Jessica Shortall


Jessica Shortall is a strategy consultant, social entrepreneur, LGBTQ rights advocate, and the author of . In October 2015, she delivered a TED talk, "The American Case for Paid Maternity Leave" at TEDxSMU. 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.
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 LGBTQ-welcoming Texas. She also leads , 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.