First Race and Social Equity Officer Appointed In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Jaqueline Tucker has been appointed as Alexandria's first race and social equity officer. The appointment is effective Feb. 10, 2020.

Tucker will be in charge of the city's race and social equity programs and "framework to ensure policy decisions advance race and social equity for all Alexandria residents." This work will include collaboration with city departments, employees, residents and others with a goal of making Alexandria more equitable.

Tucker was previously the first East Region project manager for the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, which the City of Alexandria joined in February. At GARE, she has analyzed government policies with the perspective of racial equity and has given technical assistance to Virginia and other states on policy intervention, organizational transformation and strategy development related to social and racial equity. She partnered with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to hold the first metropolitan Washington, D.C. regional learning cohort of local government staff to advance racial equity.

Her other past positions included leadership for educational equity fellow and interim senior federal relations associate for the Council of Chief State School Officers, Freedom of Information attorney with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, teacher in Houston and aide to members of Congress. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Butler University and a juris doctor degree from the Howard University School of Law.

"Through her dedication to civic engagement, law and policy, and her experience working with all levels of government, she has demonstrated the mindset and skills integral to helping our community make progress toward meaningful equity," said City Manager Mark Jinks in a statement announcing the appointment.

While Northern Virginia can be considered wealthy when compared to the U.S., certain areas have been identified as more disadvantaged. According to a Virginia Commonwealth University study, health in the DC metropolitan region can vary by race and ethnicity based on factors like income, housing and education. People of color were disproportionately living in these disadvantaged living conditions, the study found.