Jessica currently serves as the Director of Education at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) where she oversees the organization’s initiatives to improve postsecondary educational attainment and sustainable career pathways for youth who have experienced foster care or homelessness. Prior to this role, Jessica served as the Associate Director at JBAY for nearly eight years where she spearheaded and led the Foster Youth College Advancement Project, an initiative of the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative, that convenes a robust network of leaders in L.A. County to co-design systems improvements to increase postsecondary attainment for youth with experience in foster care. Jessica also provided technical assistance, capacity building and training to public agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations.
Jessica is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and prior to her work at JBAY spent nearly 15 years working with transition-age youth in a direct service capacity, including clinical services and program management and design. Jessica earned her Master’s in Social Welfare with an emphasis in Organizations, Communities and Policy Settings from UCLA and continues to live in Los Angeles.
John Burton Advocates for Youth improves the quality of life for youth in California who have been in foster care or homeless by advocating for better laws, training communities to strengthen local practices and conducting research to inform policy solutions.
