Mr. Jackson was born and raised in Copper Center, Alaska, where living off the land was the way of life for his family. He served in the military from 1958 to 1964. Afterwards, Mr. Jackson worked in the field of construction, including as a manager for roughly twenty years. A resident of Gulkana, Alaska, he also has many years of service on the Gulkana Village Council. Mr. Jackson is currently the Chair of Ahtna Inc.’s Board of Directors and serves on multiple committees and boards including the Copper River Native Association (CRNA). He is a member of the Udzisyu (Caribou) clan. Mr. Jackson is the son of Tony and Mary Jackson, is married to Lorraine Jackson, and has four children, Harvey, Angela, Frances, and Elton. Throughout his life, he has been committed to preserving the hunting and fishing rights of the Ahtna people and protecting the habitat and renewable resources necessary to support a subsistence way of life.

Mr. Jackson has a long history of serving the Ahtna people. He served on the first Board of Directors for both CRNA and for Ahtna, Inc. Mr. Jackson was also a member of the initial Ahtna Land Selection Committee and served as President of Ahtna, Inc. from 1980 to 1983. In total, Mr. Jackson has served on the Ahtna Board of Directors for more than 40 years.