Nancy Jacobson - Early Career

Early Career

Jacobson’s entry into politics was as a student at Syracuse, when she held a fundraiser for Colorado Senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart in New York. Hart was the main challenger to former Vice-President Walter Mondale for the 1984 Democratic nomination. After her event, Jacobson was appointed co-coordinator for New York’s 27th congressional district, and then an alternate delegate to the 1984 Democratic national convention in San Francisco. Following the convention, she was hired as Hart’s receptionist and then moved to the fundraising department, where she worked until 1988.

Upon Hart’s exit from the 1988 presidential campaign, Jacobson was hired to then Senator Al Gore’s presidential campaign. Gore was one of the front-runners that year, placing third in the primaries. During that time, Jacobson also worked for the Democratic Senate campaign committee under Senator John Kerry.

From 1989–1991, Jacobson was the Political Action Committee (PAC) Director for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the global trade association of the shopping center industry. At the ICSC PAC, Jacobson was responsible for soliciting personal contributions from ICSC members to support Congressional candidates who shared the industry’s interests.