Leslie Jackson, OTD, MEd, OT/L, FAOTA

Biography

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• Illinois Occupational Therapy Association (ILOTA)
• Iowa Occupational Therapy Association (IOTA)

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE:

• Chairperson, AOTA Bylaws, Policies, and Procedures Committee (BPPC)
• Lane Tech High School Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chicago: Jan. 2020 - present
• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center Northwestern Memorial Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Board, Chicago: 2017 - present

UNIVERSITY SERVICE:

• Washington-Mandella Fellows Focus Coach, 2025
• Execution Committee (faculty representative), 2022-2025
• Slay Fellow for Social Justice (Office of CEL), 2022-2024
• Career Conference Planning Committee, 2020-2021

COLLEGE SERVICE: 

• CPHS Pinning Ceremony Marshall, 2025
• CAC, 2021- Present
• Academic Affairs Committee, 2024-Present; 20-23
• Faculty Affairs Committee, 2022-2024
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, 2021-2023
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, 2020-2021
• Research & Scholarship Task Force, 2020-2021

COMMUNITY SERVICE: 

• Corinthian Baptist Church Board of Trustees, 2023-Present
• Black Hawk College OTA Advisory Board, 2024- Present
• Lane Tech High School Class of 1975 Reunion Committee, 2023-2025 
• Black Women 4 Healthy Living, 2022-Present
• Chicago State University OT Advisory Board, 2021-Present
• Iowa Free Health Clinics, 2022-Present
• Lane Tech High School Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2020-2022
• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center Northwestern Memorial Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Board, 2017-Present

HONORS AND AWARDS:

• Hexagon Society, Lane Technical High School Alumni Association, 2025
• President's Award for Civic Engagement Leadership, Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact, 2024
• Slay Fellow for Social Justice, Drake University, 2022-2024
• Dr. Percy L. Julian Award for Community Service, Operation Uplift, Inc. (Maywood, IL) - 2020
• Jeanette Bair Writers Award, American Occupational Therapy Association, 2010
• AOTA Roster of Fellows - 2009

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:

As an occupational therapist, I am trained to watch and observe people - what they do and how they do it – as I try to discover the why of what they do.  What drives individuals to engage in specific every day activities (what we call “occupations”)? What motivates them to persist in the face of myriad obstacles and struggles? And what are the factors that support and/or hinder successful performance, which results in a sense of mastery/competence over their environment and confidence to move forward? These are the questions that drive my efforts as a teacher.

I see my role as that of facilitator, to help the learner discover what they do and do not know, why this is important, how it applies to what they need to know and what they need to do, and how to build on it. Being a facilitator implies that I am intentional in what I want my students to know in order to design my courses effectively, including how I will measure student learning and how I teach my courses.

I highly value critical thinking and problem-solving. My primary goal for all of my students is that they understand what they are learning and when and how to apply it, rather than focusing on a grade. When students are able to think critically about a given situation to consider all of the options and determine the most appropriate course of action for any client, then I believe I have achieved my goal.

EXPERIENCE:

Academic Appointments

2012-May 2020 – Chicago State University, Chicago, IL
OT Program Coordinator, OT Department, 2017-May 2020
Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy Department, 2017- May 2020
Academic Fieldwork Coordinator/Lecturer, 2012-2017

2006-2008 – Howard University, Washington, DC
Adjunct Faculty, Occupational Therapy Department

Other Experience

2012-2017 – Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights, IL
Registry Occupational Therapist (acute care)

2006-2011 – Easter Seals, Inc., Chicago, IL
SCSEP Quality Compliance Manager, 2010-2011
Family Support Project Coordinator, 2009-2010
Director, Training Modules for Inclusive Child Care (TMICC) Project, 2006-2009

1993-2006 – American Occupational Therapy Association, Bethesda, MD
Practice Associate, Practice Department, 1993-2006
Federal Affairs Representative, Federal Affairs Department, 1998- 2006

1990-1993 – University of Illinois @ Chicago, Chicago, IL
OT Research Assistant/Project Coordinator

1987-1990 – Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Pediatric Occupational Therapist

1984-1987 – LaSalle County Easter Seal Center, Ottawa, IL
Lead Occupational Therapist

1982-1984 – LaGrange Area Department of Special Education, LaGrange, IL
Itinerant School Occupational Therapist

Personal Information:
Widow; 5 children, 8 grandchildren

Areas of Expertise

• Management & administration
• Project and grant management
• Teaching and learning
• Writing for publication
• Grant writing
• Program development
• Community engagement

Education

• BS (Occupational Therapy) - University of Illinois at Chicago, 1982
• MEd, Erikson Institute, 1992
• OTD, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, 2017

Courses Taught

• OTD 201 - Theoretical Foundations of Occupational Therapy
• OTD 220 - Health Care Policy and Advocacy
• OTD 247 - Teaching and Learning in Occupational Therapy
• OTD 252 - Leadership & Management in Occupational Therapy

Latest Projects and Publications

GRANTS

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (2020). Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funded for $3 million over five years (Chicago State University).

Publications (last 5 years)

Reinoso, G., Allen-McHugh, R., Decker, T., Griffiths, Y., Huffman-Main, S., Jackson. L., Murray, A., Rognes, J., & Urish, C. (in press). A study of artificial intelligence (AI) utilization among entry-level occupational therapy doctoral students. Manuscript accepted for publication by The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. 

Jackson, L. (2025) Common pediatric settings. In Jane O'Brien and Heather Kuhaneck's (Eds), Case-Smith's Occupational Therapy for Children and Adolescents, 9th edition. 

Tarfa A., Kjos A.L, Williams R.M., & Jackson L. (2023). Impact of teaching social determinants of health on PIF in the health professions. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Published online 2023:100544-100544. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100544.

PRESENTATIONS (last 5 years)

2019: Student Perspectives on the Use of Evidence and Occupation-Based Practice During Level II Fieldwork (student research group). Poster Presentation at American Occupational Therapy Association 2019 Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.

2018: Student Perspectives on the Use of Evidence and Occupation-Based Practice During Level II Fieldwork (student research group). Poster Presentation at Illinois Occupational Therapy Association Conference, Naperville, IL.

Student Impact on Fieldwork Educator Use of Evidence and Occupation-Based Practice During Level II Fieldwork. Poster Presentation at American Occupational Therapy Association 2018 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.

2017: The Use of Evidence and Occupation-Based Practices on Level II Fieldwork. Presentation at Illinois Occupational Therapy Association 2017 Annual Conference, Normal, IL.

INVITED PRESENTATIONS (last five years)

2019: Collaboration is a Verb. Keynote presentation at the 1^st Annual PEERS Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Fieldwork Survival Discussion Den. AOTA/NBCOT National Student Conclave, Chicago, Illinois

Test-Taking Strategies for Program Success and NBCOT Exam Preparations [co-presentation].  AOTA/NBCOT National Student Conclave, Chicago, Illinois.

2016: Transitioning to Workload: Implications for School-Based Services. Indian Prairie School District #204, Aurora, Illinois.

2015: Communicating Value of Occupational Therapy Services in School-Based Practice. Community Consolidated School District #15 OT Institute, Palatine, Illinois.

PANEL PRESENTATIONS (last five years)

2019: OT and Social Justice [invited]. American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) scholarship fundraiser, Chicago, Illinois.

2016: Moderator, Student Session: Level II Fieldwork Panel [invited]. AOTA Annual Conference and Expo, Chicago, Illinois.

RESEARCH

2019-2020: Perceived Impact of Anxiety on Occupational Therapy Student Success on Level II Fieldwork (Part 2). Faculty mentor for Bris, A.M., Carter, H., Chaudry, T., Chew, C., Olatunji, O., & Patel, A.

2018-2019: Perceived Impact of Anxiety on Occupational Therapy Student Success on Level II Fieldwork (Part 1). Faculty mentor for Barton, K., Biore, G., Klimova, E., Krause, A., & Munoz, J.

2017-2018: Student Perspectives on the Use of Evidence and Occupation-Based Practice During Level II Fieldwork. Faculty mentor for Bye, K., Drumm, D., Elizondo, E. & Murphy, J.