In a 20-year executive career spanning both the private and public sectors, Monique Jacobson has created measurable impact in every position she has held. She is a natural leader with keen intuition and a strong demonstrated history of results driven by data-based decision-making.

After graduating with honors from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Monique spent 11 years at PepsiCo as one of the youngest directors in the company’s history. She led innovation for the company’s Gatorade brand, including overseeing the $500 million launch of Gatorade G2. She was then hand-picked to start and lead the Accessible Health and Wellness business unit, the first social enterprise undertaking for PepsiCo. This division was tasked with finding sustainable business models to address nutrient poverty. By the time she left PepsiCo, Monique had risen to General Manager of the $1.8 billion Quaker Breakfast portfolio.

In 2011, Monique was appointed by the Governor of New Mexico to serve as the cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Tourism Department, and subsequently as the cabinet secretary for the Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD). As the head of the Tourism Department, Monique engineered and executed a complete overhaul of the department, which led to a turnaround of the industry and a record-breaking number of tourists and dollars coming into the state. Her development and launch of the iconic New Mexico True campaign has been transformational for the tourism industry in New Mexico. 

As Cabinet Secretary of CYFD, Monique was responsible for four major divisions: Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, Early Childhood Services, and Children’s Behavioral Health. In this position, she led over 2,000 employees and 32 offices throughout the state, including three 24-hour secure facilities for incarcerated youth. She implemented numerous reforms within the agency, established vocational education programs at facilities for incarcerated youth, worked with the legislature to secure nearly $100 million in increased funding for the agency, and created the first ever Child Wellness Center in the state.

Monique was born in Taos, New Mexico, and has also lived and worked in Philadelphia and Chicago. She has a passion for changing the world, helping people realize their full potential, and watching her sons play music and baseball. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her husband and three children.