Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center

Dr. Alvin D. Jackson, a family practice physician, is the former Director of the Ohio Department of Health. He was appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland in January of 2007, and served until January 10, 2011. He is believed to be the first Director to visit every local Health Department in the history of The Ohio Department of Health. Jackson’s responsibilities included management of a $700 million budget and nearly 1300 employees, and regulatory oversight of Ohio’s 128 local health departments and other public and private health care providers. Dr. Jackson made public awareness and education, disease prevention and data-driven decision making as top priorities in his service to the 11.5 million Ohio residents.

Dr. Jackson has served on the Board of Directors of ASTHO (The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials). He was recently appointed to the Institute of Medicine's Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice. Dr. Jackson also serves on The Ohio State University College of Medicine Admission’s Committee, The Ohio State University Medical Alumni Board of Governors and on the Board of The Ohio State University College of Optometry Dean’s Advisory Council.

On May 12, 2009, Dr. Jackson became the first Public Health official to meet with President Barack Obama. He was one of seven business leaders invited to the White House to discuss ways to cut health costs.

Prior to becoming Ohio Health Director, Dr. Jackson was Medical Director of Community Health Services and member of the staff of Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio. Community Health Services provides medical services for the community as well as Latino migrant farmers. His fluency in the Spanish language was a great asset to the organization. Dr. Jackson was Chief of Staff of Fremont Memorial Hospital from 2003 to 2005 and a staff physician at the Sandusky County Health Department from 1994 to 2007.

Dr. Jackson was born in Portal, Georgia. He lived on a farm and was one of the first students to integrate the high school there.

Dr. Jackson received his B.S. degree from Andrews University in Michigan. He also did undergraduate studies at Oakwood College in Alabama. Dr. Jackson was the second recipient of the prestigious Luard Scholarship which allowed him to pursue studies at The University of Keele in England and travel to over 20 countries in Europe and Russia. Dr. Jackson earned his M.D. from The Ohio State University and completed his family practice residency at Mercy Hospital of Toledo, Ohio. On May 16, 2004, Dr. Jackson received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Heidelberg College.

Dr. Jackson is a member of the African-American College Club , NAACP, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, the National Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the American College of Physician Executives, The American Public Health Association, the Ohio Public Health Association and . He is a frequent lecturer on the topics of Alzheimer's disease, Diabetes and Wellness.

Dr. Alvin Jackson, a man committed to providing quality health care to people regardless of their ability to pay, has received numerous awards during his career. In November of 2000 he received the "Ohio Quality Care Award" from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals for outstanding contributions to the medical community in the state of Ohio. On April 28, 2001, during the National Farmworker Health Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he was awarded the "Clinician Award" by the Department of Health and Human Services/Bureau of Primary Health Care for his outstanding dedication and commitment to the nation's Migrant Farmworkers. On June 27, 2001 Dr. Jackson was one of ten recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Award out of 577 nominees nationwide. He was chosen for the award for his work in migrant care and also for the role he and his wife, Dr. Gayle Jackson, play in such projects as youth programs and efforts to rebuild a hospital in war-torn Liberia. Dr. Jackson received the $100,000 award at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. In 2001, Dr. Jackson was also named as an Academy Advocate by the Ohio Association of Family Practitioners.

Dr. Jackson has served as the Ohio Primary Care Association's clinician state representative to the board and president and member of the executive committee of the MidWest Clinicians Network.

On November 18, 2002, Dr. Jackson and his wife, Dr. Gayle Jackson, were awarded a $15,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program. This grant was used to study "The Correlation Between Low Academic Achievement and Health Disparities in the African-American Population of Fremont, Ohio."

Dr. Alvin Jackson and his wife are co-recipients of three awards, the 2005 Peacemaker Award from the Tiffin-Fostoria Community Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the 2007 Distinguished Service Award by the Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County and the 2007 Liberty Bell Award presented by the Sandusky County Bar Association.

Dr. Jackson has been involved in international and national relief efforts. In March of 1999, he spent a week in Honduras serving the medical needs of the victims of Hurricane Mitch. Presently he is a participant in the Liberian Relief Effort of Africa House, Inc. In September of 2005, Dr. Alvin Jackson spent about 10 days on the Gulf Coast providing medical care to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He and members of National Association of Community Health Centers have spoken at a congressional staff briefing in Washington to discuss a number of issues, including proposed legislation that would allow medical providers to treat impoverished victims during national disasters.

Dr. Jackson is a family man. He is married to Dr. Gayle Jackson, a retired pharmacologist and education activist. They are parents of four children. Dr. Nkenge Jackson is an OB-GYN, practicing at St. Joseph Candler and Memorial Hospitals in Savannah, Georgia. Dr. Atiba Jackson, an Orthopaedic Surgeon, is working in private practice in Burlington, Iowa and is a sports physician for Western Illinois University. Jelani Jackson is a Research Analyst at Opus Capital Management in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wiloise Jackson is a physical therapy/occupation therapy aide at St. Joseph Candler Hospital in Savannah, Georgia and a student at Armstrong State University. Dr. Jackson has two grandsons, Johari and Amari.

Henry W. B. Smith, III, M.D. was born on May 28, 1952, in Statesboro, Ga., to public school educators. His mother is a former Willow Hill teacher. He received his primary and secondary education in the Bulloch County school system and graduated from Statesboro High school with honors in 1970. During his senior year in high school, he was the state long jump champion. After receiving a full-tuition scholarship to Morehouse College, he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa honor society and was a summa cum laude graduate with a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1974. Upon graduation from Harvard Medical School in 1978, he completed his Internal Medicine residency, Chief residency, and Cardiology fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1985, Dr. Smith was appointed assistant professor of medicine and served as Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Grady Memorial Hospital of Emory University. His paper, "Myocardial Infarction Temporally Related to Cocaine Use", was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in 1987 and later published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. This paper was a pioneering influence in identifying the association between recreational crack cocaine use and heart disease.

In 1987, Dr. Smith entered private practice in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is the senior cardiologist and site coordinator at Eagle Cardiology, a division of Eagle Physicians and Associates. He is a staff member at the Moses H. Cone Health System where he has served as president of the medical staff and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and holds an appointment as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He was chosen the “Teacher of the Year” by the Family Practice Residency program at the Moses H. Cone Hospital in 1993 and 2009.

Dr. Smith is married to his high school sweetheart, Cheryl. They have three grown children and one grandson. He is a deacon and past-chairman of the Trustee Board at the Providence Baptist Church. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, and the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.

Dr. Nkenge Jackson, is a physician specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her practice, Compassionate Care for Women, is located in Savannah, Georgia. She is currently on staff at St. Joseph Candler and Memorial Hospital both located in Savannah Georgia.

Dr. Jackson was born in Columbus, Ohio. She is the oldest of four children, one who is a physician, one who is a banker and one who is planning a career in medicine.

Dr. Jackson received her B.S. degree from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Jackson earned her M.D. from Morehouse School of Medicine and completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Jackson was recognized throughout her medical training for excellence. She was selected Chief Resident at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati, and was honored with the Oraganon resident research award.

Dr. Jackson is a volunteer with the African American College Club and has received training as a mentor for the Fremont Middle School Mentoring Program.

In her OB/Gyn Practice, Dr. Jackson is committed to maintaining the same high standards in medical care and sensitivity to the comfort and needs of her patients. Dr. Jackson believes in the importance of helping each and every patient live as healthy as possible throughout the different phases of life.

Dr. Jackson specializes in:
Total Women's Care Obstetrics Gynecology/Surgery Incontinence Infertility and Family Planning Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms

Dr. Jackson was profiled in the October 2009 Issue of skirt! Magazine

Dr. Jackson is married to Vincent Flowers, a children's book writer and a Program Coordinator for the Urban League.

Jelani Jackson, with his wife, is owner and operator of Richie's Colerain, OH. Founded in 1986, Richie's is a soul-food restaurant featuring spicy fried chicken, deep fried fish, spicy potato wedges, and classic soul- food sides and desserts. Jelani Jackson was born in Columbus, Ohio the third of four siblings. His two oldest siblings are physicians and his youngest sibling wants to start a business centered around health and beauty in the future

From an early age Jelani showed a passion for knowledge, spending nights staying up reading the encyclopedia, like his father had done as a child. At the age of 12 Jelani Jackson started playing piano after seeing the performances of several of his peers at a summer camp. He continued playing piano during his high school years as well as participating in almost every activity possible: Student Council, Theatrical Productions, Marching Band, Chess Club, Basketball and Track. A standout in track Jelani Jackson his senior year was 1st runner up in long jump in the State of Ohio's Division III track meet.

With all these varied interests the choice of what to study in college was not an obvious one but rather one of inspiration. This decision was spurred by the comments of his piano teacher in a Piano Summer Program at Bowling Green State University. She thought he definitely should continue with music. She couldn't understand how he could give up studying the piano with such a gift of interpretation. After hearing these words he decided to change his major from biology to music. Jelani Jackson attended Morehouse College in the fall of 2000 with a major in music and a pre-med concentration with the intent of later going to Medical School. Never one to have just one or two interests, he added Spanish as a major his sophomore year.

Jelani Jackson was the accompanist for the World Renowned Morehouse College Glee Club during the 2002-2003 and 2004-2005 school year. Mr. Jackson spent the 2003-2004 school year abroad. One semester was spent in Spain and the other in the Dominican Republic. He is now fluent in Spanish and has traveled to over 13 countries.

After returning from abroad Jelani Jackson decided that he wanted a career in business. This was a surprise, especially considering the success he had on the Medical College Admission Test and receiving interest from prestigious Medical Schools such as the Harvard Medical School. Nevertheless, Jelani Jackson realized that his true passions lie in business and that he could best help people through teaching financial literacy.

In May 2005 Jelani Jackson graduated Summa cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa with B.A. degrees in Music & Spanish. Before starting work at Fifth Third Bank in their management training program, Jelani Jackson backpacked through Mexico for three months in the summer of 2005. He raised money through selling candy out of his dorm, giving a fundraising recital and a little help from his parents.

In the future Jelani Jackson plans to help educate people about financial literacy and travel even more of the world.

Jelani Jackson is married to the love of his life Nikki Bhoolai.

Hazel Marie Lee Allen was born in 1937 in the Willow Hill Community of Bulloch County, Georgia. She is the daughter of Solomon Lee and Bonnie Mae Donaldson Lee and descendant of some of the earliest African Americans of Bulloch County, Georgia. She is a retired Willow Hill and Bulloch County School system teacher.

Her early education was at the Willow Hill Elementary and Junior High School which she attended 1943-1953. She graduated from William James High School in Statesboro, Georgia in 1955. She attended Savannah State College and was graduated in 1960 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She has pursued additional studies at Georgia Southern University.

Mrs. Allen has an extensive teaching career which started in Catoosa County Public School system in Lyerly, Georgia in 1960. In 1962 she returned to Bulloch County School system where she taught over 30 years. She taught at Willow Hill Elementary School (1962-1969), Julia P. Bryant Elementary School (1969-1970) and Portal Elementary and High School (1970-1991) where she retired.

Mrs. Allen has received numerous honors for her outstanding teaching career. She was Bulloch County Teacher of the Year (1966-1967) and Portal Primary and High School Teacher of the Year (1987-1988). Mrs. Allen received the Parents and Teachers Organization Service Award in 1990 and was recognized in 1991 by the Georgia Association of Educators for her extensive teaching career.

Mrs. Allen is a member of several professional and social organizations including the Rain or Shine Club, Black Business and Professional Women's Club, the Retired Bulloch County Teacher's Association and charter member of the Socialite Club.

Mrs. Allen is a member of the Statesboro Seventh Day Adventist Church. She serves on the Deaconess Board and has taught in the Primary and Kindergarten classes.

Mrs. Allen enjoys gardening, sewing and baking, coming from a family tradition of cake bakers. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Charlie J. Allen, for 49 years. They have three children, Valencia Allen Love, Carlos Diego Allen, and Lummie LaShay Allen Harris; six grandchildren, Victor Love, Cassandra Love, Kierra Allen (deceased), Carlos Allen, Jr., Jobari Allen and Jalen Harris; and three great-grandchildren, Ja’vion Malaik Wynn, Makayla Nicole Love, and Anthony Tre Love.

Lummie LaShay Allen Harris is currently a school library media specialist at Miller Grove Middle School in Decatur, Georgia. She serves the curriculum needs of the faculty, staff, and over 1300 students at this metropolitan Atlanta school located in South DeKalb County. As one of the school's two library media specialists, she serves as a teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator, which includes program analysis and collection development. She also serves as the school's Webmaster.

Her commitment to learning and literacy extend well beyond her contractual duties and responsibilities. She also serves on the school's Instructional Design Team, the School Improvement Team, the Leadership Team, and the Media and Technology Committee. She was selected by her fellow media specialist colleagues to serve on the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Steering Committee for DeKalb County. This committee helps facilitate the local, regional, and statewide Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl for the state of Georgia. Additionally, she will spend the next two years serving as one of six media specialists within the county who serve on DeKalb County's Teacher-Librarian Advisory Council. This elected council represents over 145 schools and centers in the DeKalb County School System.

Lummie Harris began her teaching career in 1998 at Statesboro High School in Statesboro, Georgia. During her time at Statesboro High School, she taught ninth grade English literature and composition and French I. From August 2000 - May 2006 she was an eighth grade language arts teacher at Miller Grove Middle School. She began her current position, school library media specialist, at the school in 2006.

Lummie Harris attended Willow Hill Elementary from 1984 - 1988. She graduated from Portal High School in Portal, Georgia in 1993. She earned her bachelor's degree in Secondary English Education in 1998 from Georgia Southern University. She received her Master's degree in Instructional Technology with certification in School Library Media from The University of Georgia in August 2006. She just recently received her Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from Lincoln Memorial University in Educational Administration and Supervision.

In 2000, she married Jarrett Harris, and they are the proud parents of one son, Jalen Harris. She and her family currently reside in Ellenwood, Georgia.

Dr. Atiba Jackson is an Orthopedic Sports Medicine specialist who practices in Burlington, Iowa. Dr. Jackson is currently the team physician for Western Illinois University, Southeastern Iowa Community College and multiple high schools in Burlington, Iowa and surrounding areas.

Dr. Atiba Jackson was born July 24, 1978 in Columbus Ohio. He was the second of four children of Dr. Alvin Jackson and Dr. Gayle Martin Jackson. At an early age Dr. Jackson showed a thirst for knowledge always asking tough questions that often seemed precocious for such a young child. He was full of life and was considered a daredevil, often trying stunts and tricks most would not even think to attempt.

In the inner city of Columbus where there were many temptations, Dr. Jackson stayed out of trouble by playing sports and keeping his grades up in school. He played football, basketball and ran track. He was a two way starter in football, a high flying dunker in basketball and a long jump record holder in track. Although Dr. Jackson was very successful in sports he always had a passion for science and learning.

During his senior year in high school Dr. Jackson had his first son Johari with his future wife Jessica Contreras. He knew all of the negative thinking that came with being a teenage parent and refused to be defined by a statistic or fall into a stereotype. With the help of Jessica, his supportive parents, and brother and sisters, Dr. Jackson set out to define his own destiny.

Dr. Jackson earned an academic scholarship to the University of Cincinnati and majored in biochemistry. He was able to navigate through this tough major with his new family and was very successful. He applied and was accepted to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine with a scholarship. With this acceptance he knew that he had beaten the odds - he had become a statistic but a statistic of successes. Dr. Jackson finally knew the he could give his family the life they always dreamed of.

While in medical school Dr. Jackson realized that he could combine his love for sports, science and learning through Orthopaedic Surgery. Orthopaedics is one of the harder specialties to enter so he knew that he had his work cut out for him.

During the end of the second year of medical school, as he was studying for the boards, Dr. Jackson had his second son Amari. He worked very hard and scored very high on his board exam. This opened up the door for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

During his Orthopaedic Surgery training at The Ohio State University School of Medicine, Dr. Jackson stayed busy learning to operate and do research. He stayed focused on the goal of being a team physician, taking care of the surgical problems of athletes.

Dr. Jackson completed a sports fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he served as one of the team physicians for the NFL Detroit Lions and the Oakland University Athletic Department.

Dr. Jackson is married to Jessica and has two sons Johari, age 15 and Amari age 9. He enjoys spending time with his family and staying in shape.

“All I wish for is an opportunity to learn." This is a quote from a young child in Liberia West Africa, who had survived the civil war and wanted an opportunity to come to America to get an education. This is the motto by which Wiloise Jackson lives by.

Wiloise Jackson, the youngest of four children, was raised in Columbus and Fremont, Ohio. She is a Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy Aide at Candler Hospital in Savannah Georgia. Her caring and compassionate nature has not gone unnoticed. At Candler Hospital, she has been the recipient of several awards, including the “We Care” award and the “Gumby” award. As she makes plans to pursue a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, she is currently taking prerequisite classes at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah Georgia. Wiloise graduated from Spelman College in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater. Her participation in the short film Psalm 130 helped her team, New Genre Project, to win the Audience Choice Award at the 2007 Campus Movie Fest in Atlanta, Georgia. In her junior year, Wiloise studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Wiloise received her high school Diploma from Fremont Ross High School in 2003. During her senior year she was awarded two college scholarships, the NAACP Academic Scholarship and the Alex Clark Academic Minority Scholarship. She was also voted by her senior class, "Most Likely to Make an Impact."

Wiloise has been involved in many research programs. At Bowling Green State University she was involved in the Pre-College Enrichment Program. In addition she has done research at Kentucky State University, as part of the Math and Science program, funded by the National Institute of Science. At Spelman she participated in the MBRS Rise (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) Research Training Program. At the University of Iowa Department of Public Health, she participated in the Summer Research Opportunity Program.

Throughout her life Wiloise, has always tried to achieve excellence in her work. One of her greatest accomplishments was meeting and interviewing Ms. Shay Banks and Ms. Julia Jefferson the descendents of Thomas Jefferson and Sallie Hemings. Wiloise also volunteered on migrant farms in Fremont, Ohio and assisted with teaching English to the migrant farm workers. Wiloise has been involved in the African American College Club serving as student tutor and mentor.

Wiloise continues her community service in Savannah, Georgia. She has volunteered with “Keep Savannah Beautiful”, raised money for the Tybee Post Theatre and performed in the musical “Lefty the Pirate” on Tybee Island.

Wiloise Jackson has a true passion and love of education, people and her family. She continues to strive for excellence and thanks all those especially her family for helping her to achieve her goals.

Larry Lee, Jr. was born in Statesboro, Georgia to Mary and the late Larry "Bobby" Lee, Sr. He grew up in Ft. Pierce, Florida and graduated from Ft. Pierce Central High School in 1972. He graduated from Livingstone College (Salisbury, NC) in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Upon graduating from Livingstone he signed a professional football contract with the Denver Broncos. He later taught school and coached football and track at Screven County High in Sylvania, Georgia. He later married his college sweetheart Alice and they are the proud parents of one daughter, LaTasha.

He has been employed by Indian River Community College as a job placement counselor and has also taught at Ft. Pierce Central High School. In 1988 he opened his own State Farm Insurance Agency. State Farm featured him in their National Ad Campaign in 1992, appearing in advertisements in magazines such as Black Enterprise and Emerge Magazine. In 1998 State Farm selected him to appear in their "About State Farm" ad campaign. He has qualified 10 times during his career for the State Farm Million Dollar Club. Larry was inducted into Livingstone College Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2003 he was featured as one of twelve people selected nationally to be featured in the book "The Influentials," by Jon Berry and Ed Keller.

He is a member of Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Pierce, FL. He has served on the Board of Directors of the former Barnett Bank and Nations Bank and is a former member of the Fort Pierce Community Redevelopment Agency. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the former Harbor Federal Savings Bank. Larry is a member of the Board of Trustees for the United Way of St. Lucie County and the Board of Directors of the Unity Property Development Corporation. He is co-founder of the Fort Pierce Jazz Society and co-owner of WFLM 104.7 FM and WIRA 1400 AM radio stations. Larry's passion for helping youth and senior citizens led him to found the Lighthouse Foundation to serve these populations on Florida's Treasure Coast. He has his own radio talk show entitled "Pay It Forward Friday," airing every Friday morning from 10 am-11am on 104.7 FM and 1400 AM. Larry's father, the late Larry Lee, Sr., was a student at Willow Hill and inspired him to help preserve the legacy of Willow Hill.

LaTasha H. Lee serves as a board member of the Willow Heritage and Renaissance Center. She was born in Fort Pierce, Florida to Larry Lee, Jr. and Alice Hoskins Lee. Currently, LaTasha resides in South Florida where she has been working in the field of biomedical sciences for the past eight years. Her passion is helping the masses through biomedical research and discovery.

LaTasha believes in lifelong learning, because education of the past is but a preparation for the present and a forecast to the future. The most influential person to shape her life was her paternal grandfather Larry “Bobby” Lee, Sr., who passed away in 2008. In his own simple way he instilled in her many principals that have guided her life. He would tell her “everything you do can affect your future.” It is no surprise that when deciding upon a career, she chose to take the road least traveled, one that was challenging, required sacrifice, and based on service – research in the biological sciences.

In 1999, she graduated in the top of her high school class from Lincoln Park Academy, receiving High Honors, International Baccalaureate Certificates, and other honors. She matriculated to Florida A&M University where she received the prestigious Presidential Scholarship, BIONR Scholarship, Bright Futures Scholarship, and numerous awards and certificates. She graduated in the spring of 2003 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry. Upon completion of her degree she moved to Washington, DC where she received her Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Cancer Epidemiology from George Washington University.

LaTasha is very involved in both her career and community. One of her true passions is volunteering with the American Cancer Society in their signature event Relay for Life.

Mrs. Patricia Harden Willis attended Willow Hill Elementary School from the 1st - 6th Grades. After graduating from Portal High School, she attended Georgia Southern University and received a B.B.A. degree in Accounting.

Mrs. Willis moved to Atlanta, Georgia and worked many years in Accounting in the banking industry. She later changed careers to focus on Information Technology. Mrs. Willis currently is employed with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. as a Business Systems Analyst where she works on financial system applications. In August, 2006, Mrs. Willis traveled to London and Hong Kong to provide application training to Turner employees.

Mrs. Willis is the daughter of the late Mr. Henry D. and Mrs. Veleria Harden. She is married to Glenn Willis and has one son, Jared.