A Cape Cod resident since 1991, Bert Jackson has had a varied career which spans hospitality, technology sales and consulting, web development, community development, and, of course, music.
Bert started three ice cream/sandwich shops in the Virgin Islands in the early 1980s. In 1985 he acquired the Sweet Life Café in St. Thomas, and developed it into a trend-setting vegetarian restaurant. He also served as a founder and president of the Macrobiotic Organization of St. Thomas, bringing in macrobiotic teachers and counselors from around the country for workshops and individual consultations. This included Herman Aihara, one of the founders of modern-day macrobiotics.
When Bert moved to Cape Cod in 1991, he worked with a local company providing computer solutions to businesses and creative professionals. He was a founder of the multimedia company, MMI, in 1995, and created some of the first websites built, as well as online e-learning projects for the technology, insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Bert founded Koa Media in 2005 to continue web development. He has moved into more of a consultancy role in web and digital marketing. Since July of 2016, Bert has been Director of Community Engagement of the Cape Cod Blue Economy Foundation, an initiative of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
Bert was active on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Technology Council from 2009 to 2018, and now serves as Chief Executive Officer of the organization. He is also a founding member of the SmarterCape Partnership, and has been an active program advisor and mentor for the CCYP Mentor Exchange Program. He also sits on the board of directors for Wellfleet Preservation Hall and the Cultural Center of Cape Cod.
And throughout the years Bert has been a musician, playing jazz, blues and original music since the late 1970s. He believes that creative improvisation that is so associated with music is applicable to life, and that opportunity is the fruit of an open, inquisitive mind.