Jessica Southwell is the Chief Performance and Risk Management Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Since her appointment in 2016, she has implemented a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management program that enables a high performing, resilient organization.
Jessica’s public service career includes working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where she communicated agency priorities through strategic plans, evaluated mission performance, and facilitated decision-making and assessment of issues that required high-level integration, visibility and approval. Jessica served at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where she led strategic planning and performance improvement activities for the E-Verify and Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements programs. While at DHS, she also oversaw the development of a risk assessment process to facilitate DHS’s implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards regulation. Prior to DHS, Jessica worked for the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, where she was responsible for an array of all-hazard preparedness activities.
Jessica received a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the American University, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the George Washington University
