A passion to develop Jamaica
WHILE most girls her age were playing with dolls and tea party play sets, La’Toya Jackson was running experiments on the ants and lizards in her backyard in Raymonds, Clarendon.
From early on she was curious to know how things worked, and enjoyed pulling them apart to find out just that, much to the amusement of her watchful grandparents and the detriment of many ant colonies. That curiosity drove her to pursue a career in chemical engineering, and eventually become the first female water production manager at National Water Commission (NWC).
Her responsibilities at NWC have since been increased, and today La’Toya Jackson-Morgan is the manager of multiple programmes and projects aimed at reducing water loss, and incorporating new technologies into the nation’s water network in response to climate change.
“I am now supervising three projects,” the pioneering woman told the Jamaica Observer ahead of International Women’s Day. “We are designing transmission mains for the northern parishes; and we have engaged Cole Engineering from Canada to design some networks — pipelines, pump stations, tanks, and so on, so that we can expand coverage and improve service within Kingston — and I am also overseeing that project.
“This will improve the impact of the drought, because we will have more water coming in and less water leaking out,” she explained. “We have also completed a design for Spanish Town Road, and will be changing out the pipelines soon.”
But it is not often that you walk onto a major wastewater and sewage management site and find that under the hard hat and hi-vis vest, one of the team members is a woman. It’s an even more rare that the woman is the head of the all-male team. The surprise on people’s faces when she greets them with her warm, soft voice is one of the things that have punctuated Jackson-Morgan’s journey as a chemical engineer.
“When I was the water production manager, I supervised an all-male team. In fact, most of them were older than me,” she recalled fondly. “And ever so often someone would walk into a room or onto a site and say ‘Good day, gentlemen’, and they would not even notice that a woman was there unless I made them aware.”
But she would have it no other way, she said, because her feminine touch created the perfect balance for productivity with her male counterparts.
“They looked out for me. I had reached the stage where I could get them to do just about anything because they respected me,” she said. “And I think that’s because personality helps. I get along with just about anybody — both those who are hard to manage, as well as those who are easy-going. It’s how you carry yourself and the energy you give off, regardless of gender.”
But though she has been blessed with an open and gender-inclusive workplace for the 12 years that she has been with the NWC, Jackson-Morgan has faced her share of gender imparity as a woman in a man’s world.
“As you go up the ladder you realise the competition is stiff, especially in traditionally male-dominated fields. Women are not always seen as equal,” she said. “Your colleagues might not treat you that way, but you can feel it. Before coming here I experienced situations where I did the same job as a male and was told that I would not be compensated the same way.”
But despite the challenging environment, the rose was determined to bloom, because it’s just not in her nature to back down from challenges.
“I’m driven. I don’t turn down a challenge,” she said bluntly. “I remember being given tasks without even knowing what they are about but I said ‘If somebody else has done it before me, then it can be done.’”
“I was always drawn to the sciences, so I studied them up to sixth form, but when I finished at the age of 16, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” the Glenmuir High School alumna replied when asked why she chose to be chemical engineer.
After witnessing an accident in which the bodies of two motorcyclists were mutilated, Jackson-Morgan knew that she did not want a career in medicine, and even today she gets squeamish around needles and blood. So when she was accepted to further her studies at both The University of the West Indies and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), Jackson-Morgan chose to read for a diploma in chemical technology at the latter.
“From there I went on to teach at Central High School for five years, where I served as specialist teacher for the sciences,” she recalled. “But still I felt like I needed to do more, so I got back and went and did chemical engineering at UTech. By that time I had my first son, so I wanted to stay close to my family.”
During that time Jackson-Morgan not only developed as a scientist, but as a leader. In identifying the need for greater integration of the students in her programme, she sought assistance from the faculty and founded the Association of Chemical Engineering Students. She also engaged in debating and public speaking, and was very active in student politics, chairing the all-female Garvey Hall of residence while she was studying.
“Many people thought I would end up in politics,” she chuckled. But the fact that she currently serves as the PTA president for Monsignor Colin Bryan Preparatory School in Old Harbour proves those people were not wrong to believe so.
Jackson-Morgan not only manages men, but she looks forward to caring for them when she gets home each day. Her husband Deron and their two sons, Deron Jnr and Jordan, will tell you that she is one exemplary woman. So much so that the older son is following in his mother’s footsteps by pursuing a degree in engineering at UTech.
“Being a mother teaches you, and it forces you to grow up,” she reflected. “It was a positive because I had to create a balance between work and my family life, and I still strive to do that every day. I not only try to be the best at my job, but I also try to be the best wife and mother that I can be.”
As she looks forward to her 42nd birthday later this month, Jackson-Morgan is grateful for the opportunity to empower more young women and men through mentorship, and in so doing, developing her homeland.