JACKSON KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE NCTS/OAK GROVE SCHOOL REUNION BANQUET
Earsa (Witcher) Jackson, Esq., is the daughter of Chester and Earsaline Witcher of Waldo, AR. She’s married to her husband of 27 years (Anthony Jackson) and has three grown children (Tarneisha, Izaiah and Amari). She attended Oak Grove School from grade school through ninth grade and graduated from Nevada High School as Valedictorian in 1991.
She attended University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she majored in Criminal Justice with a Legal Studies minor and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She was a Donaghy Scholar and a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. She was a charter member of the university’s chapter of Golden Key National Honor Society. She completed a study abroad in France at the University of Orleans. She was awarded the Pauline Hoeltzel Outstanding Junior Award by the university.
Jackson attended the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, VA and received her Juris Doctor Degree in 1998. While studying at UVA, she was recruited by the law firm of Strasburger & Price to intern after her second year of law school. It was during this internship that she discovered franchise law. She later received a permanent offer to join the firm and began her legal career at Strasburger & Price in its Dallas office in 1998. The firm combined with the national law firm of Clark Hill PLC with more than 650 attorneys and 26 offices.
Jackson leads the firm’s Franchise & Licensing team and serves on the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She has served as the Chair of International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Diversity Institute for seven years and served on its board for a decade. She is a founding member of the Black Franchise Leadership Council launched in 2021. She also serves on the IFA Foundation’s Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Franchise Association as well, and she serves on the Governance Committee of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising. She served as an Associate Editor for the Franchise Law Journal. She is also a Certified Franchise Executive.
She has been named among Most Powerful and Influential Women in Texas by Texas Diversity Council and Women of Impact by ICABA World Community. She has been named among Most Influential Black Lawyers by Savoy Magazine and among Top Lawyers by Living Well Magazine.
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In 2019, she was awarded the Ronald E. Harrison Award for her contributions to fostering diversity in franchising. She graced the cover of Franchising World magazine in July 2018. Most recently, she was quoted by CNBC and other news outlets regarding issues faced franchise systems with operations in Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
She serves on the board of Dallas Christian Women’s Job Corps and chairs its Nominating Committee. She is a member of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas.
She credits her success to supportive parents and family, the solid foundation she received while attending Oak Grove Schooland her faith.
The banquet will be held on Sunday, July 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Nevada Schools in Rosston. Other reunion activities will include the Reunion Picnic on Friday, July 1 from 12 p.m – until and the Reunion Ball on Saturday, July 2 from 8 p.m – 12 midnight. The picnic and ball will be held at the Oak Grove Community Outreach Center in the Oak Grove Community. Reunion Registration will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday July 1. For more information, call 870-397-4283.