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Director of Parks & Recreation
Charter Township of Royal Oak

After a career in professional football, Donovan Jackson returned home to connect young student-athletes to opportunities for higher education.

As the current director of parks and recreation in Charter Township of Royal Oak, Jackson received $300,000 in American Rescue Plan funding to renovate Mack-Rowe Park, hosted numerous family events and giveaways, and arranged for college visits for high school students.

He is also the youth director of Sound Mind Sound Body Sports Academy, where he secured 50 full-ride scholarships for student-athletes, and the vice president of the Semaj Morgan Foundation, which seeks to fill the gaps for children’s services.

Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in corporate communication from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and lives in Oak Park.

The information presented here was accurate as of Jan. 1, 2024.