Problem Solving with Purpose
From founding a pioneering non-profit to producing documentary films on urgent social issues, Jessica has spent the last two decades focused on problems affecting families and communities.
As the daughter of a social worker who worked in the prison system, Jessica grew up hearing her mother’s accounts of incarcerated parents separated from their children. These dinner table conversations gave her early insights into the challenges facing many families.
During college, Jessica worked at a probation and parole office, supporting women her own age who were already young mothers. She saw how limited resources and difficult circumstances often led families deeper into the criminal justice system.
Then, while working at the state's attorney's office, she witnessed how hard it is for people to navigate a complex system without adequate support.
These experiences shaped Jessica's worldview and continue to inform her approach across all her work.
An Innovative Approach to Multigenerational Poverty
In 2001, as a new mother herself, Jessica founded Baby Buggy to collect and redistribute essential items to under-resourced families in New York City. The organization grew quickly, rallying corporate partners and donors to support families across New York City and Los Angeles. What began as a response to immediate material needs evolved into a comprehensive anti-poverty program.
A pivotal moment came in 2010 when Baby Buggy made the unconventional decision to intentionally include fathers in programming — recognizing that whole-family support creates more sustainable change. Reflecting this expanded mission and broader approach, the organization rebranded as Good+Foundation in 2016.
Today, Good+Foundation continues to innovate through initiatives like Family Cash Grants and the Good+ Training Academy while maintaining its core model of pairing essential goods with transformative services. Now in its 25th year, the organization has distributed over millions in cash grants and hundreds of millions in goods to families nationwide.
Good+Foundation makes a meaningful difference in the lives of the families we serve, providing them with essential resources that help stabilize and empower their futures.”
MAMA'S Neighborhood, LA County Department of Health Services
Storytelling for Change
Jessica uses content and filmmaking as a powerful tool to elevate urgent issues and shifting narratives. Through her work in documentary film, she aims to bring to light both the challenges families face today and hope for possible solutions.
Daughters
Building on her work with Good+Foundation's fatherhood programs, Jessica joined co-directors Natalie Rae and Angela Patton as Executive Producer on this moving documentary. It follows four incarcerated fathers through a 10-week fatherhood program preparing for a special daddy-daughter dance, illuminating the human costs of the criminal justice system.
The film emerged from Patton’s work as the founder for Girls For A Change, which created the Date with Dad Program that is featured. In 2024, the film debuted at Sundance, winning both the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary and The Festival Favorite Award. It has received a Peabody Award, two Emmy nominations, and a BAFTA nomination. Learn more about Girls for a Change and their work.
...This quietly consequential film makes clear the weight of mass incarceration on families.”
Variety