Mrs. Ashanti Jackson serves as founder and CEO of Gameface 4:13 Training Academy. Since its inception, Ashanti has grown the academy by leveraging the popularity of basketball to produce strategic solutions for inner-city children and families. Ashanti has provided scholarships for youth participants by raising in direct cash and in-kind contributions. She’s built relationships with community and faith-based organizations and schools, increasing awareness, creating synergies and collaborating on innovative processes. She has also created a staff-recruiting pipeline and volunteer development program inclusive of metrics that ensure success and empower both staff and volunteers to lead with skill and passion. She has created environments where pioneers within in the community share their knowledge with both youth and staff. And equally important, she’s created A reproducible system for future programs in cities across America. Ground breaking innovative programs for youth have been established under Ashanti leadership that allow youth to thrive both on the court and off the court in their everyday lives. Through this role she has learned the value of Persistence and Grit, Resilience in the Face of Failure, Vision and Passion, Building a Support Network, Adaptability, Long-Term Focus, Continuous Learning, and Feedback and Iteration. 

Driven by a vision to holistically impact the community through civic pursuit, Ashanti also served the Jacksonville, FL community by teaching in the Duval County public and charter school systems. She has taught subjects of Civics, law-studies, American/World history, and character-leadership in which ethics, real-world life skills and critical thinking were taught to students. Under Ashanti’s leadership and supervision, community mentorship has increased within the classroom through spearheading character development classes and a new Black History Fair program has been incorporated within school-supported activities.

Previously, Ashanti served on the Outreach Coordination Team. In this role, Ashanti worked along side regional leaders to initiate and grow a college ministry on the Jacksonville University campus that elevated campus life for both domestic and international students by planning and promoting events and leadership development training. In this role, Ashanti also created a Female Empowerment program, empowered female to lead in combating social issues on campus including crime, sexual and physical abuse, alcohol consumption and suicide. Ashanti successfully established a relationship with the Dean’s office and student life departments that strategically aligned with the university mission and uplifted the campus values and goals, socially and academically. She also established a financial partnership team, raising more than $65,000 over the course of 3 years. Ashanti’s philanthropic pursuits have included volunteering at the local YMCA, Chaplin and Mentor of Jacksonville University Division One Women’s Basketball Team, Duval County Basketball Coach, Riverside Youth Basketball League, Southpoint Community Church Character-Leadership Teacher, serving with Higher Definition Outreach team, and serving globally on college campuses in South America through the Every Nation Churches Campus Engagement and Community Service program.

Ashanti earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and minor in graphic design. Her passions are her family, traveling, meeting new people, sports, design, entrepreneurship, planning, organizing, talking vision and futuristic empowerment.