Project Launch

For leaders seeking to activate a new idea or bring structure to big, messy projects. Read on for an example of my Project Launch work.

The need

A year prior to reaching out to me, Hassan, CEO of 4.0 Schools, and Jonathan, Founder & CEO of Rooted School, had a big idea to launch a study exploring the impact of guaranteed income on high school students. With their leadership teams already at full capacity driving forward the day-to-day work of their organizations, Hassan and Jonathan were hesitant to ask them to take ownership of this study for fear of burning them out. They needed someone with the skill and energy to get this idea off of the Google Doc page and into reality.

The work

I was brought on to activate Hassan and Jonathan’s big idea: a first-of-its-kind partnership between 4.0 Schools, New Orleans high school Rooted School, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research. The study called for providing $50 of cash directly to high school students every week for a year. My scope of work started with leading us out of ambiguity and into a structured plan. From there, I built out and operationalized a one-year plan so the entire cross-functional project team understood what they needed to do and when. I also:

  • Conducted outreach to experts in the guaranteed income space to gather input and advice

  • Found the perfect research partners and established impactful and productive relationships with them

  • Clarified roles, responsibilities, and decision-making rights across all stakeholders

  • Led the team responsible for executing the project plan, engaging in day-to-day onboarding, support, and troubleshooting to keep the plan continually on track

The impact

❝ Jessica has a gift for breathing life into ideas. She was able to quickly take my vision, build the team we needed to pull it off, and propel the work forward, leading to direct impact on students in the community we serve. She very effectively balances efficiency and joy - I always know that when we chat, even if it’s a quick conversation, by the end, we will have moved a mile further than I expected. ❞

- Hassan Hassan, Former CEO, 4.0

❝ Jessica has been immensely valuable in helping us bring some of our wildest ideas to life. If there’s any new pilot of something that we’re thinking of starting, she's the first person I’m calling.❞

- Jonathan Johnson, Founder & CEO, Rooted School