Entrepreneur, voting rights activist, and political enthusiast, Keina Jackson received her Bachelor of Arts degree in government and sociology from the esteemed Cornell University in 2009. When she returned home, she worked in management for WNY non-profit Community Services for Every1. It was this time spent with people with disabilities that introduced her to the impact government has on our most vulnerable communities.

During this time, she began to volunteer for political campaigns. She was given the opportunity to join the staff of New York State Senator Tim Kennedy after his electoral win. While under Kennedy’s tutelage, she gained valuable government relations experience. She spent a significant amount of time talking to constituents and coordinating events. She gained campaign and fundraising experience working on various local, state, and federal campaigns in her spare time. She quickly moved up the ranks. After four years and two very intense election cycles, Keina was eager to do more for her community.

She loved her work but the time had come for her to move on. She became committed to ensuring diversity at the ballot box. She quickly learned that the government was reactionary, not revolutionary. Bureaucracies have systems in place that significantly slow down progress. It was clear to her that government can not fix all social ills. Still, a coordinated effort that addresses poverty, equity, affordable housing, diversity, and education, is critical to changing the economic, social, and educational outcomes for black and brown communities.

In January 2015, she founded PREP Inc., Public Relations and Event Planning Co. She took her love for planning and community outreach and opened a boutique event coordination and travel concierge firm headquartered on the East Side of Buffalo. Since its beginning, PREP has worked with many community groups and other entrepreneurs on events that encourage women and minorities to take risks, be bold with their visions and support their advancement economically and politically.

Motivated by the election of Donald Trump, Keina produced Citizen the Pod. A political podcast that strived to get regular folks excited to vote and engaged in the political process.

In her current role as Senior National Coordinator for the Voting Rights Project with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington D.C., she ensures the continued cooperation and support of their state-based Election Protection program partners while retaining unwavering attention to the Lawyers’ Committee’s core values, mission, and objectives. She joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law at a pivotal time. She directed five 2020 election protection programs in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee to ensure free and fair elections. She collaborates with state partners to design advocacy plans and messaging to apply pressure on state legislators to stop harmful legislation or advance voting rights expansion priorities, as well as developing educational programs about current election laws, the Election Protection program, and resources for state
partners and voters to troubleshoot voting access issues that arise during the voting period. Lastly, she trained over 800 attorneys and grassroots site monitors during the 2020 Election Cycle.

During her time at the Lawyers’ Committee, PREP Inc. remained active. She supported political campaigns from Buffalo to Atlanta. She serves as the Senior Strategic Advisor for the India Walton for Mayor Campaign in Buffalo NY. A grassroots, people center campaign that raised 1 million dollars and came close to unseating a sixteen-year incumbent.