Special Advisor to the President and
Chief Organizational Learning Officer
University of Michigan
Senior Director, Faculty and Leadership Development
University of Michigan Medical School
Sonya Jacobs advises the president and executive leadership of the university and helps lead U-M efforts on cultural change regarding ethics, values and compliance.
As U-M’s first chief organizational learning officer, she is responsible for creating curricula and strategies to build the capabilities of staff, faculty and leaders across campus. This includes the development of education, training, interventions and programs to further initiatives around creating an inclusive and equitable environment.
As the senior director for faculty and leadership development at Michigan Medicine, she is responsible for supporting faculty in achieving their professional and career goals, the recruitment, on-boarding and retention of a diverse faculty, and leadership development for faculty and staff.
She oversees strategic planning and implementation of organization-wide career and leadership development, as well as coaching and mentoring support. Her dual appointment allows her to spot opportunities to strengthen collaboration, identify available resources, and replicate best practices across all three campuses and Michigan Medicine.
She is co-founder of the Leadership Summit for Women in Academic Medicine and Healthcare and the Rudi Ansbacher Women in Academic Medicine Leadership Scholars Program. She founded the Executive Coaching Certification program at Michigan Medicine.
She serves on the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership Advisory Board and is a member of the Steering Committee for the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Women in Medicine and Science and the Group on Faculty Affairs. Additionally, she served on the state of Michigan’s Implicit Bias Training Rules Advisory Workgroup. Her responsibilities included promulgating rules to establish implicit bias training standards for all health professionals in Michigan.
She received the Michigan Chronicle’s 2020 Women of Excellence award, which celebrates African American women who inspire others through their vision and leadership, exceptional achievements, and participation in community service. She also was a recipients of the 2020-21 Sarah Goddard Power Distinguished Service Award.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Michigan State University and a master of science degree in human resources and organizational development from Eastern Michigan University.
