Los Angeles, CA – Jeremiah Jackson and Nicole Williams are among six young people who have been selected to become the inaugural class of Los Angeles City Fellows.
The program, created by the United Way of Los Angeles, which will also manage and oversee the effort, is a part of the Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s new Office of Economic and Business Policy.
For the first time in history, one office has been established that will oversee all of the departments and programs involved in developing strategies and implementing ways to better serve the city business community. The office will also create policies that will help companies of all kinds thrive in Los Angeles.
The Fellows, who will assist with this effort, have been drawn from various industries around the state, and will work full time for up to two years on various projects in the Office of Economic and Business Policy. They will receive mentoring from Charmaine Jefferson, executive director of the California African American Museum, and Steve Soboroff, chairman and CEO of Playa Vista.
“While the idea of government fellowships is not new, what is different is we purposely sought talented men and women who have significant experience in the private sector,” said First Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner, who runs the Office of Economic and Business Policy.
“We’ve asked the best and brightest to work closely with our City Hall team to get things done-at no cost to taxpayers. It goes to show that, even in times of budget constraints, there is no lack of creative solutions.”
The program is underwritten with funding from businesses such as CB Richard Ellis, ECOM, Goldman Sachs and Herbal Life.
Jackson, a project manager for Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson who was involved in the city’s efforts to build a new arena for its NBA franchise, is the oldest of four siblings, and the first in his family to attend college. He grew up in Paso Robles, Calif., attended Stanford University and Harvard Business School.
Williams is currently a business development manager for Chatsworth-based Gigapix Studios, and previously worked as a product strategist for KCI Inc., which is located in Los Angeles. Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Williams graduated from the University of Illinois and is currently a MBA candidate at the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business.
