Dana Jackson

I attribute my success to definitely my parents, who are both no longer living now, but they really instilled a strong work ethic in me. They taught me that when you start something, you finish it, and you always give it your best. I think that has definitely helped me succeed in all the endeavors that I've gone through and achieved. That foundation of commitment and excellence they gave me has carried through every aspect of my career.

The best career advice I've received is to operate with integrity. A mentor shared with me that people can handle when you mess up, but it's tough to recover when you try to cover it up. I'm a very strong proponent of always raising my hand or falling on the sword if it's something that I messed up, because we're human and we can learn from that. It's easier to work with someone when you have transparency and honesty and integrity, and then they know that they can trust you, even if you've made a big mistake. The other piece of advice that has stayed with me is to send the elevator back down. I've been blessed in my career to have the opportunity to do some really great things, and that was because doors were open for me, so for me to be able to open those doors for other people, I think, is really important.

I would tell young women that relationships are just as important as your talent. You can be very, very skilled, and it's very important to be skilled and understand your craft and be passionate about it, but I think it's also important to connect and build relationships with others. I'm a strong believer in having mentors, so seek out the people that cheerlead for you and get their advice, especially if it's someone's career that you admire. Take the time to sit down and talk to them about what they love and the things that they prepared for to help them be successful in their career.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are keeping up and making sure to stay current with all of the changing laws and regulations around pay and pay transparency. It's important for us to make sure that our employees are compliant, but with everything shifting with the different administration, we have to stay on top of all of those shifts that are happening so we're always compliant and doing what's right for our employees. The regulatory landscape is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of those changes is critical to protecting both the organization and ensuring fair treatment of employees.

Integrity is really important to me. I had a mentor that shared with me that people can handle when you mess up, but it's tough to recover when you try to cover it up. I'm a very strong proponent of always raising my hand or falling on the sword if it's something that I messed up, because we're human and we can learn from that. It's easier to be able to work with someone when you have transparency and honesty and integrity, and then they know that they can trust you, even if you've made a big mistake. Beyond integrity, equity and justice are core to what drives me - ensuring people are paid fairly and that companies take care of their employees matters deeply to me.