Jessica Cunningham

Jessica Cunningham is the founding principal of KIPP DC: WILL Academy. She began her work with KIPP as the sixth grade math teacher at Key Academy, the first KIPP school in D.C., where she taught for two years before being accepted as a KIPP Foundation Fisher Fellow. Upon completing the Fisher Fellowship, Jessica founded KIPP D.C.’s third middle school, WILL Academy in July of 2006. Before joining KIPP, Jessica was a part of the D.C. Teaching Fellows' inaugural cohort, where she taught fourth grade at Garfield Elementary in Anacostia. At Garfield, she founded Girl Power, the school's first and only empowerment group for young ladies. Jessica earned a B.S. in African American studies from Florida A&M University and an M.A.T in elementary education from American University.