Jessica is a St. Petersburg native who began working as an adjunct at St. Petersburg College in 2004. She earned her BS and MS in Special Education from Florida State University with an emphasis in Emotional Disbailities and Learning Disabilities. Prior to her work at the college she was a classroom teacher of students with emotional, learning and significant cognitive disabilities. She became a mentor teacher and a consultant for her district modeling best practices in both behavior management and teaching curriculum. At that time, she also provided feedback and support to interns and practicum students while teaching as an adjunct for the University of South Florida and earning her Ph.D. She became a faculty member in the College of Education at St. Petersburg College in 2015. Her research interests include: the school to prison pipeline, girls who are at-risk, students of color and their schooling experiences, and how those experiences may or may not intersect with exceptional student education.

When she is not working, she loves traveling, going to the beach for a sunset, and watching college football.