PHILLIP ELLIS JACKSON has a PhD from the one of the nation’s top academic institutions, the University of Chicago. After graduating magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany, Jackson entered the PhD program in political science at the University of Chicago. While a graduate student he taught university classes and was a research assistant to several internationally-renown faculty members. In 1982 Dr. Jackson was the speechwriter for a successful congressional candidate. Instead of going to Washington, he remained in Dallas, Texas to become senior vice president of the Chamber of Commerce where he created several nationally-recognized programs that earned him three Presidential Awards for Private Sector Initiatives: two from President Reagan, and one from President Bush. In 1991 he helped organize the "Dallas Round" of NAFTA negotiations between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.