Jessica works collaboratively with The Forum's newly created Innovation and Design team in bringing insights and innovative Black-led solutions to persistent social issues. Drawing on her expertise in Black-Centered Design, Jessica aims to center and embed the voices of Black Minnesotans in power structures, processes, and the culture of systems. Her approach is based in a strong belief that communities most affected by long-standing patterns of inequity, hold the solutions to dismantle the forces of oppression.

Prior to joining The Forum, Jessica founded and led the consulting firm Designing for Equity. While there, she utilized equity-centered design to create spaces for excluded and marginalized student populations in leading decision-making for college campuses.

Jessica is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota studying Higher Education. She completed her undergraduate degree in Youth Studies at the University of Minnesota. She received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan.