Jessica Shortall
Jessica Shortall is a strategy consultant, social entrepreneur, LGBTQ rights advocate, and the author of Work, Pump, Repeat: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work.[1][2] In October 2015, she delivered a TED talk, "The American Case for Paid Maternity Leave" at TEDxSMU.[3] As of November 2019, the talk had approximately 1.5 million views.
Early life and education
In 1999, as a student at Wake Forest University, Shortall co-founded a student organization called Homerun that engaged students in cooking and delivering dinners to members of the community. Ultimately, the concept was merged with DC Central Kitchen, a local community kitchen model, to form The Campus Kitchens Project.
Shortall served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan.[4]
In 2006, Jessica received an MBA with honors from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, as a Skoll Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship.[5]
Career
Jessica Shortall is currently Managing Director of Texas Competes, a statewide coalition of businesses, chambers of commerce, and industry associations making the economic case for an LGBTQ-welcoming Texas.[6] She also leads America Competes, a national business coalition along the same lines, for Freedom For All Americans. She previously served as the first Director of Giving at TOMS Shoes, a co-founder of The Campus Kitchens Project, and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan.
References
- Shortall, Jessica (2015-09-08). Work. Pump. Repeat.: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419718700.
- Shortall, Jessica (3 March 2016). "Life in the Only Industrialized Country Without Paid Maternity Leave". The Atlantic. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- Schiff, Steve (28 December 2015). "10 TED Talks That Will Help You Be a Better Parent". Time.com. Time, Inc. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- "TED: Ideas Worth Spreading". December 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- "The Skoll Scholarship". Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- Lopez, Ashley. "Texas Business Community Raises Voice in Debates Over Anti-LGBT Legislation". Retrieved 2016-09-07.
External links
- Link to Jessica Shortall TED Talk, "The US needs paid family leave--for the sake of its future." http://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_shortall_how_america_fails_new_parents_and_their_babies#t-16684
- Link to Texas Competes: www.texascompetes.org