Jesse joins IWPR as Vice President, Policy and Strategic Initiatives having served as a Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families, and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation (ASL) in the ASL office. In these roles, Jesse provided strategic oversight guidance and team leadership to promote the health and well-being of children, youth, families, and communities.

Prior to HHS, Jesse worked as both oversight and policy staff on Capitol Hill as Professional Staff for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Oversight and as an Investigator for what was formerly the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. During her time on Capitol Hill, she managed a breadth of public health and human services investigations as well as a human rights and behavioral health policy portfolio.

A champion for advancing the health and rights of women, children, and families since the beginning of her career in her home state working for an Alaska State Representative and the Alaska Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, Jesse has also served in a range of policy leadership roles for the Guttmacher Institute and the RAND Corporation, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association and the American Public Health Association, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.

Jesse graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Alaska Anchorage and earned a Master of Arts in political science from American University.