[3] She is of European descent, and graduated from Hastings College with a BA in Art Education in 1971,[4] and the Florida Institute of Technology with an MBA.

As Minister Counselor for Management at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, she supported the transition from a military-oriented U.S. presence to a more civilian one.

[3] She was appointed as United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso by George W. Bush in 2006, where she achieved a bilateral agreement with the state that enabled U.S. Special Operations Command to regularize and accelerate its counter-terrorism work against Al Qaeda in that region, and remained in that post until 2009.

[9] President Barack Obama nominated Jackson as United States Ambassador to Malawi, and she was then confirmed by Congress on June 30, 2011.

"[7] Jackson received the Secretary of State's Distinguished Honor Award for her work in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.