Board of Directors

Jessica is a former investment banker with Lehman Brothers and is currently a professor of personal finance at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. As a banker in New York, she advised numerous consumer, retail and industrial companies in executing over $20 billion in transactions through initial public offerings, acquisitions, and divestitures. Noteworthy deals include the IPO of J Crew, the leveraged buyout and IPO of Hertz Rental Car, and several divestitures for Newell Rubbermaid. Upon relocating to Charleston, she has provided strategic and financial consulting advice to consumer product companies. She spent two years with one of her clients, Harry Barker, where she served as CEO.

As a professor in Charleston, she has taught numerous students the fundamentals of personal finance. She is particularly passionate about empowering people to be more financially independent and confident and has conducted classes in the community targeting lower-income and unemployed women. A graduate of the College of Charleston, Jessica holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. She also serves on the College of Charleston’s Foundation Board and resides in Charleston with her husband, Brent, and their two boys.