Courtenie Jackson
Courtenie Jackson is a resilient force, a mother of four, a Black woman activist, and an unapologetic advocate for equitable rights for individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. As a woman who has experienced firsthand the discrimination and systemic barriers that come with having a felony record, Courtenie turned rejection into resilience. After being denied over 30 employment opportunities despite being fully qualified simply due to a nonviolent felony, she made a vow to change the system that denied her dignity. Her lived experience is the fuel behind her mission: to break the cycle of incarceration through restoration, opportunity, and truth.
Courtenie currently serves as the Employment Coordinator at the Oklahoma County Diversion Hub where she builds job pathways for returning citizens. She sits on the Advisory Board of IMPACT 405, is an Amazon Bestselling author of Reach for Your Crown, a 70-day devotional for women, and hosts a podcast for Oklahoma State University-OKC informing her community about the educational opportunities offered locally. She's a dynamic public speaker, career coach, and motivational facilitator working directly with incarcerated youth and justice involved individuals through programs like the STAAR Foundation, the juvenile boys’ prison in Tecumseh, The Lynn Institute (C.R.E.W.) and the Berry House Detention Center.
Her activism and service have earned her the 2025 National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice Community Service Award. She's a graduating senior at Oklahoma State University Tulsa, majoring in Organizational Leadership, and holds multiple credentials including Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Reentry Employment Specialist, and Licensed Behavioral Health Case Manager.
Courtenie is a proud graduate of Oklahoma State University-OKC and transformative programs such as the Julius Jones Institute for Advocacy, SAFE Commune, and the Center for Social Innovation. She’s also a member of the NAACP OKC Chapter, the National Association for Blacks in Criminal Justice, and the National Association for Reentry Professionals, while actively volunteering with Vote for Change and the Oklahoma State Baptist Prison Ministries.
At the core of Courtenie’s advocacy is the profound belief that restoration is the answer to mass incarceration. She teaches that mentorship, community, and equity are what truly transform lives; not the act of punishment and correctional facilities. Her work is about more than reform, it’s about redefinition. Redefining what justice looks like. Redefining what opportunity means. Redefining what it means to be a Black woman leader who refuses to be boxed in by society’s limitations. Redefining and re-presenting justice for individuals fighting the daily battle for equitable opportunities and equal rights.
Courtenie Jackson is not just a voice for the voiceless, she instills hope within the hopeless. She is the blueprint for what it looks like when rejection is turned into power, when barriers become bridges, and when one woman’s story becomes a movement for the world.
Courtenie’s Ambassadorship is supported by our nominating partner, the Julius Jones Institute.
