Jessica Grounds, MS

Jessica Grounds is an internationally recognized thought-leader in women’s leadership and workplace diversity practices. She has developed innovative approaches to advance women leaders in a wide range of industries and has published cutting-edge research on effective leadership in business and politics. Jessica has designed trainings and programs in the U.S. and globally to enhance better workplace performance and leadership skills. Jessica was recently served as an expert witness in multiple court cases challenging the first corporate board diversity laws passed in the United States.

Jessica is the co-founder of Mine The Gap, a company that equips leaders, industries, and organizations with the strategy and tools to create and sustain diverse and inclusive work environments. Mine The Gap advises major companies, organizations, and government agencies including: Amazon Web Services, National Geographic Society, Facebook, the Federal Aviation Administration, PG&E, and more. Over the past two decades she has garnered significant private sector investment for cutting-edge leadership programs from Fortune 500 companies including: Walmart, Lockheed Martin, Deloitte, and Google.

Jessica and her work have been profiled in Bloomberg, Fast Company, NPR, ELLE, National Journal, Washington Post, San Diego Union Tribune, Politico, Marie Claire, Sage publications, and Forbes, among others. Jessica’s latest body of research underscores the challenges and opportunities in bringing women to the highest levels of business. Her research – Culture At Work, #MeToo At Work & The Enthusiasm Gap – reveals important insights on diversity dynamics in the workplace.

Jessica holds a Master of Science in Leadership from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, a graduate certificate in Women, Policy, and Political Leadership from the Women & Politics Institute at American University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Pepperdine University. After nearly 17 years living and working in Washington, DC, she relocated to her hometown, San Diego, California.