I Am Jazz Author Jessica Herthel

Jessica Herthel is the co-author of the children’s book, I Am Jazz, which is both critically-acclaimed and also an American Library Association Top 10 Banned Book in America.  She will tell the story of how she came to write Jazz Jenning's story as a children's book, why loud and visible straight allyship is so important.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Jessica spent several years in private law practice in New York, Los Angeles, and Boca Raton before taking time off to raise her three daughters and travel abroad in the United Arab Emirates.  Upon returning to Florida, Jessica began working on LGBTQ-inclusive projects with Broward County Public Schools’ Office of Diversity, Cultural Outreach & Prevention.  In that office Jessica oversaw the development of inclusive curriculum and lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students; she was also the primary editor of Broward County’s “LGBTQ Critical Support Guide” which is currently being implemented throughout the district. Until her family's relocation in 2015 to Orange County, California, Jessica spent three years serving as the Director of the Stonewall National Education Project and hosting their annual national symposium of school districts. Now Jessica concentrates on speaking engagements and private consulting, and she is the president of her local PFLAG chapter in Newport Beach.

Jesssia will be joing us over Zoom. If you RSVP to this event, we will send a link to join us via Zoom. (Emails go out the evening before the event.) There is no need to RSVP if you'd like to join us in person at the United Methodist Chuch (9542 HWY S). Jessia will speak from 6-7 PM. The remainig hour is reserved for sharing and support.