Rising Alum: Dean Jackson

When Dean Jackson chose UW to study business administration (2016), he also chose UW’s Army ROTC Cowboy Battalion, becoming a Distinguished Military Graduate ranked in the top 2 percent of over 6,000 cadets.

“Earning a commission through UW immediately set me on my career path,” Jackson says. “The education broadly — and my experience with ROTC — were absolutely crucial to landing me where I am today.”

Jackson currently serves as a civilian senior intelligence analyst for a test evaluation squadron in the United States Space Force. Now on reserve duty, he also works as a space officer in the U.S. Army, where he integrates space capabilities into Department of Defense operations.

“The space industry in general is super interesting, and I’m constantly learning new things,” he says.

While on active duty, Jackson also served as a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan. Through it all, he remained an avid volunteer. Using expertise learned at UW, he consulted with small businesses to help them succeed during the COVID pandemic. Since 2013, Jackson also served as a dedicated volunteer at the Colorado Mountain Ranch youth summer camp and horse rescue.

“In 2018, I was in Afghanistan,” Jackson says. “It was after my first firefight. All I could think about was my time at camp. That was when I realized how impactful my experience there was. To see what a place like that can do for someone is my inspiration to keep going back. I would encourage all alumni to be the change in somebody else’s life, to be the person to lend that helping hand.”