Dr. Raven Jackson, affectionately known as “Dr. J.,” earned a degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. After graduation, she completed a post-doctoral bio-behavioral research internship at the Mannheimer Foundation, Inc. where she conducted research on the mother-infant relationship and its correlation with chronic idiopathic colitis in captive rhesus macaques. Prior to receiving her veterinary degree, she received her bachelor’s degree in Animal and Poultry Science from Tuskegee University. 

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Dr. Jackson has several years of experience working with and studying nonhuman primates in various settings, from laboratory to zoological. She currently serves as the Director of Veterinary Care/Attending Veterinarian at the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimp Haven, where she is responsible for the medical care of over 300 hundred chimpanzees. 

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Her veterinary clinical support also expands to the Animal Resources Department at Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center. 

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Dr. Jackson has been broadly known through her professional work as a veterinarian, but Dr. J. Speaks was birthed out of a desire to transcend her voice and advocacy of animals to people through assistance with the self-discovery process and alignment with God-ordained purpose.