Jessica Sommer

Brainstormer, Connector, Consultant, Designer, Event planner, Foodie, Idea generator, Jewish, World traveler

I design and run experiential learning programming that foster mindsets and behaviors around deep empathy. I hold a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Statistics from the University of Rochester, and an M.A. from NYU’s Gallatin school for interdisciplinary study, where I combined business, technology design, and psychology to study “Thriving through Experiential Design.†Focused on how organizations can create sustainable thriving, I explored why people-centric strategy, focusing on the cultural, structural, and leadership aspects of an organization, is the key to today’s competitive advantage. I am deeply committed to community development and social justice. I serve as an anthropological coach at the National Science Foundation’s Center for Research on Development, Culture and Education, fundraise for theater gym and creative think tank, Exit Pursued By a Bear, and actively support Cycle for Survival, a rare cancer research charity. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and travel.

Design spaces and engagements that change mindsets and behaviors in pursuit of in pursuit of creating deeper empathy and connectedness.

While empathy is innate, it is a capacity we need to exercise to ensure it's strength.

Cultural and Social Anthropology, Experiential Design, Qualitative research