Jessica Southwell has more than 14 years of public service experience. Currently, she is the director of NASA’s Office of Agency Council Staff within the Office of the Administrator. Prior to joining NASA, Jessica worked for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a strategy and performance management branch chief, and was involved in DHS’s implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards regulation, including the development of risk assessment tools. She received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the American University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the George Washington University.