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Guest of Honor Jessica Knight Henry
Jessica Leroyce Knight Henry is the granddaughter and namesake of Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown, the Navy’s first black aviator. As a child, she was fortunate to bear witness through family, friends, and events honoring her grandfather, to learn about who he was and the indelible mark that he left on the life of others.
Jessica grew up in Hattiesburg, MS, and graduated from Millsaps College. She is a political professional and an active volunteer with numerous service commitments in the Washington, DC area and her home state of Mississippi She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world
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She began her career in politics in 2005 with the “Get Out The Vote” (GOTV) operations for the Virginia Coordinated Campaign in the Hampton Roads region and helped lead Tim Kaine to his historic gubernatorial victory
Currently, Jessica is the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). She was an integral part of the team that “flipped the Senate” in 2020 where she was the Political and Engagement Director.
Prior to joining the DSCC, Jessica was the National Development Director and part of the senior leadership team that launched Supermajority, a non-profit organization that works to build women’s political power
Devoted to her love for politics, she worked for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as their Deputy National Finance Director and Director for the DNC Women’s Leadership Forum, as well as serving as the former Executive Director for the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee (CBC PAC)
Her tenure also includes work at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), where she managed the LCV Action Fund Political Action Committee and served as Development and Operations Director for a national, nonpartisan civic engagement group focused on increasing the rate of voter registration in communities of color.
Today, Jessica resides in Washington, DC with her husband Shanon Henry and their daughter Daisy, where she enjoys spending quality time with friends and family.
