Janene Jackson is a senior counsel in Holland & Knight's Public Policy & Regulation Group. Ms. Jackson focuses her practice on local government navigation, legislative and regulatory counseling and D.C. municipal law. Having worked in all branches of the government of the District of Columbia, she brings a 360-degree approach to strategy development and lobbying.
Immediately prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Jackson served as the deputy chief of staff and director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs in the administration of Mayor Vincent Gray. In this position, Ms. Jackson was responsible for the regional, federal and local relationships for the mayor as well as lobbying the Council of the District of Columbia and Congress. She also served as a senior advisor to the mayor and provided advice and counsel to the city administrator, attorney general, deputy mayors and agency directors.
Prior to joining the Gray administration in 2011, Ms. Jackson served as the senior vice president for government affairs at the DC Chamber of Commerce, the largest business membership organization in the District of Columbia. As the chief lobbyist for the organization, she was responsible for crafting and executing the legislative strategies of the organization and negotiating with the executive and legislative branches of government within the District of Columbia.
Before joining the DC Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Jackson served as the committee counsel for the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, while Phil Mendelson was the chairman. Her legislative work also includes serving as the committee counsel for the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation for former Councilmember Kevin P. Chavous.
Ms. Jackson's public policy work includes serving as the executive director of the State Complaint Office of the District of Columbia Public Schools and conducting investigations against local education agencies alleged to have violated the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. As a direct result of her work, the District of Columbia Public Schools moved from noncompliance status to compliance status with the U.S. Department of Education.
As a former assistant corporate counsel in the Office of Corporation Counsel, Ms. Jackson represented the government of the District of Columbia in class action lawsuits. She clerked for the Honorable Donald L. Ivers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and for the Honorable Reggie B. Walton, formerly of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 2012, Ms. Jackson was also an adjunct professor for Washington College of Law, American University's Community and Economic Development Law Clinic.
