Vanessa Prier Jackson has served as chair for two years, and is a member of the faculty of records committee for the Honors program at the university.  Her goal as chair is to provide and nurture transformative education for the leaders of tomorrow through support of experiential learning, study abroad and enhanced professional development for faculty and staff.  Dr. Jackson’s current research focuses on the identification of soft skills students need to be competitive in the retailing and tourism management industry.  This research seeks to determine what were the student, faculty, industry leaders and alumni perceived soft skills needed by students for their job performance and the extent to which students’ received these skills in college. The results of her research would help academicians and industry leaders create strategies to enhance students’ productivity in the world of work.