Mike Jackson, '78
After studying journalism at Kent State in the seventies, Mike Jackson, '78, wanted to be the next Walter Cronkite, in that he had a big love for news. Kent State was where he gained more introspection about the world, after he had attended integrated Catholic schools in his hometown of Youngstown during his youth.
But after being exposed to advertising and attending graduate school at the University of Southern California, he really found a love for marketing.
“I needed to figure out a way to just pay for my education because I was paying for it myself,” Jackson said. “I landed a job as a kind of market representative for Coca-Cola.”
He got the job during his time at USC and was able to juggle both work and classes. This was his first role at a major company, and he loved it. And it was only the beginning of his impressive career.
Ten years later, Jackson went on to work for companies such as Pepsi and Coors as the operations manager and the vice president of marketing, respectively. He managed the second-largest advertising media budget at General Motors as the head of Marketing for North America. By moving up the ranks and working in various positions, he expanded his roles and also gained experience in fields like manufacturing and distribution.
“I love all aspects of demand building: whether it was PR, whether it was marketing, whether it was pricing, whether it was distribution, whether it was production,” Jackson said. “I love being in the mix and working with all of that.”