Jackson Free Press

Being first is a designation many people desire to possess, although most aren't always that fortunate. But Juanyce Taylor, director of diversity assessment and programs for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has a history of originality.

The 37-year-old North Jackson native was the first statewide project coordinator for the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi at Ole Miss from 2000 to 2007, and the first chairwoman for the newly founded Young Leaders in Philanthropy for the United Way of the Capital Area in Jackson. Most recently, Vision 2020 chose Taylor, along with Anita McCarthy of Ocean Springs, as a state delegate for the organization's October conference. Vision 2020, a project of Drexel University in Pennsylvania, focuses on promoting gender equality by encouraging dialogue about the advancement of women.

"What I would like to do as a Mississippian is to bring the information I learn from the conference back to my home state and share that with constituent groups, particularly any advances on the 19th amendment, which advocates for women's rights." Taylor says.

During the Vision 2020 conference at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Penn., delegates will learn more about their roles and set a decade-long agenda for the organization. The agenda leads up to the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which has guaranteed women's suffrage since 1920.

Aside from her life as a professional, Taylor's time is occupied with being a mother to her 7-year-old daughter. Taylor says her previous career in higher education, and her current role at UMMC has prepared her for her upcoming role with Vision 2020.
 
Taylor is a graduate of Callaway High School, and she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1995, and a master's degree in counseling education at Jackson State University in 1998. She is currently completing her doctoral studies in international development with research interests in diversity policy implications, leadership and accountability at the USM. As the project coordinator for Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi at Ole Miss, she worked to increase the number of minority doctoral recipients in areas of science, math, engineering and technology.

"Diversity is more than race, and there is still a growing need to eliminate health disparities in our state. The work that I do at UMC promotes fairness, equality and being culturally competent, which is directly in line with some of the causes I'll be promoting as part of Vision 2020," Taylor says. "If I could describe myself in three ways they would be: committed to the cause; an advocate for what is right,; and a driven person," she added.