Like most women, my mother has been a great inspiration to me and taught me about leadership early on. Early on, my mom taught my sister and me the value and importance of giving back and volunteering. Christmas and Thanksgiving were (and are still) spent giving back to those in need by preparing and delivering meals and cleaning out the bathrooms of homeless shelters. My mother saw the need for us to see the greater vision of the world and for us to know it didn’t center around us while teaching us that we are no better than anyone else. To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes on leadership, leadership is about caring more about the cause and the people you can inspire on a daily basis than your personal discomfort and achievement. It is about having a much larger vision of where you are going while leaving the pathway uncluttered to welcome others to grow into leaders.

Originally from Fayetteville, Georgia, Jessica Rush earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State with a focus in Supply Chain and Information Systems and a minor in international business. She attended Purdue University, receiving an MBA with specialization in Sustainability and Operations. 

Before business school, Jessica spent a summer in Haiti, delivering shoes to those in need and creating a more efficient supply chain for urban water projects. Jessica has worked for many successful companies including: Schneider Electric, Unilever, and Georgia Pacific. 

Currently, Jessica is completing her PhD in Engineering Education at Purdue University to focus on effective methods of corporate outreach in STEM to minority communities. In her free time, she writes children’s books, teaches yoga to children, travels, hikes, and plays with her dog Sasha.