Vivian Anderson Jackson: A Life of Vision and Value

By Kristopher Jackson

Vivian Anderson Jackson has built her life on a simple but profound principle: service is not optional — it is necessary. A native of Georgia, she has spent more than four decades transforming communities across Ohio through health advocacy, education, and unwavering leadership. Her journey, marked by resilience, compassion, and conviction, reflects a legacy of lifting others as she climbs. 

Jackson earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from Norfolk State University, with a minor in psychology. Determined to expand her expertise, she pursued additional studies at Phillips University in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania State University, and The Ohio State University. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in Speech and Hearing Science from Ohio State, where she later provided speech and language therapy to individuals with brain injuries resulting in aphasia. “She gave voice to the voiceless,” said Bishop Timothy J. Clarke, reflecting on her impact during those years at her retirement celebration. 

Her career also spanned decades at the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), where she championed maternal, child, and adolescent health initiatives focused on underserved communities. Anderson took on one of the state’s most pressing challenges: the staggering rate of Black infant mortality. She worked tirelessly to address the social and health disparities behind the statistics, mobilizing state agencies, legislators, managed care providers, and foundations to strengthen support systems. Under her guidance, Community Health Workers received evidence-based training and oversight to reach Ohio’s most vulnerable families. Known as the “Mother of Community Health Workers,” Anderson helped found and served as the third president of the Ohio Community Health Workers Association. 

Her vision extended far beyond public health offices. For several years, she led Black Family Awareness Week in partnership with the Columbus Urban League to celebrate and support Black families. After more than 40 years of service at Ohio State and ODH, she retired — but retirement only deepened her commitment to community. 

Anderson serves as the 10th president of the National Council of Negro Women’s Columbus, Ohio Section, now in her third term and the longest-serving leader in the section’s 42-year history. “We are the proud inheritors of a vision first cast by our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who reminded us that: ‘Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.’” 

Under her leadership, membership has more than doubled, and the section has built over 30 partnerships with schools, hospitals, community-based organizations, and faith-based institutions. She has championed initiatives ranging from voter registration drives to mental health support for seniors. The group’s annual diaper drive has distributed more than 250,000 diapers and wipes, including 95,000 during COVID-19. 

Her contributions have earned her numerous awards. In NCNW, she is recognized as a Bethune-Height Achiever, Life and Legacy Life Member, and member of the National President’s Circle. She is also second vice president of the Columbus Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction. 

Faith remains her guiding force. An associate minister at First Church of God, Anderson credits her spiritual foundation for sustaining her passion. She is married to her high school sweetheart, McNite “Mac” Anderson, and they have three daughters and four grandchildren. 

“I serve,” Anderson says, “because our people deserve hope for the future, and it requires our heads, our hearts, our hands, and our hugs.”