Background
Jackley grew up in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, in a Christian household.
Jackley grew up in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania, in a Christian household.
She graduated from North Allegheny Senior High School in 1996. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and political science from Bucknell University in 2000 and an Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with certificates in Public and Global Management.
She is best known for co-founding Kiva and later ProFounder, two organizations that promote development through microloans. Jackley is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, and has taught Global Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California. Jackley has worked in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with Village Enterprise and Project Baobab. Jackley also spent three years in the Stanford GSB"s Center for Social Innovation and Public Management Program, where she helped launch the inaugural Global Philanthropy Forum.
Jessica is a mentor of The Girl Effect Accelerator, a two-week business accelerator program that aims to scale startups in emerging markets that are best positioned to impact millions of girls in poverty.
She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a 2011 World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader, and serves as an active board member on several organizations championing women, microfinance, technical and the arts, including Opportunity International, the International Museum of Women, and Allowance for Good.