Jessica Lawrence has over 15 years of experience in organizing, policy, legislative affairs, and stakeholder engagement. She has worked with districts, schools, non-profit organizations, as well as state and local governments to address the issues and concerns of families and communities. In her current role as Staff Policy Specialist for Family and Community Engagement (FCE) with Baltimore City Public Schools, she is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the Board’s policy and regulations for FCE at the district and school-level.
Her work in Baltimore City includes building partnerships with various community associations and constituent groups in Maryland’s 45th Legislative District. Her passion for family engagement is rooted in her first experience working with school-aged children and families with the Department of Social Services’ Family Support Center as a youth counselor in the Building Blocks Youth Program. Prior to joining City Schools, she was a Partnerships and Workforce Development Representative with Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake in Baltimore and served as Program Coordinator for the Parent Engagement and Community Ambassador Program with Anne Arundel County Public School’s Office of Equity Assurance and Human Relations. She lives in Baltimore City and is a proud Baltimore City Public Schools’ parent and wife of a Baltimore City School teacher