Bill Jackson

Executive Director at Discovery Partners Institute
President of Global Products, Building Technologies, and Solutions at Johnson Controls

• BS, 1982, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois
• MS, 1983, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois
• MBA, 1988, University of Chicago

As president of global products, building technologies, and solutions at Johnson Controls, Bill Jackson is responsible for all building products including building controls systems, digital solutions and HVAC equipment throughout the world.  His responsibilities include over hundred manufacturing facilities and over 5,000 engineers.   

Early in his career, Bill worked at the consulting firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton and Booz & Company as a senior partner. At Booz & Company, he served in several leadership roles and served on their board of directors. Bill was with Booz & Company for more than 20 years.

In 2011, Bill joined Johnson Controls as executive vice president of operations and innovation. He focused on business turnarounds.  Over the last seven years, Bill has held various executive-level positions including leading corporate development and spearheading mergers and acquisitions for the organization. He also ran JCI’s automotive interiors and electronics business.  In his current role, Bill leads the Building’s product businesses, around $10 billion in revenue with over 60 percent of the revenue outside the U.S.

Bill has served on several boards, most recently for Metaldyne Performance Group and Cincinnati Milacron. He also serves as chair of the Illinois Engineering Board of Visitors. In 2014, Bill was honored with the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Bill holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical science and engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.

Current as of May 2022