Jessica Payne, MSW

Jessica relocated to St. Louis in August of 2014 to pursue two years of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, a community development corporation in North City. Prior to this jump into community work, she was a Senior Marketing Manager for Wintrust Financial in Chicago, leading the creation of a comprehensive social and digital media strategy for more than 80 community bank and specialty financing brands. She received a BA in Advertising and a minor in Studio Art from Oklahoma State University in 2007 and an MSW from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis with a concentration in Social and Economic Development in 2017. During her time at the Brown School, she participated in the Buder Center for American Indian Studies, American Indian Student Association, and completed practicum experiences with both the Grace Hill Settlement House and the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council. 

Before consulting full time, she served as the Promise Zone Catalyst, a shared position working with both the St. Louis Promise Zone and Forward Through Ferguson to ensure collaboration on the 189 Calls to Action from the Ferguson Commission Report. In 2017, she also co-founded Equitable St. Louis, a coalition that advocates for community benefits agreements and equitable development practices. Jessica is a past president of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, served as Curriculum and Alumni Chairs for New Leaders Council St. Louis, and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Cultural Affairs, a global community development organization based in Chicago. In her spare time, you can find her talking to her neighbors at La Mancha Coffeehouse, working on projects for Osiyo Design + Engagement, biking the riverfront trail and tending to her plot in the 13th Street Community Garden.