Jessica O'Connell
Vice President for Administration
Jessica O’Connell is the Vice President for Administration at American Progress. She comes to CAP from the bipartisan U.S. Global Leadership Coalition where, as the national field director, she helped organize broad-based influential statewide networks of businesses, NGOs, and military leaders who support a smart power approach to international affairs and global engagement.
Over the past decade, O’Connell has helped elect U.S. federal and statewide political candidates throughout the country and served as a political and management consultant, including work in Italy, Spain, and Brazil. As the national director of operations for Hillary Clinton for President, she helped the presidential campaign grow from 10 people in two states to more than 1,500 staff nationwide. In this role, O’Connell managed internal communications and policy, daily operations of the HQ, resource allocation, and coordinated the redeployment logistics throughout the country. She played a similar role as the interim director of operations helping to start up the Howard Dean presidential campaign.
Following the 2004 presidential campaign, O’Connell served as the COO for strategic online communications and technology firm EchoDitto, where she was responsible for the day-to-day management of the company, which expanded to NYC and Boston. She also managed the Client & Creative Services team, providing strategic guidance and ensuring quality new media and online campaigns for national and international progressive clients.
When not on political campaigns or online, O’Connell has developed and implemented fundraising programs and events for national organizations like EMILY’s List, where she served as the deputy director of major gifts and events and as the development director for the Children’s Defense Fund.
In 2009 O’Connell founded Youth Trek, a 501(c)(3) organization that uses travel to broaden the horizons of girls from underserved areas and introduce them to Careers, Cultures, and Communities beyond their own neighborhoods. She has been a trainer and panelist for Veterans Campaign, American University: Women in Politics Institute, EMILY’s List Campaign Corps, National Student Partnership, and the Emerging Leaders Program. O’Connell holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver.
