Originally from the sierras of Northern California, Jessica (she/her) grew up in a wildland-urban interface, where people and wildlife intersected, inspiring a passion for human-wildlife conflict mitigation.

After receiving a bachelor's in Wildlife Management and Conservation with a minor in Ecological Restoration at Humboldt State University of California, Jessica worked as a seasonal wildlife technician for two years in  Southwest Colorado with the Forest Service and Bear Smart Durango. Her wildlife work brought her to Montana in 2019 for the International Wildlife Film Festival, where she met Carrie Hunt and began interning with the Wind River Bear Institute. Her internship was conducted in partnership with Jamie Jonkel, the Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Region 2 Bear Conflict Specialist, focusing on bear-aware education outreach and assisting with conflict responses with trained Karelian Bear Dogs in the Bitterroot. This work led Jessica to earn an M.S. in Geography, with a focus on Community and Environmental Planning, and a graduate certificate in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution. For her M.S. thesis, Jessica mapped black bear conflicts and conflict prevention efforts in western Montana to inform Bear Smart Community efforts in Missoula and Ravalli Counties.