When Candace Campbell Jackson arrived on the Syracuse University campus in 2015, she was uniquely qualified to take on the role of vice president and chief of staff on then-Chancellor Kent Syverud’s senior leadership team.

The chief of staff (COS) role was not common at universities at the time; it was most often found in the military and government. This was a role Campbell Jackson essentially defined in 2004 at the University of Akron, at a time when no other Ohio university had a COS and there were few in the nation.

Campbell Jackson brought to Syracuse deep insight into the significant impact a COS could have on a campus community and beyond. Now, after 11 years, she is concluding her term as senior vice president and COS and transitioning to a senior advisor to the chancellor role that will support Chancellor J. Michael Haynie’s new leadership team.

“These chief of staff jobs are all-consuming, as they should be,” says Campbell Jackson. “It demands your whole self and you give it, because a university changes lives by nourishing minds, igniting passions, shaping careers, inspiring entrepreneurship and artistic endeavors and enriching communities.”

The trusting relationships Campbell Jackson built with Syverud and the leadership team were the foundation for success. “The leaders you work with deserve your honest assessment of the situation,” says Campbell Jackson. “You have to master team dynamics and seek out the opinions of the entire team. I love it when someone tells me something I didn’t expect to hear and this new knowledge or perspective inspires more thought and deliberation. And if that results in an 11th-hour change of heart or mind, that’s good decision-making.”

“Candace has been one of the most important people in my professional life,” says Chancellor Emeritus Kent Syverud, who ended his tenure as chancellor in April. “When the hardest decisions were in front of us, I always wanted to know what she thought—not because she told me what I wanted to hear, but because I could always trust that she never would. We have navigated some of the most consequential moments in this university’s recent history together, and at every turn she brought clarity, honesty and an unwavering commitment to doing right by Syracuse and its people. Syracuse is better because of her candor, her steadiness and her judgment under pressure. And so am I for having worked alongside her.”

Cultivating Leadership on Campus

In her role as COS, Campbell Jackson facilitated and co-chaired the 150-person University Leadership Team, comprising key executives from multiple departments. Her role was to ensure that each team member was able to articulate decisions with clarity and confidence, strengthening internal communications across campus.

“I have known Candace as a colleague and as a friend, and both of those experiences have made me a better professional,” says Haynie, who became the University’s 13th chancellor and president in April. “She is the kind of person who makes an institution work through an extraordinary dedication to the people and its mission. She brings a level of genuine care that is rare, and Syracuse has been the beneficiary of that for a long time. I have no doubt Candace will invest herself in her new role of advising me on leadership development, strategic partnerships and community impact matters with the same commitment and heart she brought to this place for the last decade.”

Campbell Jackson also cultivated leadership in new ways on campus, launching the Women in Leadership (WiL) Initiative in 2018 to advance professional development for faculty and staff through education, awareness and mentorship. Reflecting on Campbell Jackson’s leadership, WiL participants praised her “genuine appreciation for people and commitment to creating opportunities for growth.”

Despite the enormous pressures on higher education, Campbell Jackson is optimistic for the students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University. “I believe the leadership is poised to take the University to new heights. It has been a pacesetter in so many ways and I can’t wait to see what lies just beyond the horizon.”

Forging Partnerships Beyond Campus

Campbell Jackson extended the impact of WiL well beyond the campus, spearheading a partnership between the David B. Falk College of Sport and the nationally recognized Women Leaders in Sports organization, which is dedicated to accelerating the potential of women to positively impact sports. The partnership provides Falk students with mentoring, learning and internships, and supports professional development for Falk faculty.

According to Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in Sports, “Candace has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to build meaningful partnerships, connect people around a shared vision and create opportunities that leave a lasting legacy. She approaches every conversation with a forward-looking, ‘next play’ mindset that inspires progress, growth and meaningful change. Her legacy will be measured not only by her accomplishments, but by the people and communities she has strengthened along the way, especially her commitment to investing in women leaders.”

It’s the “next play” mindset that has become a mantra of sorts for Campbell Jackson and a fundamental principle in her efforts to cultivate leaders and mentor students. “It is my absolute joy to develop relationships and watch my mentees flourish,” she says.

Car Shapiro ’23, who met Campbell Jackson when visiting Syracuse as a high school student, says, “She took me under her wing and helped time and time again at school, giving me the confidence to be myself. She often said, ‘Take care of your people and they’ll take care of you.’” Shapiro is pursuing a career in New York City with a degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and a portfolio of connections.

Nurturing Creativity

The partnerships forged by Campbell Jackson during her tenure at Syracuse run deep in the arts community as well, reflecting her desire to nurture the creative talents and aspirations of students. After learning that the internationally renowned photographer Carrie Mae Weems lives in Syracuse, Campbell Jackson approached Syverud with the idea of creating an Artist-in-Residence program to bring prominent and emerging artists to campus to collaborate with faculty and students.

Syverud gave his full support, and Weems became the inaugural Artist-in-Residence in 2020, recently concluding her residency. She worked with students on several projects, providing new outlets for creative energies on campus and beyond and bringing national attention to the University.

Similarly, Campbell Jackson saw an opportunity to renew a partnership between the University and the prestigious Syracuse International Jazz Fest, now in its 40th year. “It was a chance to spotlight our talented students and faculty and bring them closer to famous artists like Kenny G, Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock and Trombone Shorty.”

This year, the Syracuse University National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building will host the U.S. Air Force Band’s Airmen of Note on the festival’s opening night. The festival closes with a Gospel Jazz concert hosted by Hendricks Chapel, featuring students and community singers. “This partnership is a gift to campus and community, and the opportunity for the connection and collaboration has just been magical,” says Campbell Jackson.

“Candace is a philanthropist in every sense,” says Melanie Littlejohn, president and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation. “She is beyond generous and unselfishly gives her time, treasure and expertise to so many. Her core belief is that relationships are foundational to building long-lasting partnerships. I have seen this demonstrated time and time again in her tenure at Syracuse University. She leans into innovation, problem-solving and collaboration in ways that have built and sustained relationships. This is her superpower.”

Leaving a Legacy and Looking Ahead

Campbell Jackson has been recognized for her contributions and impact with Syracuse University’s Chancellor’s Medal for Leadership (2021); the Trailblazer Award from Women Leaders in Sports (2022); by the Syracuse chapter of the American Heart Association (2023); the Fortitude Award from Delta Sigma Theta Syracuse Alumnae (2026); and the Higher Education Opportunity Program Robert L. Boney Service in Perpetuity Award (2026).

She continues to serve institutions beyond the University, as a trustee of Manlius Pebble High School; board of advisory member for the School of Education at her alma mater, Howard University; board member of Women Leaders in Sports and the National Grid Foundation; and member of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council.

Looking back at serving as chief of staff for Chancellor Emeritus Syverud for more than a decade, Campbell Jackson says, “I had a front-row view of his deep commitment to our entire Syracuse University family—students, faculty, staff, alumni, community and global partners. Chancellor Syverud is personally very modest, but he was so bold and ambitious about Syracuse University’s mission and role in this world. It has been the privilege of my career to serve alongside him on his executive team and be inspired by his leadership.”

Campbell Jackson’s “next play” has her looking forward to spending more time with her husband, family and close friends, whom she credits for guiding, inspiring, grounding and supporting her. In the true spirit of the quote, “Joyful is the accumulation of good work,” Campbell Jackson says she has been “blessed with opportunities to have done professionally and personally meaningful work at Syracuse University with people I so love and admire. It has brought me infinite joy and gratitude.”