Jessica Rhau
Senior Director, Strategy & Programs
Jessica is the Senior Director of Strategy & Programs at Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). An experienced nonprofit executive, she specializes in strategy, organizational development, and advancing equity-driven policy initiatives.
Before joining EdLoC, Jessica provided social impact consulting to mission-driven organizations. She previously served as Chief of Staff at Public Welfare Foundation, where she advised the President & CEO on strategic priorities, streamlined internal operations, and elevated external brand awareness of the Foundation’s work on criminal justice reform. Her career also includes supporting initiatives at the American Society of Hematology to improve the quality of care for patients impacted by blood diseases nationally and globally, and at SEIU, where she expanded partnerships and advanced initiatives for affordable health care, increased minimum wage, immigration reform, and improved workplace standards.
Jessica’s leadership is centered on fostering equitable opportunities and amplifying the voices of leaders of color. She also brings expertise in equitable grantmaking.
Throughout her career, Jessica has focused on advancing voting rights, workers' rights, housing justice, women’s rights, criminal justice, and health care reform. She began her career in politics working on local, state, and national political campaigns, including the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. A Chicago native now based in Washington, DC, Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.