For close to 30 years, Jacquelyn Santiago Nazario has been an advocate for underserved youth in her community. In 2019, upon becoming CEO, Jackie led COMPASS through a Theory of Change that focused the agency’s mission on interrupting violence in the City of Hartford by building transformative relationships with youth living in the center of the violence.

Since then, Jackie has built a high-performance team to meet the needs of Hartford’s highest-risk youth. She supports the team by ensuring they have the resources needed to deliver impactful programming. Jackie has secured over $12 million in new funding for COMPASS in her five years as CEO. Working with systems that affect our youth, Jackie advocates for positive change in education and juvenile justice. Jackie communicates with stakeholders, government entities, and the public on behalf of COMPASS. Jackie is a leader in the violence interruption community, serving on Governor Lamont’s Commission on Community Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention and The Governor’s Workforce Council. She is a Human Relations Commissioner for the City of Hartford and co- chaired Hartford Mayor Arunun Arulampalam’s Quality of Life and Public Safety Transition Committee. A sought-after speaker, Jackie has presented to the Tow Foundation-New Haven University Justice Initiative, the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Jackie is a native of Lawrence, MA; she received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Trinity College and her Master’s degree from Quinnipiac University’s School of Business. Growing up, Jackie faced many of the same obstacles as the young people who inspire her today. An excellent student in public school, Jackie received a scholarship to attend a prep school where she struggled to maintain decent grades. “I failed. It was then that I realized the schools in Lawrence hadn’t prepared me well academically.” Jackie decided that if she were lucky enough to attend college, she would do something to help children, their families, and schools. Pingree School prepared her for her career at Trinity College; Jackie wants to ensure others have the same opportunity.