Jakeim Jackson-Bell ’15 is the diversity, equity and inclusion outreach manager for the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the NBA championship in 2021. He studied human resource management at UTSA.
APRIL 13, 2022 — Jakeim Jackson-Bell ’15 dreamed of the day he’d win an NBA championship—a goal he achieved last July. But his path didn’t follow the route he envisioned as a child. Instead, he received his NBA championship ring while serving as the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) outreach manager with the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum Arena.
Driving their DEI initiatives, Jackson-Bell is building pipelines for recruiting diverse talent; managing three employee resource groups to support African American, women and LGBTQ team members; and creating programming to help provide job opportunities for youth.
“This is my dream job,” said Jackson-Bell, who grew up in Baton Rouge and Dallas playing basketball from the age of four. Working in a fast-paced environment, every day is different for him. In the off-season, he attends numerous career fairs and focuses on recruitment. He also partners with business leaders to move the city of Milwaukee forward, serves on the board for Employ Milwaukee and is the co-vice president for the Milwaukee chapter of Black Sports Professionals.
“At the end of the day a lot of candidates are looking to see what an organization is doing from a diversity, equity and inclusion standpoint,” said Jackson-Bell, who majored in human resource management at UTSA. “I’m most proud of being able to connect more minorities with job opportunities in sports entertainment, hire more women, work with veterans and provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities.”
Since he began his role in March, he has been able to diversify his organization’s talent pool, leading to a 46% increase in female hires and 31% increase in minorities.
Standing at 5’11” on a good day, Jackson-Bell realized as a high school student that he needed to start focusing on the business side of basketball. While attending a magnet high school focused on business, his teachers and family encouraged him to pursue a career in human resources based on his people skills.
When it came to selecting a university, he and two of his best friends put the names of all of the universities they were accepted into in a bowl and drew. UTSA was their choice.
“I had a great experience at UTSA,” said Jackson-Bell, who was active with the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management and Men of Honor while on campus. “I connected with people from all walks of life, and it helped me better understand different perspectives.”
He credits a retired faculty member with preparing him for life as a human resources executive. “I learned a lot from Professor (Steve) Werling,” he said. “My classes were hard, but they translated directly to my current career. I gained real life experiences.”
Looking to bridge his passion for human resources with sports, he accepted a nonpaid internship with Standard of Athletics, a non-profit organization that supports youth athletes while at UTSA.
After graduation, he worked in several generalist human resources roles in Houston and received his M.B.A. from Texas Southern University. He thought he’d pursue a career in health care, but his passions took him back to sports and entertainment.
Following a connection made through LinkedIn, he began a career with the Atlanta Hawks as a people and culture specialist.
“I created my LinkedIn account as a student at UTSA,” he said. “They were just starting to build their platform. I began engaging with HR professionals in sports and next thing I knew I had a job offer and relocated to Atlanta.”
Several years later, LinkedIn was the catalyst for his role with the Bucks. “The Bucks stood out to me with their leadership, the work that they do in the community and their stance on social justice issues,” he said.
Jackson-Bell encourages business students to build their professional brand and their networks. “Your network is your net worth,” he said.
During the playoffs last summer he was able to witness firsthand the joys of winning an NBA championship. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to work for an NBA team this soon. But by putting out positive energy and connecting with industry peers, I was able to achieve my dream.”
While he has seen great success early in his career, Jackson-Bell is not complacent. “My goal is to be a chief people officer for an NBA team or work in the league office leading human resources for all teams. The NBA is one of the more progressive leagues in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion,” he said.
With his enthusiasm and positivity one thing is for certain; he will keep making those connections until he achieves his dreams.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
