I first worked with Jess on a Better Buildings Neighborhood Program in 2010. About a year out of college, the position was my first in the energy efficiency space, my first as a community organizer – my first real professional undertaking. Many of my co-workers, all recent college grads, were in the same boat.

Although the same age, Jess had been active as both an organizer and marketing and communications specialist for a few years, and as a lead community organizer she set the example for what it meant to be a young professional in the industry. Confident, polished, and energetic, she had the presence to command a community meeting or influence a group of stakeholders, while demonstrating a respect for established leaders and activists that won their respect and allowed her to continue to grow and learn in her role. Jess’s passion for marketing and organizing was clear to all who met her, and indirectly led me to find my niche as a data manager. I learned from her that dedication to an initiative or a cause is not enough – that the best way to contribute is to bring your unique skills to the table and do what you do best as well and as hard as you can. Jess, by knowing her strengths and consistently contributing her strong, clear vision to the group, helped me find and embrace my own different but complementary voice.

Jess is a free-thinker, and a champion of new and experimental ideas. As a data analyst and developer, I often find myself approaching problems from a solutions-oriented perspective. Jess doesn’t ask, “How do we solve this problem?” but “How do we re-frame this situation so the problem no longer exists?” In the relatively new space of energy efficiency marketing and outreach, nothing is set in stone, and Jess is the best person to have in a corner you’ve painted yourself into. She’s great at getting people and projects out of boxes. Above all, what I admire about Jess is her fearlessness. She is dauntless in her commitment to her vision and goals. Her favorite book is The Lorax, and the spirit of “Unless” permeates her work.