As the Executive Director of The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans (TWC), Jessica Dandridge has dedicated her life to community advocacy, movement-building, campaign development, and systems change across multiple sectors. Since starting her career as a youth organizer in 2005, she has worked for or collaborated with over two dozen organizations in the Greater New Orleans area and nationally across a range of issue areas and regions. Ms. Dandridge received her B. A at Xavier University of Louisiana in Political Science and her M.A in International Affairs with a concentration in conflict and security at The New School for Public Engagement in New York City. Ms. Dandridge is a trained facilitator from YPQI, has a certificate in Leadership, Activism, and Civil Rights from Brown University, and a certificate in Kingian Nonviolence Strategies from the Selma Center of Nonviolence. In her current work, Jessica serves on several water, climate, and system-change committees and coalitions at the local, state, and federal levels. Accolades include being an Obama USA Leader (2024), a former state commissioner on coastal protection, a Gambit 40 Under 40 for New Orleans, and a 2024 Grist Fixer Recipient. She is also a published writer for Designing Knowledge Economies for Disaster Resilience and has appeared in dozens of documentaries, podcasts, and as a keynote speaker for a multitude of events.