33 / 124
SEPTEMBER 2015 •
PPB
• 31
PROUDEST
ACCOMPLISHMENT
“2014 itself was the proudest
accomplishment of my life. I
invested in myself and in a
coach, sought out incredible
mentors, pushed myself continu-
ally outside of my comfort zones
and seized opportunities to grow.
Being featured on my first
PromoKitchen podcast last year
was a game changer and one of
the highlights of my life—after-
wards I felt like I could run eight
miles. It was a huge turning
point for me, and it inspired me
to reach out to PPAI and ASI
about giving education sessions
on women’s empowerment at the
2015 January trade shows.”
BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED
‘“You’re only as good as the peo-
ple you surround yourself with.’
That has been a mantra of mine
for years. I strive to be surround-
ed by people who will inspire
me, support me, challenge me,
and stand for the person they
know I’m capable of being and
becoming. I am so grateful for
the people in my life, and I make
sure that they know it.”
STATUS IN FIVE YEARS
“Continuing to live my purpose,
which is engagement. I want to be
speaking around the world about
women’s empowerment, helping
people wherever I am remember
the greatness within them, and
bringing joy to others. I am so
blessed and thankful to Sunrise
Identity, and our industry is my
vehicle to do that right now.”
IN MY SPARE TIME
“I like to connect—whether that
is with friends and loved ones,
spending time alone in nature,
exploring new places, meditating
as I stroll along streets—it’s all
about connection. Otherwise I’m
reading books about leadership
and development, writing about
learned insights and contemplat-
ing things in different ways—
and taking good care of myself. I
highly value quality time.”
ALTERNATIVE CAREER
International speaker, published
author and life coach.
ON MY DESK RIGHT NOW
A HandStands Ergo Mat (“best
mousepad ever”), four different
journals from four excellent jour-
nal companies, and a really great
gel pen.
INDUSTRY CHANGES SHE’D
LIKE TO SEE
“I would like to see a collabora-
tive effort in really identifying
who we are as an industry and
what we do, a single resource for
job openings in the industry that
can be searched by industry pro-
fessionals and college grads alike,
and a robust ambassadorship and
outreach into colleges across the
country to share the creativity
and opportunities that the pro-
motional product industry has to
offer. I would especially love to
help establish a group of young
and emerging talent that can
come together to discuss ways to
elevate our presence in the world
of advertising. There is a genera-
tional shift happening in the
workplace. It is essential to
attract, engage and retain the
emerging talents entering the
workforce. Most people are in
our industry by having fallen into
it—what would it look like if we
created a presence that actively
attracted people to it instead?”
WHY JESSICA IS A
RISING STAR
Nominator
Brian Porter, Pro
Towels,
says: “She dove headfirst
into our industry, the way very
few people do. She’s involved,
engaged with many different
groups and demographics, has
brought a long overdue look at
empowering women in the indus-
try and does it all with an amaz-
ing smile and energy few could
match.” Nominator
Danny
Rosin, Brand Fuel, Inc.
, says:
Jessica is not just a dreamer, she is
a doer. She is a woman of action
and is deeply invested in our
industry. She represents the voice
of both women and millennials.”
Nominator
Jen Barja, Kobie
Marketing
, says: “Jessica is a go-
getter. She is serving on the
PromoKitchen board, on multiple
committees in the industry, has
presented education sessions
about women’s empowerment, got
her CAS and then her MAS two
months later. She drove 3,152
miles across the country by herself
to work for Sunrise.”
Other nominators included
Sydra Newell, SnugZ USA;
Aubrey Collins, MediaTree;
Mitch Mounger, Sunrise
Identity; Lindsay Heller, Sunrise
Identity; Eileen Lynch, BIC
Graphic; Bobby Lehew, CAS,
ROBYN; Nikole Flannery,
Brand Fuel, Inc.; Mark Graham,
commonsku; Charity Gibson,
Green Banana Promos; Erin
Bartucca, BIC Graphic and Fran
Ford, CAS, Castelli.