Dr. Tia Jackson joined Penn Athletics and Recreation as the Senior Associate AD, Community Engagement in February 2026. Tia, who has spent the past four and a half years at the Penn Museum, will take on this new role as a shared appointment between DRIA and the Museum.
In her role with DRIA, Tia will work closely with student athlete affinity groups; lead the identification, delivery, and evaluation of inclusive programming across all stakeholder groups; provide guidance and support in navigating incidents involving discrimination and related concerns; and identify opportunities for DRIA to participate in community engagement programming across the Penn campus and local Philadelphia community.
Tia currently serves on the Penn Museum’s executive team as Director of Staff and Community Engagement. In that role, she leads efforts in organizational change management, community partnerships and programming, inclusive hiring practices, training and professional development, and staff engagement initiatives.
She joined Penn in 2022 after more than 12 years at Georgia Tech, where she held a series of progressive leadership roles culminating in the Inaugural Director of Education and Training for the entire campus. Tia earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Delaware, a master’s degree in social work from Penn, and a doctorate in counseling and student personnel services from the University of Georgia.
