Meet our Interim Executive Director

The Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson serves as the Interim Executive Director of the Conference of Baptist Ministers in Massachusetts. Called to serve as a pastor to pastors, she is leading the Conference through a season of listening, renewal, and organizational strengthening while encouraging clergy across the Commonwealth in their ministries.

Dr. Jackson brings more than three decades of executive leadership experience spanning ministry, higher education, nonprofit organizations, and the corporate sector. Before accepting the call to serve the Conference, she was Dean of the Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she led significant enrollment growth, academic innovation, and international partnerships. She has also served as Executive Director of the Ministers Council of the American Baptist Churches USA, Inaugural Director of Lifelong Learning at Yale Divinity School, Director of Operations for All Girls Allowed, and Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Needham, Massachusetts. She currently serves as Executive Pastor of the historic Emmanuel Baptist Church in Malden.

Ordained in the American Baptist Churches USA, Dr. Jackson has devoted her ministry to equipping leaders for faithful and effective service. Whether serving congregations, mentoring clergy, leading organizations, or teaching future leaders, her work reflects a deep conviction that healthy leaders cultivate healthy churches and communities.

Prior to entering vocational ministry, Dr. Jackson spent twenty years in business and technology, serving in executive leadership roles including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Information Officer, and management consultant. That unique combination of pastoral and executive experience enables her to help churches and ministry organizations navigate change with wisdom, strategic vision, and faithful stewardship.

Dr. Jackson earned both her Doctor of Ministry and Master of Divinity degrees, with honors, from Andover Newton Theological School. She also holds a Master of Engineering in Manufacturing Engineering and a Master of Science in Management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business from Indiana University. She is the author of Spiritual Practices for Effective Leadership, recipient of the 2016 Illumination Book Award Silver Medal, and Meant for Good: Fundamentals in Womanist Leadership. 

Dr. Jackson believes the Church is strongest when its leaders are spiritually grounded, relationally connected, and equipped to serve with courage and hope. During her interim leadership, she is committed to listening to clergy across the Commonwealth, strengthening partnerships, and helping position the Conference of Baptist Ministers in Massachusetts for a vibrant and sustainable future.