbyist Jackson grew up in Liberty City in Miami and graduated from Miami Edison High. A member of Becker’s management committee since 2010, she’s prominent in community organizations and has represented historically Black colleges and universities. She was Florida Trend’s 2022 Floridian of the Year and a 2019 Liberty City Hero. She led the effort to have a statue of Black educator Mary McLeod Bethune represent Florida in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall and spearheaded the creation of the John Lewis/HBCU Pathway to Law endowed scholarship at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, which she notes has helped “10 new lawyers of color enter the legal profession, thereby directly increasing much needed diversity.” Ten more are in the pipeline to graduate in the next two years.

EDUCATION: University of Florida (BS, JD)

IF I WERE GOVERNOR: The first thing on my agenda would be talent development. As the immediate past chair of Miami Dade Beacon Council, I know firsthand that identifying talent to fulfill all of the needs of businesses in Florida must be the number one priority for a sustainable economy.

MENTORS: My mentor is my 93-year-old mother and roommate. She was my very first mentor. She taught me the importance of family balance while teaching me to never give up on my personal hopes and dreams. Although she has dementia, she is still my full-time encourager.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: There are no shortcuts to success. Success is a process measured often by whether your name is mentioned in rooms that you are not in.