Assistant Director
Jessa grew up in St. Louis, MO before getting a B.S. in Ecology, Evolutionary, and Behavioral Biology and Philosophy from Beloit College. Between college and graduate school, they volunteered at one of Heifer International’s farms as an Americorp Livestock Intern and worked as a Vet Tech. Jessa then went on to get a PhD in Conservation Biology with a focus on Animal Behavior, studying feral horse social behavior on an island off the coast of North Carolina.
After getting a PhD, Jessa was a professor for a decade at Thomas University, Warren Wilson College and University of Tampa, teaching Biology and Environmental Science courses. Jessa also served as a leader in multiple roles at the nonprofit Society for Conservation Biology. She was introduced to San Juan Island by her father, who lived in Bellingham years ago and then came up to the islands to do research with her husband, Marc. They both jumped at the chance to move to the island when both of their jobs went remote during the pandemic. Jessa is committed to serving the community and is currently the Vice President of the San Juan Island Grange where they run the Seed Lending Library and are starting a Community Garden at Beaverton Marsh.
Jessa has volunteered at animal shelters since they were a child and has always loved and been fascinated by animals and their behavior. Jessa was excited to combine her love for animals, expertise in animal behavior, and leadership skills at Animal Protection Society Friday Harbor, where she joined as Assistant Director in 2024.
Jessa lives on a small farm on San Juan Island with her husband and their menagerie of rescue animals including 3 horses, 4 dogs, 3 cats, chickens, and ducks. In their free time, they enjoy riding horses, gardening, and making pottery.