Jessica Shortall

Jessica Shortall is a strategy consultant, social entrepreneur, and the author of Work, Pump, Repeat: The New Mom's Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work. In October 2015, she delivered a TED talk, "The American Case for Paid Maternity Leave" at TEDxSMU. As of September 2016, the talk had approximately 1.2 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.

In 2006, Jessica received an MBA with honors from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, as a Skoll Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship.

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 LGBT-welcoming Texas. She previously served as the first Director of Giving at TOMS Shoes.

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