Anne Owen Jackson

Anne Owen Jackson, who died at home in Newton on October 14, never shied away from a challenge, in business or in life. By the time she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she had worked internationally, risen to be Chief Data Analyst for IBM's Analytics Platform Services Business, and was raising two young daughters. In nine years of living with cancer - emphasis on living - she continued to advance her career while carrying on with a full life of family trips, ambitious gardening and cooking projects, and hosting regular dinner parties for a large circle of friends despite often grueling chemotherapy.

Anne graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in chemistry in 1994 and in 2002 earned an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Between those degrees, she worked in Hong Kong for Goldman Sachs and others. Following more than a decade at IBM she transitioned to Optum Technology, where she held positions of significance, including Director of Data Science and Machine Learning and ultimately Analytics Director of cybersecurity.

Her professional leadership was characterized by making her team members feel seen, drawing out their best ideas and most effective work, and by keen perception: Anne saw under-appreciated possibilities in technology and was able, quietly and without grandstanding, to make the case for her vision to corporate leaders at the highest levels. She brought the same big-picture thinking and willingness to dive into tough problems to everyday life. Anne never looked for the easy way out - a trait she shared with her beloved husband, Rajiv Srinath, and always sought to instill in her daughters, Lyra and Tait.

The entire family shared a love of adventure, taking RV trips in the Southwest and other parts of the U.S. in recent years and international travel to Italy and Hungary in 2024. Anne shared with her daughters her love of sailing, learned in her youth in Connecticut; she was also a certified SCUBA diver and a sailplane pilot who first soloed at age 14.

At home, Anne grew her own hot peppers and used them to make a formidable hot sauce. She was a creative cook, always ready to try a new recipe for the frequent dinners she and Rajiv hosted for a diverse group of friends and family. That social circle highlighted another of Anne's noteworthy qualities: a calm, non-judgmental enjoyment of people different from herself. Even as she was absolutely firm in living her own values, Anne never attempted to impose them on others.

Most of all, Anne was determined to make the most of the years she had left: to quietly, without drama or self-pity, live a full life with Rajiv and Lyra and Tait, to continue building an impressive career, to offer her friends support and advice and laughter.

In addition to her husband and daughters, Anne Jackson is survived by her mother, Anne (Nan) R. Jackson, three brothers, Bruce Jackson, Donald Jackson and William Jackson, and nieces and nephews.

She is to be interred in a private ceremony at the Newton Cemetery on November 2, 2024 and remembrances should be made to Ovarian Cancer research Alliance or Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in her name.