Xonjenese Jacobs, DrPH, MPA, GCNM, BSW

Faculty Administrator

Director of Florida Covering Kids & Families

Contact Info

• Academic Email: xjacobs@usf.edu
• Academic Phone: (813) 974-7593
• View My C.V. | View My Website

Education

Discipline

Community and Family Health

Specialization

• Nonprofit Leadership
• Culturally Responsive Practice
• Trauma Informed Care
• Community Engagement
• Adolescent Mental Health
• Grant Administration

Biography

Dr. Xonjenese Jacobs is an experienced and multidisciplinary public health leader with more than 20 years of experience in program leadership, equitable health access, grant administration, and community based public health practice. Her professional background includes impactful roles at Pace Center for Girls, Inc., Hillsborough County Public Schools, and the Florida Kinship Center—strengthening program performance and promoting trauma informed practice for under resourced communities. Dr. Jacobs is deeply passionate about increasing opportunities for marginalized populations and improving the lives of groups with social risk factors. Her career has allowed her to support at risk adolescent girls, kinship caregivers, and families by connecting them to essential resources, services, and pathways to stability. Her advocacy is further reflected through her scholarship, conference presentations, and recognized media presence on issues related to ACA enrollment, Medicaid eligibility, and community health needs. At the USF College of Public Health, she serves as Faculty Administrator and Director of Florida Covering Kids & Families, leading the Covering Florida Navigator Program ACA Navigator operations to promote healthcare access and health literacy across Florida. She is also a part of the Driving Impact through Strategic Training in Applied Public Health (DISTA) team, serving as a subject matter expert and developing curriculum. Dr. Jacobs holds a Bachelor of Social Work, Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management, and a Master of Public Administration. In December 2022, she completed her Doctor of Public Health degree with an Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health concentration after defending her doctoral project on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health among African American adolescent females at the USF COPH.