Matthew Dakotah: Women In Power: How Lisa Jackson, A Young Girl From New Orleans, Became The First African American To Lead The EPA: A special series profiling trailblazers in energy innovation and champions of the environment. See previous stories here.'From the time I was little I wanted to be a doctor. Back in those days, the thing people would say to a good student was 'Oh, you're going to grow up and be a doctor,'' Lisa Jackson remembers. 'I also had a female pediatrician and I know it sounds a little weird, but from a very early age it never occurred to me that women couldn't be scientists or healthcare professionals.'
Despite those early dreams, that little girl from New Orleans would never work in a hospital and never treat a patient. Instead, she would forge an even bolder path to become the first African American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in U.S. history.
