Georgia GOP Candidate Rick Jackson, Whose Nonprofit Promoted DEI in 2021, Now Pledges to Ban It in State Government and Schools

Republican billionaire Rick Jackson is campaigning for Georgia governor on a pledge to prohibit DEI programs in state government, public universities and classrooms even as his nonprofit promoted race-conscious hiring practices and anti-racist concepts in a 2021 workplace initiative.

Jackson founded Jackson Healthcare and its network of companies including Jackson Physician Search and Jackson Therapy Partners. He also founded and serves as CEO of the Georgia nonprofit goBeyondProfit, which describes itself as a no-cost resource for Georgia business leaders interested in evolving their corporate generosity efforts into a business strategy.

The initiative included a Telly Award-Winning video series for CEOs on the do’s and don’ts of DEI that remains active on the nonprofit’s website. One video in the goBeyondProfit series promoted Ibram X. Matthew Harrison, the Jackson Healthcare DEI executive who appeared in the series, stated in a goBeyondProfit video that after implementing a Rooney Rule hiring policy at Jackson Healthcare in June 2019, the share of people of color hired into new roles rose from 9% to 25% within one year.

A speaker in the goBeyondProfit video series stated that doing nothing on DEI was cringe worthy. Another speaker framed workplace race issues through slavery and Jim Crow, calling slavery America’s first race-based economic system and stating that vestiges of slavery still live on in the American workplace.

The same speaker encouraged tying DEI metrics to employee evaluations, taking proactive steps and being anti-racist as discussed in Kendi’s book, conducting periodic pay equity reviews, and financially investing in DEI work.

Matthew Harrison stated in a goBeyondProfit video that Jackson Healthcare started a race series using an outside vendor to avoid it being viewed as an HR mandate. A related goBeyondProfit blog post authored by Matthew Harrison and another DEI expert encouraged executives to take an Implicit Association Test and create a Bias Breaker list cataloguing biases involving gender, sexual orientation, race or skin color, weight, age, and other factors.

Fox News Digital reported in March that Matthew Harrison wrote his thesis on Colorism and said in a 2020 podcast that Jackson Healthcare leaders get and see the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Fox News Digital reported last month that one of Rick Jackson’s healthcare staffing companies produced materials ridiculing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Jackson’s campaign platform says he would prohibit DEI programs in state government, public universities and classrooms. " He has said he would be President Donald Trump’s favorite governor.

Rick Jackson modeled his campaign launch after President Donald Trump with a celebratory elevator descent. He donated $1 million to Trump’s MAGA Inc. as he launched his campaign and told local media he cannot name a single White House policy from the Trump administration he doesn’t like.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order shortly after his January 2025 inauguration to remove DEI from public services, universities and beyond. The Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary election is slated for next Tuesday after the May 16 2026 publication date, with the general election for Georgia governor in November. Georgia Lt.

Gov. Burt Jones has President Donald Trump’s formal endorsement. " Fox News reported these details.