Founder
Dr. Lila Jacobs – Founder of Urban Leadership Program
Dr. Jacobs received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara with an emphasis in Organizational Change and Crosscultural Education. As a Professor in the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), and the former Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Dr. Jacobs founded the Urban Leadership Program, now in its 13th year of preparing school, district, and community leaders throughout Northern California. Dr. Jacobs also taught leadership and research courses for the doctoral program at CSUS.
Dr. Jacobs was the Co-Director of the K-12 Leadership Institute at the University of Washington, Seattle and conducted research for the Social Process Research Institute at UC Santa Barbara, the Institute of Social Change at UC Berkeley, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Her work has also involved community-based organizations in the U.S., as well as projects in Far Eastern Russia, Ghana, and South India.
Dr. Jacobs published and presented in her areas of expertise, which include urban leadership, organizational change, diversity issues, qualitative research, and educational reform efforts. She presented her research nationally and internationally, at conferences such as the American Educational Research Association and for university lectures.
Additionally, Dr. Jacobs had a track record of high-level involvement at all levels of university service and is the elected President of the California Faculty Association for her university. She served on advisory boards for organizations such as the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution (Vice Chair), the Freedom Bound Center, and the Sacramento Women’s Network.