God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the ONE I can and the wisdom to know it's ME!” ~ Author Unknown
Lorna Jackson the founder of the non-profit organization Compassion for Teen Life and The Advanced Family Care Medical Group in East Los Angeles is a member of President Barack Obama’s Re-election Campaign’s Health Care Advisory Committee and his National Finance Committee. Jackson described the experience as “amazing, humbling and rewarding.”
A social entrepreneur, Jackson’s motivation to succeed is to help others. Watching her mother’s dedication to her community inspired the East Los Angeles entrepreneur to continue her mother’s legacy and devote her time “decreasing the disparities between disadvantaged households and their privileged counterparts.”
Founding the Advanced Family Care Medical Group
While working in Los Angeles, Jackson saw how the lack of knowledge and proper health care had a debilitating effect on her community. While most people would sit and just complain about the situation, Jackson instead devoted her life to making a difference.
As a change agent would, Jackson convinced local pediatricians that integrating the services of her organization would vastly improve the quality of care for patients and with this knowledge she founded the Advanced Family Care Medical Group in 1995 as a multi-specialty medical practice that serves thousands of families from under-served communities every year.
The Advanced Family Care Medical Group’s mission statement is “to empower the under-served communities and families, specifically women and children, from infancy to adulthood. [They] endeavor to provide the highest quality care while educating patients to understand their responsibility for health and well-being.
Tips for Breaking through the “Glass Ceiling”
Lorna Jackson explained that the “‘glass ceiling’ is an invisible barrier preventing equality in the workplace.” With only 12 fortune 500 companies being run by women, Jackson understands that “having more diversity in leadership will lead to more success and it is imperative that [women] continue to promote leadership in all communities.”
Her tips for breaking the glass ceiling are:
- Know your rights – The more knowledgeable you are about laws, the more likely you will be successful in getting what you want
- Have a mentor – She or he can help you get information and connections to people who can help you