Jessi Jackson Smith joined the ACLU of Florida in January 2025. She brings nearly twenty-five years of non-profit program development and administration experience, including the management of diverse and successful grant funding programs.
Over the course of her career, her grants administration work has ranged from the arts, heritage preservation, and cultural-heritage museums sector, to garnering support for individuals with developmental disabilities, and management of alcohol, drug and mental health, and human services program funding. She has held the positions of Director of Grants and Development for the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Cultural Coordinator for the County of Volusia, Senior Director of Grants Administration for Quest, Inc. in Orlando, and Opioid Abatement Coordinator and Human Services Manager for the County of Volusia.
Jessi graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University, attaining her Bachelor of Arts degree double-majoring in history and classics with an art history minor. She earned additional professional certifications in fundraising and development, and grant proposal writing from the Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business in Winter Park, Florida. She is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and resides in Central Florida. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors hiking, reading, crochet and knitting, and spending quality time with family.