Jessica the founder of Kind Traveler, a new digital travel platform (arriving 2015) that rewards travelers for making donations to local and global charities with exclusive offers from today's greatest hotels and unique properties.
Our mission is to transform the incredible collective of everyday travelers into a financial force that betters the health and wellbeing of individuals, the environment, and animals.
Passionate about sustainability, wellness, travel, and social innovation, I'm also a contributing writer for Fast Company, Hospitality Design, One Green Planet, Green Lodging News, Spa Finder, Examiner, CBS Los Angeles, and the BLLA (Boutique Lodging & Lifestyle Association).
As a proud vegan and animal welfare advocate, I practice yoga and ballet when I'm not working on Kind Traveler initiatives!
Her career began as an earth science and math teacher with UCSD's Pruess School, a unique charter school for low income students who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from college, educating 130 students each day. She then spent 10 years as an Associate Publisher and Advertising Director with popular print & digital fashion and lifestyle magazine start-ups including 944 Magazine and Foam Magazine in San Diego and Los Angeles. Her entrepreneurial journey began as the five-year Principal of LA-based brand consultancy, Publicly Loved, where her clients included luxury real estate moguls like CIM Group and Marriott Hotels.
With a heart for travel, sustainability, social impact, and animal welfare, she has contributed as a journalist to Fast Company, CBS Los Angeles, Hospitality Design, One Green Planet, Green Lodging News, CEO.com, Spa Finder, Examiner, Destination Luxury, Darling Magazine, and the BLLA (Boutique Lodging & Lifestyle Association).
As a speaker, she’s presented on the stages of TEDx and regular contributes as a panelist with various professional hospitality associations and events including the Travel & Adventure Show, Lodging Magazine’s Green Lodging Conference, the Enlightened Entrepreneur Summit, and the Boutique Lodging Association’s annual leadership summit.
As a child, Jessica always had a longing to help animals. Over the last six years you could find her searching for homes for LA’s homeless pet population on death row and educating the public on the importance of spaying and neutering as a volunteer with Best Friends Animal Society, Carson Cats, and Much Love Animal Rescue. As a passionate voice for animals, she's served as a reporter interviewing celebrities such as Bob Barker, Willie Nelson, Ian Somerhalder, and Russell Simmons to create awareness around the importance of avoiding circuses that involve animals, ending the illegal wildlife trade, and the need to end factory farming with Animal Defenders International, Humane Society of the U.S., WildAid, and Animal Hero Kids.