Hi, I'm Jess, and I believe that culture rules everything.

For the last 15 years, I've been working at the intersection of social change and culture, helping visionary leaders and purpose-driven organizations manage and lead through complexity and nuance. I design and facilitate experiences that weave together collective wisdom, creativity, and evidence-based strategies to support leaders and teams in tackling challenges, shaping solutions, and building resilient organizations.

As Principal Consultant at Art in Praxis, I thrive on co-creating visionary and practical roadmaps. I've had the privilege of working on projects that move the needle, like leading the Community Infrastructure Fund for Mutual Aid (CIFMA) with the Omidyar Network, using participatory grant-making to invest in mutual aid infrastructure across the U.S., and supporting the Bay Area Cultural Funders for Equity (BACFE), a place-based funding collaborative advancing cultural equity and economic justice.

With experience in facilitation, process improvement, and team development, I host offsites for organizations to harness their wisdom and do strategic work while building relationships and culture. I've had the pleasure of partnering with groups such as Common Future, Borealis Philanthropy, Emergent Fund, National Arts Strategies(NAS), and Rap Research Lab, among others, helping them unlock new ways of working to achieve meaningful impact.

My career journey has taken me from higher education and arts administration to non-profit management, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship. I've held leadership roles like Board President of Alternate ROOTS, Chief Weaver of Social Fabric at the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, and Vice President of the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, where I developed a place-based arts and social change strategy that continues to impact Baltimore's cultural economy.

I've also served as a grants panelist for the Diverse City Fund, MAP Fund, the NEA, and the Maryland State Arts Council, supporting bold initiatives at the intersection of culture and social change.

All of my work is connected by an understanding that a more just future requires creativity. I consider this cultural work. 

As a certified coach (IFC) and contributor to Aesthetic Perspectives, a nationally recognized evaluation framework for socially engaged art, I've had the opportunity to share my expertise with a wide range of organizations and thought leaders. I've also completed fellowships with National Arts Strategies, the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators, and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.

I earned an M.S. in Organization Development from American University and B.A.'s in Communication Studies and African American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition to my work, I serve on the board of the Valerie J. Maynard Foundation and am a founding member of Lalibela Baltimore, an artist-led community development project creating a new home for film projection, technology, culture, and community.

I welcome opportunities to learn about and contribute to projects that prioritize and value meaningful, creative, and equitable change.