Leadership

Jessica Hess

Jessica Hess

Chief Governance Officer

Biography

Jessica oversees important functions of IDEA that support the integrity, accountability, cost-effectiveness and transparency of our organization for the benefit of students and families. In particular, she and her team support IDEA’s fiduciary board, legal and audit work, and general compliance.

Jessica is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with degrees in English and Spanish. Her personal experience as the first in her family to graduate from college, as well as her experiences teaching middle school reading in Roma, Texas, led her in 2013 to IDEA Public Schools and the talent acquisition team. She has held various roles since, including Chief of Staff and Vice President of Board Relations and Governance.

Jessica lives in the Rio Grande Valley with her husband and their two daughters.