On behalf of the earthday365 Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce Dr. Jessica Watson as the organization’s new Executive Director! Jessica, or Jess, joins earthday365 after serving six years with Wings of Hope, a global humanitarian nonprofit that supports medical access and poverty alleviation programs around the world. With Wings of Hope, she managed programs in 9 countries and began innovative new education programs reaching out into local St. Louis schools.

Jess was first involved with the St. Louis Earth Day Festival as a volunteer in 1991 and is excited to join the earthday365 team. The organization is equally as excited to welcome Jess as Executive Director and support her in leading the organization through its next chapter of strengthening operations for greater efficiency, impact, and visibility. Jess will be responsible for overseeing the organization’s strategic planning, operations, and programs; as well as fundraising, marketing, and community outreach.

A longtime environmentalist, she has worked around the world on biodiversity and food justice issues – with farmers in Thailand, researchers in Ghana, and activists in West Oakland.

She received her BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Swarthmore College, and her PhD in Cultural Anthropology from University of California – Santa Cruz. Her research focused on a nonprofit providing fresh food and home gardens in a food desert in West Oakland. Since returning to St. Louis, she has co-founded the Hidden Alley Ranch Community Garden & Ecovillage in the Shaw neighborhood.

In her free time, Jess enjoys foraging juneberries, paw paws, persimmons, and teaching her two young boys to hunt for mushrooms. She loves spending time in creeks and canoeing Missouri’s beautiful rivers.

Jess will begin her tenure as Executive Director of earthday365 on March 3, 2020, after which you can reach her at jessica@earthday-365.org – please join me in welcoming her!

– Jeanette R. Reynolds, outgoing Interim Executive Director