Previously serving as Director of STEAM Initiatives, Jessica stepped into the role of CEO in July 2019. She joined CDE Foundation as an Education Pioneers fellow in 2014 and has been instrumental in the organization’s growth and partnership development ever since.

Under Jessica’s leadership, the CA STEAM Symposium has grown into a premier event attended by STEAM educators from across our state and across the country. Her work has increased the quality and accessibility of STEAM professional learning opportunities for educators, helped build and communicate support for more equitable standards implementation, and brought private and public funders together to better resource California’s teachers, students, and schools.

Prior to joining CDE Foundation, Jessica worked in higher education as an undergraduate admissions officer at the University of Southern California and as a Congressional district staff member. She holds a M.S.Ed. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Art History from Williams College. Based in Los Angeles, Jessica also volunteers with several non-profits in the Southern California region to support equity in expanded student services, arts and STEM education, and college access. Teachers are her heroes

Who was your favorite teacher and why? My favorite teacher was Ms. Martha Wheelock. Her AP English Literature class was one of the hardest I have ever taken. I dreaded the pop-quiz essays, though my writing vastly improved as a result. However, Ms. Wheelock didn’t just demand excellence from us: she infused our class with passion for life and social justice, for seeing connections between subjects and perspectives that were seemingly unrelated or even at odds, for challenging our assumptions while deeply respecting our humanity as learners and thinkers. One of our projects, a transcendentalist-inspired initiative called “Emersonian Gifts,” tasked each of us with channeling a special passion or talent into a gift for a fellow, randomly-assigned classmate. Students received solo dance performances, hand-made pottery, serenades, a tour of the library, and more. The point was to share our unique gifts with one another, generously celebrating individual strengths as a way to build community.

What is your superpower? My love of language, lead to my super power in crossword puzzling.

On the weekend you can usually find me… hiking Fryman or Temescal Canyon, volunteering with local mentoring organizations, browsing bookstores, or hunting for the best gelato.