Jessica is a Program Coordinator at American University’s Women & Politics Institute.  She will graduate in May 2020 and she will earn a Master of Public Policy degree with a concentration in gender policy.

As program coordinator for the WeLead Campaign Training Program, Jessica works to recruit expert speakers to come engage with program participants about the necessary skills needed to run for office or manage a campaign.  She monitors the program’s budget and hammers out the logistics of each training session so participants can get the most out of their experience.  Additionally, Jessica manages the Institute’s social media presence, promoting upcoming events and highlighting timely news articles which feature women in politics and leadership.

Jessica’s policy interests include women’s domestic and cross-national economic advancement.  She worked as a gender and development research intern at a global think tank where she published multiple articles about the ways in which the development community can help lift women out of ultra-poverty.  Jessica graduated suma cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies.  When she isn’t in class or at work, you can find Jessica exploring new concert venues around the D.C./DMV area.  You can tweet at her @JessFrancisDC.