Drayton Jackson is an elected official of the Central Kitsap School District Board of Directors in Kitsap County. He is an advocate for systems and structures that help people living in poverty and those surviving homelessness.

Drayton was selected to sit as co-chair for Governor Jay Inslee’s Poverty Reduction Work Group (PRWG) and its Steering Committee in Washington state where he assisted in the development of strategies and recommendations of the 10-year plan to dismantle poverty in Washington. He has worked with Ascend at the Aspen Institute as a Parent Advisor, helping to design the Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative and the Parent Powered Solutions Fund grants which help student parents navigate their postsecondary journey with their children. Prior to this, Drayton served as vice-chair of the Head Start Association’s parent-run Policy Council, a Parent Ambassador with the Washington State Association of Head Start and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), on the editorial board for local newspaper, the Kitsap Sun, and he was voted Student Body President of Olympic College.

Drayton is the executive director of the Foundation of Homeless and Poverty Management that emphasizes a two-generational approach to helping families to get from homelessness to housing. He is the father of six daughters and two sons and currently resides with his wife in Bremerton.

Stories featuring Drayton Jackson

Photo from the 2023 Aspen Forum on Children and Families featuring a session with Amy Jacobs, Drayton Jackson, Nathan Chomilo, Justin Brown, and Anne Mosle on stage.
Leaders across the country are successfully incorporating family voice into policy – resulting in more families on pathways to prosperity. Learn how...
BlogFebruary 20, 2024
Group photo of Ascend Parent Advisors standing outside in Aspen, Colorado with their arms outstretched upward.
Snapshots from the 2023 Ascend Parent Advisor Convening in Aspen, Colorado.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsOctober 2, 2023
Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.
Among the one in five postsecondary students who are parents, there are close to 1.1 million student fathers. This chartbook synthesizes the available...
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsJune 16, 2023
Photo of Drayton Jackson and his family.
Drayton Jackson experienced homelessness for almost 20 years. Today, Drayton utilizes his lived experience to advocate for others in a similar positio...
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsDecember 1, 2022
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted live...
Press ReleasesDecember 1, 2022
I started off the 2022 Aspen Ideas Festival at Aspen Words Book Ball, a passion project of Isa Catto and Daniel Shaw.
Ascend FellowshipJune 25, 2022
This year, the Aspen Idea Festival returns to in-person programming at our campus in the Rocky Mountains June 25 - July 1, 2022.
Ascend FellowshipJune 15, 2022
Drayton Jackson is the father of six daughters and two sons and currently resides with his wife in Kitsap County, Washington. He’s the founder of th...
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsMarch 15, 2021
What a week it has been! From live parent conversations, to story slams, to Twitter chats, we have learned so much from the Ascend Network on how you...
BlogOctober 30, 2020
The Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative is a partnership with Imaginable Futures and the ECMC Foundation to raise awareness about...
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsJuly 13, 2020
I have found that what many people are calling the new “normal” (e.g. sheltered in place, job, and food insecurities) are what my family and I str...
BlogApril 21, 2020
The Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative at Ascend at the Aspen Institute hosted a two-day convening to mark entering its second p...
BlogFebruary 12, 2020

Convenings Featuring Drayton Jackson

Location: Virtual & In-Person in Washington, DC
Over the course of two days, our discussions focused on bold, equitable, and pragmatic strategies for building prosperity and well-being for all families. Sessions include insights from the latest two-generation (2Gen) family data, examples of...
ConveningApril 11, 2023 – April 12, 2023
Location: Washington, DC & Virtual
A new generation of leaders are innovating with the North Star of intergenerational prosperity and well-being. Leaders inside state agencies, informed by family voice and guided by ensuring equity, are joining with trusted community partners and...
ConveningApril 12, 2023
Location: Washington, DC & Virtual
On Day 1 we focused on what it takes to move the needle for families with low incomes. Join us for a robust Day 2, in which we will focus on bold, equitable, and pragmatic strategies for building prosperity and well-being for all families. Now is the...
ConveningApril 12, 2023
Location: Aspen, CO
For over a decade, Ascend at the Aspen Institute has lifted up parents’ voices and experiences to inform bold solutions for economic mobility in the United States. How does lived expertise influence the way programs and policies are created? What...
ConveningJune 27, 2022
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Learn how Ascend Network Partners are using the two-generation (2Gen) approach across the country....
ConveningJune 7, 2021